Player in the Spotlight: Dioner Navarro

Name: Dioner Navarro; DOB: 2/9/84; Ht/Wt: 5-10, 190; B/T: S/R; Organization: Arizona Diamondbacks

The New York Yankees have been trying to obtain Randy Johnson since midseason. It finally looks like they have obtained their prey. With the Unit in New York, the Yankees had to trade away a very important cog of their minor league system: Dioner Navarro. Navarro, 21, is a catcher that many scouts viewed as a future replacement for Jorge Posada, someone who would be able to provide a good game behind the plate and at the plate.

Navarro started his professional career slowly, as do many other young players. This adjustment time of moving from an aluminum bat to a wooden one takes a while, but Navarro has done it. He broke into professional baseball in 2001 with the Gulf Coast League Yankees and hit a solid .280 in 2001. Those are good numbers for a young kid breaking into the Tools of Ignorance. In 2002, Navarro moved to the Yankees low A club in Greensboro and promptly did not hit. He had a fair number of home runs and doubles, but his batting average, on base percentage, and OPS are the true indicators of his failures. His time in 2002 with Tampa is not even worth mentioning, as two at-bats are nothing to gauge a player on. In 2003, Navarro continued his playing at Tampa in the Yankees advanced A league. He began to hit this time, with a .299 batting average, but also with a higher on-base and slugging percentages. The Venezuelan native then moved to the Yankees Double A club in Trenton where he continued his good hitting. He started slowly in 2004 in Trenton, but managed to make the move to Columbus, the Yankees Triple A ball club. His cup of coffee was all right, but seven at-bats, like two, is nothing to gauge a player by.

The positives with Dioner Navarro are his defense, most notably his throwing skills. Navarro has a very strong and accurate arm, but sometimes gets sloppy with his footwork. His swing won’t produce many home runs but he’ll hit a few doubles and otherwise have a nice batting average. Navarro has good plate discipline. He will take a walk when offered by a pitcher and he can always use his good bat speed to stroke a pitch into the outfield.

There are a couple of negatives to consider in Navarro’s future. The biggest thing that may hold him back is his maturity. Scouts have said that he is sometimes out of shape and that he does not work as hard as he should. Playing catcher is the most demanding position on the field, and Navarro needs to work harder if he wishes to succeed. Another thing to factor in is the fact that young catchers often stagnate offensively upon reaching the high minors. He’ll also be more susceptible to injuries because he is a catcher after all.

I personally think that Navarro’s bat speed and patience will allow him to be a solid catcher, but not a great one. He isn’t the next Mike Piazza or Ivan Rodriguez, but he could be another Jason Kendall, minus the speed. That’s if he works hard and manages to avoid injuries. He should play the entire 2005 season in Triple A and then start off as a backup in 2006 at the earliest.

Welcome to the Diamondbacks organization, Mr. Navarro. Work hard and you’ll have a bright future ahead of you.

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