Daniel Susac

Susac ranked as the No. 118 player in the 2020 class out of high school, where he stood out as a power-oriented backstop with arm strength and big league bloodlines—his brother, Andrew, caught for five years in the big leagues. After going undrafted, the 6-foot-4, 218-pound catcher had a freshman All-American campaign in 2021 (.335/.392/.591, with 12 home runs and 24 doubles) and was named the 2021 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year for his efforts. In his draft-eligible 2022 season, Susac continued to perform with the bat and followed up with a .367/.432/.598 slash line with 12 home runs and 19 doubles. Susac hits the ball hard and puts the ball in the air, with plus raw power, though most of his homers came to the pull side this spring. A long-levered hitter, there is some swing and miss in his game (evidenced by 18% and 15% strikeout rates the last two seasons) and Susac has been prone to chasing out of the zone a bit more often than scouts would like, which leads to average, or above-average hit tool grades rather than the 60-grade hit tool his .350 career average might suggest. He has hammered fastballs and done well against 93-plus mph velocity but will swing and miss more frequently against breaking and offspeed offerings. Even with some swing and miss, Susac’s top-end exit velocities stand out and should allow him to provide plenty of impact for the catcher position. Defensively, Susac has a chance to be an average defender behind the plate, which is a credit to him given his tall frame. He is a solid athlete (he was a standout high school quarterback) with plus arm strength and a 24% caught stealing rate this spring. Susac is one of the more divisive players at the top of the 2022 draft class, with some teams viewing him as an easy top-10 talent and others viewing him as more of a back-of-the-first sort of prospect. Still, the industry tends to push college catchers up the board and Susac is a proven hitter with power who should stick behind the plate.