Donny Lucy Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

Full name Donald Hassett Lucy
Born 08/08/1982 in Escondido, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Stanford
Debut 09/05/2007
Drafted in the 2nd round (59th overall) by the Chicago White Sox in 2004 (signed for $525,000).

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Lucy bided his time for two years at Stanford, waiting for his chance to supplant Ryan Garko as the everyday catcher. At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, he's always looked the part of a high-round draft pick and he made the most of his opportunity this spring, upgrading his game in all areas. In addition to athletic ability, he brought a lot of energy to the position, while making big strides at the plate. He showed flashes of power while laying off breaking pitches out of the strike zone better than he has in the past. He was a main cog in Stanford's record-breaking offense, hitting .314 with 11 homers. He has always run well for a catcher and brings a lot of intangibles to the table.

Top Rankings

Highly decorated as a high school and college player, Lucy got to the big leagues in his third full season out of Stanford. But he may never develop into more than a solid, defensive-oriented backup. Some in the organization compare him to Chris Stewart, a former minor league standout who has stalled on the threshold of the big leagues, but others argue that Lucy still could hit enough to have a long career in the big leagues. Despite his college success, Lucy had to overhaul his mechanics at the plate and behind it after the White Sox selected him in the second round in 2004. The results have started to show, as he hit .269 in the first half of last season in Double-A, though he seemed overmatched after advancing to Triple-A and then Chicago for a September callup. His strength is pitch-calling and handling a staff. He has an average arm but has quickened his release and threw out 34 percent of minor league basestalers in 2007. He runs well for a catcher, albeit below average overall. He needs more at-bats against advanced pitchers and should be a regular in Triple-A this season.