Guardians predicted to replace Bo Naylor with young catcher

The Cleveland Guardians are in a solid position as an organization, but with the MLB draft approaching, they have several opportunities to further enhance their farm system and overall organization. 

That could come in the form of a college hitter, as the Guardians’ biggest need continues to be finding somebody with some juice in their bat. 

Despite that need, Baseball America predicted that they’d draft somebody with just five home runs during this college season in the form of Coastal Carolina catcher Caden Bodine. 

Bodine, who will have the opportunity to compete for a national championship with Coastal Carolina, is a very talented player and is expected to be selected in the first round of the 2025 MLB draft. 

“Bodine feels like a great fit here, both on talent and organization tendencies. He’s a high-end catcher and receiver who has some of the best pure contact skills in the class. His lack of impact and upside makes him a better fit for the 20-40 range, and Cleveland could covet his contact track record as much as any team. Bodine had a loud super regional showing with a multi-home run game against Auburn,” they wrote.

Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp

Bodine is good, but his lack of power causes some issues. 

While that’s somewhat concerning, it’s also important to remember who the Guardians have drafted in recent years. This team has been interested in finding hitters with elite bat-to-ball skills, and he has that.

Bodine has proven to be an above-average catcher defensively, a skill that should intrigue Cleveland beyond his hit tool.