Silas Ardoin

Ardoin has grown up around the game, and it shows. Silas’ father Danny was a five-year major league veteran. Scouts have gotten to watch Ardoin handle pitchers with quality stuff for three years, including 2021 first-rounder Ty Madden and 2020 fifth-rounder Bryce Elder. There are few concerns with his catching, as he’s a plus defender and one of the better catch-and-throw backstops in the draft. Using a hybrid setup where he uses one knee with no one on and switches to a traditional setup with runners on, Ardoin moves well and smothers pitches in the dirt. He has quiet hands. Ardoin has a quick release and an above-average arm, which helped him throw out 42% of basestealers. Evaluators feel confident that he should make the majors, but how much impact he’ll make and how long he’ll stay is the question. At the plate, Ardoin works counts and feasts on fastballs, but pitchers who can command a breaking ball can find success on the outer third of the plate. He’ll struggle to break 4.55 seconds running from home to first. He projects as a below-average hitter with below-average power, but his ability behind the plate makes that a still-intriguing combination.