| Jaso has been a consistent offensive performer in the minors since being drafted out of Southwestern Community College back in 2003. Injuries to his throwing shoulder, however, forced him to split time at designated hitter for most of his minor league career. This hindered his development behind the plate, leading to questions about his work behind the dish. Concerns about his ability to remain at the position were the only real factor preventing him from being considered one of the best catching prospects in the minors.
Jaso made some strides in his defense in 2008, though he still has a lot of room left for improvement. He returned to Montgomery at the end of camp, as the organization wanted to see him make progress in his game-calling ability and work with top pitching prospects Wade Davis and Jake McGee. While this reportedly irked him a bit—as he batted .271/.408/.484 with the Biscuits in 2007—this indeed helped him out on the defensive end.
Jaso’s best tool is by far his bat, which profiles a lot better at his current position; he does not project to hit for enough power to play first base full time. In particular, his excellent strike zone awareness, voted tops in the organization on this front by Baseball America, sets him apart. The left-handed hitting backstop continued to impress with his advanced approach—17.6 BB%, 9.4 K%, 1.88 BB/K, 62 BB, 32 Ks in 352 plate appearances in ’08—while again showing off the ability to make consistent contact and put the ball in play.
Following a rough start, Jaso rebounded to post a decent stat line in his second stint with Montgomery: .270/.409/.406 in 281 at-bats. Although he hit only seven home runs—which caused his SLG and ISO to drop—he posted an .800-plus OPS (.815) for the fifth consecutive time. His BABIP was a bit below average, at .286, and—combined with a 19% line drive rate—indicates that his batting average would have been higher had he simply had more luck.
Jaso then earned a promotion to Durham, where he batted .278/.339/.481 with five homers in 108 at-bats. More importantly, he had a decent showing defensively as well. While he has always had above average arm strength, his foot work and a poor release hurt his pop times down to second base. According to scouting reports, he improved in each facet while staying healthy enough to see significant time at catcher all summer.
Shawn Riggans, who is better defensively, has the inside track on the Rays’ backup catching job headed into spring training. But Jaso still has an outside chance to break camp with the parent club, though he will likely return to Durham. If he can continue to refine his catching skills, though, he could establish himself as one of the premier catching prospects in the game.
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