Tyler Soderstrom

Soderstrom is at the top of a strong 2020 prep catching class, along with Texas catcher Drew Romo, and was one of the biggest risers last summer after a terrific wire-to-wire offensive performance. Almost every scout is excited about the offensive potential Soderstrom offers. He has a polished lefthanded swing and plus raw power he gets to in gams. He still has more physical projection and has a chance to become a middle-of-the-order force. Defensively, there are more questions. While the reviews of Soderstrom's bat are glowing, almost every evaluator questions his ability to remain behind the plate moving forward. His size is a question, as is his ability to sit behind the plate and be a good receiver. He’ll need to improve his lower-half flexibility, and while his natural arm strength is impressive, he needs to shorten his arm stroke and improve his footwork on throws. Scouts believe Soderstrom has the passion to catch, so some teams could send him out and let him figure it out, while others might be more inclined to let him play third base, first base or even a corner-outfield spot, where his bat could move quicker and still profile well. There are some similarities with Soderstrom and 2018 Indians first-round pick Bo Naylor, though Naylor had better natural feel to hit at the time, and enough teams seem to like him in the first round that he won’t get to campus at UCLA.