The Pirates used their fifth-round pick -- No. 144 overall -- to select Arizona's Adonys Guzman, a catcher who is known for his arm but has improved at the plate.
Guzman, 5-11, 220 pounds, was a top 200 catcher coming out of high school in 2022 because of his 80-grade arm. He attended Boston College before transferring to Arizona in 2024. After hitting .265 that season, Guzman slashed .328/.411/.496 this past year while hitting nine home runs and driving in 44 RBIs.
"The defense is certainly his calling card. It has been since his prep days as a high schooler. The kid can really catch and throw, and he's a leader behind the plate. He's tough. He can lead a staff," Horowitz said. "Offensively, we believe that he took some major strides this year. Made a lot more contact. Started hitting the ball a little bit harder. When you start to add up those pieces for a catcher, that's a pretty attractive profile."
Guzman threw out 31% of basestealers and drew 27 walks while striking out 32 times. He was named to the College World Series All-Tournament team.
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THE ASYLUM
The Pirates used their fifth-round pick -- No. 144 overall -- to select Arizona's Adonys Guzman, a catcher who is known for his arm but has improved at the plate.
Guzman, 5-11, 220 pounds, was a top 200 catcher coming out of high school in 2022 because of his 80-grade arm. He attended Boston College before transferring to Arizona in 2024. After hitting .265 that season, Guzman slashed .328/.411/.496 this past year while hitting nine home runs and driving in 44 RBIs.
"The defense is certainly his calling card. It has been since his prep days as a high schooler. The kid can really catch and throw, and he's a leader behind the plate. He's tough. He can lead a staff," Horowitz said. "Offensively, we believe that he took some major strides this year. Made a lot more contact. Started hitting the ball a little bit harder. When you start to add up those pieces for a catcher, that's a pretty attractive profile."
Guzman threw out 31% of basestealers and drew 27 walks while striking out 32 times. He was named to the College World Series All-Tournament team.
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