Ricardo Genovés, C
DOB: 5/14/1999
BATS: R / THROWS: R
ACQUIRED: International Signing, July 2015
LAST LEVEL: High-A
VOLATILITY: High
STATS
GiantFutures 2022 Ranks: #3 Catcher, #16 Overall
Performance: It was a tale of two cities for Ricardo Genovés in 2021. He’d had a solid but limited season in 2019, starting the season in Short-A, but finishing with a solid 19 games at Low-A Augusta. After missing 2020, Genovés started 2021 with a talented San Jose team at Low-A and was white hot, batting .338/.441/.551 with 11 doubles and six home runs in 38 games through the end of June. That pushed the Giants to move Genovés to High-A Eugene, shuffling the backstop position. Genovés was more challenged at High-A, with a batting line of just .217/.294/.364 with 11 doubles and seven home runs, nearly the same number of hits as in San Jose in 27 more games.
Defensively, Genovés has had a strong reputation, but struggled in his first full season. Overall, he caught 29% of baserunners among the new Low-A rules, after catching 41% in 2019. He also allowed 26 passed balls in 91 games behind the plate, after allowing just eight in 47 games in 2019. He was also given six games at first base between Low-A and High-A as both teams struggled with regular first basemen.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Genovés’ offensive ability has developed as he’s gotten stronger, and he’s become more of a power threat, posting a new career high with 25 doubles and 14 home runs. He obviously showed much more patience at Low-A, as he struck out 29 times in 38 games there, but struck out 73 times in 65 games, but if he can continue to make adjustments as he moves up the ladder, his power should carry him as a catcher.
His defensive profile is different. He earned a strong defensive reputation coming up early in his career, but he had a rougher season in 2021. Officially, minor league baseball lists Genovés at 190 lbs, while Baseball America lists him at 254 lbs, which is probably closer to reality. He has a strong arm and good mechanics, but he was noticeably struggling to move behind the plate. If he can manage his body better, he could get back to being a plus defensive catcher, but if it continues to be a problem, Genovés may need to move off catcher, and his offensive profile won’t play up as well at other positions.
2022 Outlook: Catching is a crowded position, and the Giants may give the starting Eugene spot back to former first round pick Patrick Bailey. Genovés might be his backup, with time at first, or the Giants may put him up at Richmond. Either way, the biggest focus will be on how he can handle himself behind the plate, and whether he’s going full Panda.
Future Profile: Genovés still has some serious upside to be someone’s primary catcher, but his realistic profile is as a backup catcher with some pop, with the ability to play at first when needed.
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