Landon Powell Stats & Scouting Report

AB	363
AVG	.207
OBP	.284
SLG	.328
HR	10

Full name Landon Reed Powell
Born 03/19/1982 in Raleigh, NC
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 265 / Bats: S / Throws: R
School South Carolina
Debut 04/11/2009
Drafted in the 1st round (24th overall) by the Athletics in 2004 (signed for $1,000,000).

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Powell has been a national story since he took the GED test and sneaked through the 2000 draft unnoticed as a high school junior. He ended up at South Carolina after no pro club signed him as a free agent. After struggling as a freshman (he enrolled in January, lost out on the starting job and rarely played), Powell has become a rock in South Carolina's lineup, catching nearly every day for consecutive College World Series teams. He got too big and soft last season, and clubs still fear his body could go south. Powell has firmed up this season with the help of a personal trainer and shown several above-average tools. He's had his best season at the plate, ranking among SEC leaders in batting, home runs, RBIs and slugging percentage. He's especially dangerous from the left side. His arm strength and accuracy are pluses, and he quickens his throws at times by throwing from his knees. He blocks balls well and has shown durability and leadership. Stats-savvy organizations are particularly high on him.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Though Powell has been on the prospect radar since his sophomore year of high school and has a solid history of performing at the prep level, college and the pros, scouts always have questioned his body and his ability to stay at catcher. He reported to spring training having shed 30 pounds and in the best shape of his career last year, but he tore the anterior-cruciate ligament in his left knee in July, and required surgery on the knee for the second time in three years. Powell stands out with his bat and his catch-and-throw ability. He has a line-drive approach with above-average power. A switch-hitter, he's adept at using the whole field and has good plate discipline. Before he went down with the knee injury, he threw out 54 percent of runners while flashing consistent 1.85-second pop times in Double-A. His soft hands make him an ideal receiver, and his plus arm strength makes up for any deficiencies in his lower half. Powell's knee is a huge concern relating to his ability to remain a catcher. He first had knee surgery to repair a torn lateral meniscus during spring training in 2005. His weight and conditioning fluctuate wildly, and the A's kept on him to work out a dietary plan during this latest rehab. He's a liability on the basepaths, though he did steal the first base of his career last year. Few scouts believe Powell can reach his full potential because of his injury history and his weight. If he can't catch, his value will take a huge hit. That said, he was one of the top catchers in the minors prior to his latest surgery.
Powell has been on the radar since his sophomore year in high school. His high school and college track record are solid, but the same question that always has dogged him--what will his body look like as a pro?--continues to cloud his future. Powell has power from both sides of the plate, a cannon arm (a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale) and hands as soft as butter. He's flexible, receives well and led California League catchers both with a .994 fielding percentage and by throwing out 52 percent of opposing basestealers. Playing every day in high Class A seemed to help Powell stay in shape, but he didn't handle the gap between the regular season (which he finished in Double-A) and the Arizona Fall League well. His weight ballooned again--one scout estimated Powell was as much as 40 pounds over his playing weight--and his well-below-average speed was exacerbated by a complete lack of agility. Several scouts said Powell struggled to get out of his crouch to field bunts. If he stays in shape, Powell could be an all-star. His track record argues against it. He'll head back to Double-A to open 2007.
Powell had two draft dramas earlier in his career. In high school, advised by Scott Boras, he took the GED and became the first prep junior to enter the draft. Teams were hazy on his draft eligibility, and he became a free agent when he went unpicked in 2000. No club met his price, so he attended South Carolina. He had lofty draft aspirations as a junior in 2003, but a lackluster season dropped him to the Cubs in the 25th round. He performed better as a senior, and the A's made him their top draft pick (24th overall) in 2004, signing him for $1 million. Slated to begin 2005 in high Class A, he missed the entire season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while working out in January. He wasn't ready to catch or run in instructional league, but should be ready to start 2006 at Stockton. Powell offers power potential from both sides of the plate while drawing a good share of walks. He has plus arm strength and is surprisingly nimble for his size behind the plate. Already a well-below-average runner, Powell could be an absolute baseclogger after knee surgery. His weight, always a concern, was up to 270 pounds in the fall, and the A's want him at 240-250 pounds like he was as a college senior.
The third time was a charm for Powell, whose first two attempted forays into pro ball ended in disappointment. He tried an unprecedented gambit as a high school junior, entering the draft after getting his GED diploma and becoming a free agent when he went unpicked. When no club met his price, he went on to a successful career at South Carolina but lasted until the Cubs took him in the 25th round of the 2003 draft because of concerns about his physique and signability. He hired a personal trainer and put up career-best .330-19-66 numbers as a senior. After Oakland took him 24th overall in 2004 and signed him for $1 million, an American League executive said, "Landon Powell is what Billy Beane thought Jeremy Brown was," referring to the 2002 supplemental first-round pick and darling of "Moneyball." Powell is a rare commodity, a switch-hitting catcher with power, plate discipline and defensive chops. He's surprisingly agile for his size and has a strong, accurate arm. Powell's body always will be a concern. He weighed as much as 260 pounds as a college junior, and he'll have to work hard to avoid getting too soft. He's slow but not a baseclogger. Two years older than 2004 supplemental first-round catcher Kurt Suzuki, Powell will be pushed a little harder, but his 2005 season will start late. He tore cartilage in his left knee while working out in January and was scheduled to have surgery, which will keep him out of spring training. When he is healthy, Powell will likely head to high Class A.

Minor League Top Prospects

After missing all of 2005 with a torn anterior-cruciate ligament in his left knee, Powell looked fine behind the plate and at the plate for Stockton, even earning a mid-August promotion to Double-A. He stood out most among the Cal League's lackluster group of catchers. Everyone who sees Powell is surprised how nimble he is behind the plate considering his 6-foot-3, 235-pound build. "He's got a lot of agility back there," Stockton manager Todd Steverson said. "He's got a great catch and release, real quick on that, and he blocks extremely well considering he had knee surgery last year." Powell seemed to tire toward the end of his first full season as a pro and his throwing suffered, but he showed above-average arm strength at times earlier in the year. Offensively, he's switch-hitter with some power from both sides of the plate, hough he's much more advanced from the left side. His well below-average speed makes him a liability on the basepaths and hurts his batting average, because he won't ever run out any infield ground balls, but he draws his share of walks and puts himself in good hitter's counts.
The Athletics drafted Powell for his bat, but he was tired following a long college season and didn't put up great numbers while splitting his time behind the plate and at DH. Powell shows power from both sides of the plate and the discipline to have good at-bats and walk more than he strikes out. Powell won't ever be much more than an average defender, which is fine if he shows the power expected. He's a hard worker who already shows solid arm strength and a good release. He must improve his receiving skills, especially handling low pitches and blocking balls. "He's not Pudge Rodriguez back there, but he's respectable," Rogers said. "He has a quick release and needs to clean up some other things as he makes catching just as high a priority as hitting."