Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers is a player to watch this year for Minnesota. Jeffers is slated to be the Twins’ backup catcher behind Christian Vázquez, but he is a high-quality backup and I think he is a good enough be a team’s starting catcher. After missing significant time last season due to a thumb injury, Jeffers is heading into the 2023 season healthy and ready to contribute.
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Plus Power
Jeffers’ biggest offensive strength is his power. His 113.2mph max exit velocity puts him in the top 9% of the league in terms of raw power in 2022. He also has hard hit rates that are 6% better than Major League average.
And is that power being translated into meaningful contact? It is, as Jeffers has a 13% barrel rate (6% better than average), and a high fly ball rate.
Improved Bat to Ball Skills
Jeffers had average bat to ball skills in 2022, which showed an improvement over previous years. Looking at the stats below from 2022, Jeffers had a slightly worse than average strikeout rate, but an average tendency to swing and miss, an average contact rate on pitches in-zone, and a better than average contact rate on pitches that he chases.
In years prior, Jeffers posted much worse strikeout rates and whiff rates. I am hopeful that this improvement is here to stay because of some tweaks to Jeffers’ batting stance.
First looking at his starting position, Jeffers waits for the pitch with a more vertical bat and more open stance than in 2021.
Then looking at his stance during load, Jeffers bat is also more vertical and his front (left) arm is lower.
These changes may have allowed Jeffers to improve his bat speed and ability to get the bat to the ball more frequently than in years prior.
Slightly Better than Average Plate Discipline
In 2022, Jeffers was seeing the ball well. He walked at a slightly above average rate, chased 2% less than average, and swung in-zone an average amount.
He was more aggressive against the first pitch in 2022, but his overall swing rate remained consistent with years prior and his in-zone swing rate was not impacted.
Much Better vs Left-Handed Pitchers
I suspect Jeffers will spend most of his at-bats this season against left-handed pitchers, as he performs much better facing that hand. Jeffers career OPS vs LHP is .794, which is .177 points better than his career OPS vs RHP.
With Christian Vázquez taking on the starting catching role, Jeffers will have the opportunity to be used in better matchups.
Defensive Ability
Not only does Jeffers provide above average offensive attributes as a catcher, he also provides above average defensive skills.
While his pop times (time to get the ball to second based on a steal attempt) are slightly worse than average, his value comes from his framing.
Since 2020, Jeffers has posted above average framing and strike rate metrics on Baseball Savant.
It is highly valuable to find a catcher that is not only above average defensively, but also can provide something offensively. Jeffers does more than that with his power potential and above average overall offensive ability when facing left-handed pitchers.
What do you think of Ryan Jeffers?