Anyone who follows the Dodgers minor league teams even relatively closely is well aware that there is a shortage of quality catchers in the system. Now this is certainly not a knock on guys like Matt Wallach, Griff Erickson, Chris O’Brien or the other catchers down on the farm, but let’s face it – every time a truly great catching prospect comes along it seems that Dodger general manager Ned Colletti trades them away (e.g. Carlos Santana and Lucas May, to name only two).

So when I learned today that the Dodgers had signed their 30th round draft pick Ryan Scott, an 18-year-old catcher out of Notre Dame High School in Scottsdale, AZ, I was a bit excited. Now granted, it is highly unlikely that the recent high school grad will be making his MLB debut anytime soon, but the more quality catchers down on the farm the better.

Ryan Scott slides safely into home during the Division II championship game at Camelback Ranch this past May. (Photo credit – David Kadlubowski)

Signing Ryan was a feat in itself, as many prospect watchers believed that he would opt to attend college instead, just as his brother Casey did when he was drafted in the 47th round of the 2011 draft. But it was Ryan himself who made the announcement of his signing with the Dodgers on Twitter earlier this afternoon – à la Hanley Ramirez.

Although Scott’s high school numbers are not earth-shattering, they are certainly impressive. As a senior, he hit .308 with 4 home runs, but what apparently caught Logan White’s eye was his impressive .988 fielding percentage, which is quite good for a catcher on any level. He is also reported to have a good throwing arm.

According to a follow-up tweet by Scott, he will report to the Arizona Dodgers at Camelback Ranch for the short season Arizona Rookie League, the perfect place to begin his professional career – a short 30 minute drive from his Scottsdale home.

Godspeed to you, Ryan.