|
WYATT HENDRIE, CATCHER
|
| Born: February 8, 1999 Height: 5’11” Weight: 200 Bats: Right Throws: Right Drafted: Round 7, 193rd Overall, 2021 How Acquired: Draft College: San Diego State University Agent: N/A |
WTM’s PLAYER PROFILE |
| The Pirates drafted Hendrie from the same college as their previous pick, Mike Jarvis. Unlike Jarvis, Hendrie was a junior. The Cubs drafted him out of junior college in 2019 and he didn’t sign. He went to San Diego State in 2020 and took over the regular catching job. He’s a converted outfielder with good athleticism who could eventually be above average defensively. His arm is above average. He had a strong year offensively in 2021, batting 379/464/633 with nine home runs. He walked just a little less than he struck out. He also stole eight bases without getting caught. Baseball America rated him 270th among draft prospects. The Pirates signed Hendrie for less than the slot amount of $244,900.
2021 Hendrie went to the FCL and hit decently, with good plate discipline. With the short season minors largely being eliminated, it’s hard to know how to assess the performance of a college draftee in rookie ball, even without the very small sample size. The average age was up half a year from the GCL in 2019, so the experience level may have been a bit higher in 2021. 2022 Hendrie spent the season with Bradenton as their primary catcher. He struggled at the plate through the first half of the season, but put up an OPS of .707 and .741 in July and August, respectively, and .974 in six September games. His final line was a little above league average, but the strikeout rate wasn’t good. He played well defensively and threw out 35% of base stealers. Surprisingly, Hendrie will return to Bradenton in 2023. |
|
CONTRACT INFORMATION
|
| 2023: Minor league salary |
|
PLAYER INFORMATION
|
| Signing Bonus: $177,500 MiLB Debut: 2021 MLB Debut: MiLB FA Eligible: 2027 MLB FA Eligible: Rule 5 Eligible: 2024 Added to 40-Man: Options Remaining: 3 MLB Service Time: 0.000 |
|
TRANSACTIONS
|
| June 4, 2020: Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 10th round, 312th overall pick. July 12, 2021: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 7th round, 193rd overall pick; signed on July 16. |
