Age: 20 (07/22/2004)

Birthplace: Flemington, NJ

High School: Wake Forest HS - Wake Forest, NC

Height/Weight: 6’1” 210 lbs

Year: Sophomore

The catching market has been my favorite market to follow in the MLB draft, and North Carolina’s Luke Stevenson leads the charge this year. Stevenson is a draft-eligible sophomore and will turn 21 shortly after the draft. Stevenson falls within the top 15 on both MLB Pipeline (#13) and Baseball America’s (#11) draft rankings, and is the leading catcher on both as well.

Stevenson earned Freshman All-America First Team honors last year, which was backed by his .284/.420/.535 slash line and 14 home runs. Stevenson has shown a solid ability to consistently get the ball in the air and possesses a lot of pull side power. He’s a power over hit bat as the hit tool is lagging behind, but does display very good plate discipline. He has below average contact rates, but also rarely chases out of the zone, which lead to 48 walks to his 55 strikeouts in 2024. His very patient approach can sometimes be to his detriment as he is consistently in deep counts, so a more aggressive approach in the zone would bode well for the power hitting catcher.

Defensively, Stevenson is above average across the board. His arm behind the plate is the headline of his defensive skills as it is both strong and accurate, and his plus athleticism for a catcher helps him to log very good pop times. His receiving has improved a lot while his blocking has been a solid part of his defensive presence as well. There’s no reason to believe he can’t stick at the position long term.

Stevenson isn’t going to impress anyone with his speed, but that is the last of his concerns as a dual-threat catcher. Either his bat or his defensive ability will get him plenty of reps at the professional level, and if both click, he certainly can be a full time starter at the big league level.