Diamondbacks Top Prospect #21: Catcher Dominic Miroglio

Name: Dominic Miroglio

DOB: 3/10/1995 (Age 23)

Height: 6’0”

Weight: 203

Acquired: 20th Round, 2017 Draft

Position: Catcher

B/T: R/R

Most Notable Tool: Catcher defense

Season Stats: 97 games, 393 PA, .306/.366/.427, 27 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 52 RBI, 44 R, 5/8 SB between A+ Visalia and AA Jackson

2018 Season Summary: As a late round pick that had a solid debut season for Missoula, Miroglio needed to have a successful season with Visalia to get noticed as a prospect. He did just that, as he hit .327/.394/.460 in 312 plate appearances. With his calling card more about being a catch and throw type catcher, the offensive numbers of his minor league career so far are encouraging for a possible MLB role. He got promoted to AA once fellow catching prospect Daulton Varsho came back from a hamate bone injury. In a small amount of games there, Miroglio put up a pedestrian .231/.259/.308 slash in 81 PA. If there were any lingering concerns about the competition level, Miroglio put up a strong postseason performance with a .484 average and 1.175 OPS during the Generals’ run to a Southern League title. He scuffled a bit in the Fall League with a .619 OPS in 27 PA against other top prospects, but I’m not too worried about that.

Tools: Hit 45/55, Power 40/50, Speed 45, Defense 50/60

Miroglio is a line drive hitter that hits the ball to all fields. He doesn’t walk much but does not strike out much either. I think learning to draw walks will help his abilities at the plate with most of his extra base hits being doubles. He’s a quality enough defensive backstop that he has a likely floor of a backup catcher.

Upside: If the hit and power tool can hit the projected ceiling, he has enough bat at the plate to be the primary starter. My projected floor is a Jeff Mathis type catcher who is excellent at the defensive nuances at the position and as a backup to fellow catcher prospect Daulton Varsho. He doesn’t have the arm that Mathis has to throw out basestealers, but he does have the receiving abilities to be a quality framer and has experience calling games in both college and the minors.

Risk: My biggest concern is he doesn’t hit enough to become anything more than a backup catcher. That in itself is not a bad outcome for a 20th round pick out of a small school program. If the hit and power tools don’t develop much more, I think he’ll put up Jeff Mathis/John Ryan Murphy numbers at the plate.

Likely 2019 Assignment: Miroglio likely starts the season in AA, splitting time with Daulton Varsho at the spot and getting DH starts when possible. Miroglio is the more polished defender of the two catching prospects, the biggest area that needs to develop is that bat. He’s shown good BABIP skills in the minors with a .328 mark in Missoula and .372 in Visalia, so I do think that’s a translatable skill to the majors even though I expect regression in that area simply due to competition level

ETA: 2020 Season