Joe Hudson

Hudson is the best defender among college catchers in the Midwest and one of the best in the entire draft. He gets easy plus grades for his arm, which can register pop times in the 1.85-second range and enabled him to throw out 38 percent of basestealers during the 2012 regular season. He is also a good receiver and does a decent job of blocking pitches. Known as a defensive specialist after batting a combined .245 with one homer in his first two seasons at Notre Dame, Hudson has helped his cause by hitting .340 with six homers this spring. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder still has a long righthanded swing and tends to punish mistakes better than he handles quality pitching. He may never hit for a high average with wood but could produce double-digit homers. He lacks speed but isn't a bad runner for a catcher.