The next prospect we’ll check in with is one that’s faced a bit of controversy this off-season but was ranked firmly into the top 30 of most Rays prospect lists nonetheless.
No.27, C Nick Ciuffo, 22 yrs old
Born: Mar 7th, 1995 in Mount Pleasant, SC
Height/Weight: 6’1” 205 lbs Bats/Throws: L/R
Signed: by the Rays after selecting him in the 1st rd 21st overall for $1,972,200
Twitter profile statement: “Catcher in the Rays organization #playin4kennedy @FrontlineAM athlete”
Baseball America Rankings
- Rated Best Defensive Catcher in the Tampa Bay Rays system after the 2017 season
DRB Writers ranking
Nick Ciuffo: Abilities
- Soft hand and good receiver
- Above-average arm strength and accuracy
- Framing gets mixed reviews, but positive overall
- Developing bat that’s showing signs of life
Scouting grades ‘17 (Pipeline): Hit: 45 | Pwr: 40 | Run: 30 | Arm: 60 | Fld: 55 | Overall: 45
- Abilities notes: The profile Ciuffo holds already has his highly rated enough to earn a job as a backup down the road.