19-year-old catcher Jack Brenner's professional baseball journey has just begun after he was selected in the seventh round by the Atlanta Braves out of Fond du Lac High School in Wisconsin, and they signed him away from a college commitment with the reigning College World Series champion Oklahoma Sooners.
With his first full professional season still ahead of him, Brenner possesses an advanced approach at the plate for his age. He subscribes to a hit-first approach and makes a ton of contact. He limits strikeouts and takes plenty of walks. At 6 feet, 174 pounds, the power isn't there yet, but with plenty of time to add strength, it may come.
Brenner is still learning to play catcher. He's a versatile defender who's played all over in his prep days, including some time at shortstop. With so little to go on for Brenner in terms of tape, who knows? Maybe he follows a Craig Biggio-type path: a catcher turned middle infielder who finishes with 3,000 hits in the big leagues.
He appears to have the chops to stay at catcher, however. He receives the ball well and has a feel for blocking. He has a strong arm that produces a sub-two second pop time behind the plate, but a strong arm can translate anywhere on the diamond.
He currently has above-average speed for a catcher but is likely to slow when the muscles and reps behind the plate start to build up.
We'll need to see Brenner against professional competition before we can make too many projections about his role or career, but if I had to make comps based on a scouting report and some combine tape, I'll make two: one if he adds muscle and stays at catcher, and one if he doesn't.
If he does, I'll go with a local comparison. Brenner could resemble a young Brian McCann. Early in his career, before sabermetrics swept through the game and turned B-Mac into an extreme pull hitter, scouts highly praised his overall approach to hitting, stemming from a natural ability to limit strikeouts, walk frequently, and drive the ball to all fields with power. If he doesn't, I'll stick with Craig Biggio.
I'm in no way saying that I think Jack Brenner will have a Hall-of-Fame career, but if his advanced hitting approach sticks with him in the pros, that, combined with his strong arm and defensive instincts, will find him a spot in a Major League infield.
A 2030 MLB ETA and a lack of professional reps to this point mean these are all projections, but Jack Brenner has the bones to become a solid Major Leaguer in the future.
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