Kyle Teel’s College Coach Backs Lofty MLB Comp For Red Sox Draftee
Boston Red Sox first-round pick Kyle Teel took a home-run swing when selecting the Major League Baseball player he feels he compares to the most.
The left-handed-hitting catcher, who the Red Sox drafted at No. 14 overall Sunday night out of the University of Virginia, chose seven-time All-Star and 2012 National League MVP Buster Posey.
It’s sure a lofty comparison for Teel, but one that Virginia head coach Brian O’Connor doesn’t view as outlandish.
“I see a lot of that in him,” O’Connor told NESN.com. “The reason that is, is Buster was a converted shortstop and was really athletic back there in college and maintained that in pro ball. That was Kyle. Kyle caught, but he played a lot of shortstop (growing up). … His athleticism back there, his ability to pick balls, the plays he makes on block and recoveries and coming out in front of home plate and things like that, are as good as you’ll see (with the) athleticism.”
Teel enters the Red Sox now as their prized catching prospect, something that was missing in their pipeline. Teel’s biggest asset is his outstanding bat as he hit a robust .407 with 13 home runs and 69 RBIs this season as junior with the Cavaliers.
Posey won five Silver Slugger Awards during his career along with a batting title. But he wasn’t just an offensive star. Posey won a Gold Glove in 2016.
Even though what the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Teel can do in a batter’s box jumps off the page, his defensive ability behind the plate also brings the comparison to Posey, who stood at 6-foot-1 and 213 pounds in his major league career. Teel threw out 15-of-24 base stealers this year.
“He could do things behind the dish that no really other catcher could do in college baseball.”
Former Virginia pitcher Mike Vasil
Teel has a catching pedigree with his father, Garrett, playing the position and being drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1989. But when Teel joined the Cavaliers, he needed to develop more as a catcher. His stellar athleticism allowed him to play 19 games a right fielder during his freshman season while serving as Virginia’s backstop for 15 contests.
But by the time he was a sophomore, he took over the full-time catching duties. And this past season, Teel caught all but four innings for the Cavaliers.
O’Connor noted that playing on the United States Collegiate National Team this past summer was pivotal for Teel’s development. He got the chance to form a battery with Paul Skenes, who was the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, along with other elite arms.
And the difference in Teel, especially with how he handles a pitching staff, was noticeable upon his return to the Cavaliers.
“I think that gave him a lot of self confidence that this guy is the best guy in the country,” O’Connor said. “He carried that over to this year and this year he showed a lot of growth and maturity as far as when does he need to go out there and talk to a pitcher. What does he say. Managing a game and things like that. He just really improved through his time here.”
Former Virginia pitcher Mike Vasil, who is now a top pitching prospect with the New York Mets, played alongside Teel for one season. When Vasil toed the rubber and Teel was behind the plate, it stood out to Vasil that Teel wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. It’s an important quality Vasil believes catchers should have in helping make the combination between the two thrive.
But like seemingly everyone else, Vasil comes back to the athleticism Teel possesses, and which separates him from others at his position.
“He’s so athletic that he’s able to do those things and able to also improve on them behind the plate,” Vasil told NESN.com. “I think that’s what I say is just that raw athleticism and hard work helped him get to a spot where he could do things behind the dish that no really other catcher could do in college baseball.”
Teel might not be Posey yet, but if he continues his trajectory, it could be in his future.
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