Shea Langeliers Interview - Part Five

So how did Shea Langeliers develop such a strong arm? He talks about that with Bill Shanks in the final installment of our interview with the Braves catching prospect.

So, Shea Langeliers was not supposed to be able to hit. When he was drafted last June, the knock was he was all about defense. But that defense was so good, the legend claimed, that any offense you got would be a plus.

Well in spring training, Langeliers showed there may be more to his offense than once believed. He hit .429 with a home run and five runs batted in. Granted, it was in only 14 Grapefruit League at bats, but it was enough to show the Braves coaches he knows what he’s doing in the other side of the batter’s box.

Langeliers was all about defense at Baylor. He won a Rawlings Gold Glove for Division 1. He also hit a little bit, finishing his junior season with a .308 average, 10 home runs and 42 RBI in 44 games. In his three college seasons, Langeliers hit .289 in 622 at bats.

After being drafted by the Braves, Langeliers went to Low-A Rome, where he hit .255 with two home runs and 34 RBI in 216 at bats. His OBP was .310. Those are not eye-popping numbers, but his pop times behind the plate usually are.

And that’s what will get Langeliers to the big leagues. Coaches were impressed in Florida with how solid Langeliers is as the backstop. They also liked his handling of veteran pitchers, like when he caught 33-year-old Felix Hernandez, a 15-year MLB veteran.

Think 2022 for Langeliers. Let Travis d’Arnaud hold down the position now, but Langeliers showed in spring training why he is, in fact, the future behind the plate for the Atlanta Braves.

Listen to The Bill Shanks Show weekdays at 3:00 p.m. ET on Middle Georgia’s ESPN. You can listen online at TheSuperStations.com. Follow Bill on Twitter at @billshanks and you can email him at thebillshanksshow@yahoo.com.