Andrew Susac

Stuck behind Buster Posey in San Francisco, it should come as no surprise that Susac has never really had a chance to launch his career. He has been solid at the plate throughout his minor league career, with a .256/.354/.424 batting line over 333 career games, but he doesn't have any standout skills. As such, Susac may be destined for a long career as a major league backup -- he's clearly one of the 60 or so best catchers in the game, but he doesn't have the upside for a team to make him a catcher of the future. That said, with the Brewers in a rebuilding phase, he could have his best chance to win substantial playing time in 2017, working in tandem with offseason acquisition Jett Bandy.

Susac followed up his strong rookie season in 2014 with a disappointing sophomore campaign. He was expected to start the season as Buster Posey's primary backup, but a wrist injury limited him and he ceded the role to Hector Sanchez. When he finally did make the big league roster, he struggled with the bat. A lingering thumb injury and his season-ending wrist surgery could have played a role, so we can’t simply write him off quite yet. Looking deeper, he had far better success against lefties (.298) than righties (.174), which is prefect for this system. Manager Bruce Bochy prefers to move Posey to first base when a lefty is on the bump, which would be the perfect chance to get Susac a start or two per week behind the dish. All reports are that his wrist surgery went well, and Susac should be ready to resume his role as Posey's backup in 2016.

Since Susac was taken in the second round of the 2011 draft, he has had an impressive and consistent rise through the Giants’ system, which culminated in him joining the big league team in late July. In 253 at-bats at Triple-A, he hit 10 bombs with a .268/.379/.451 slash line. The 24-year-old backstop has reached base at an excellent clip, and it speaks to his development and makeup that he was able to improve his batting average and on-base percentage at each stop, while his BABIPs remained fairly consistent. It is a skill set that would be a lot more valuable in OBP leagues, as he doesn’t project to offer much more than 10 home runs per season. While he should break camp with the Giants, offering an upgrade over Hector Sanchez in the backup catcher role, Susac will remain behind Buster Posey on the depth chart for the foreseeable future.

After a disappointing season with High-A San Jose in 2012, the Giants' top catching prospect bounced back in 2013. Susac put together a .256/.362/.458 line with an impressive .373 wOBA and a solid 129 wRC+. He also slightly improved both his walk rate (13.5 BB%) and strikeout rate (21.9%) from a year ago, but he still has to cut down on the strikeouts if he wants to be a successful major league hitter. Still, it's hard to complain about across-the-board improvements from a prospect who moved up a level. The Giants will likely start Susac at Double-A Richmond in 2014 with the intention of a quick promotion to Triple-A Fresno should his growth continue.

Susac’s first professional season in High-A was considered a disappointment after hitting .244/.351/.380 with nine home runs in 426 plate appearances. Projected to a big time power hitter, his .136 ISO is especially concerning considering that he is not coming out of high school. Susac's strength in 2012 was his ability to get on base via the walk (12.3 percent walk rate), but his strikeout rate (23.5 percent) will keep him from hitting for average. Defensively, he has an above average arm and moves well behind the plate. The Giants still could project him as a solid everyday backstop, but he will not be ready until at least 2014.