Diamondbacks 2024 Top Prospects No. 27: C Christian Cerda

Cerda is raw, but toolsy prospect with a potential major league future at catcher.

This article is part of a series counting down the Diamondbacks Top 30 prospects entering the 2024 season. These rankings are determined by Michael McDermott, in conjunction with the Inside the Diamondbacks staff.

Bio: Christian Cerda was signed by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2019 International Signing period for $325K, but did not get into games until the 2021 season with their Dominican Summer League affiliate. Despite only hitting .212 there, the Rays decided to move him up to the Florida Complex League in 2022. On July 30th of that season, he was traded to the D-backs in exchange for then fan favorite David Peralta.

Rank: 27

Age: 21

Height/Weight: 6'0" 190 lbs.

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Tools: Hit 45, Power 50, Defense 40, Run 30, Arm 45, Overall 40

ETA: 2026

What the D-backs are saying about him?

"[Cerda] Is a 19 year old kid who’s having a very good season. Our scouts that we recently ran in there like a lot about what he brings to the table. As a catching profile I think sometimes these can be a little further away than other positions just because that catching position demands so much. It’s not an area in our organization that we have guys moving up through the system as rapidly as we like. We wanted to continue to find opportunities to acquire these guys when we could." - General manager Mike Hazen, 2022

2023 Recap: Cerda opened the season with Class A Visalia, where he hit .252 with five home runs and a .780 OPS in 68 games. The most notable part of his profile was an 18% walk rate and a 20% strikeout rate. This usually indicates either a superior batting eye like a Geraldo Perdomo or a hitter that's passive and taking advantage of a league where pitchers struggle to throw strikes. Fangraphs noted in their 2023 report of Cerda that it's more of the former with a chase rate below 20%. He then was promoted to High-A Hillsboro, where he hit only .237 but the strikeout and walk rates remained similar and the power manifested itself more. Overall the season was a success as he advanced two levels and was able to exhibit his strengths at both levels.

2024 Expectations: While still a rough around the edges offensively and defensively, he has continued to make steady progress in both facets. He'll need to continue to do the same in 2024, where he'll likely repeat Hillsboro but could find himself in Amarillo sooner rather than later. How he handles playing in Amarillo, where he's more likely to see pitchers aggressively attack the strike zone. That will be the key test to see if he has the hitting abilities necessary to be at least a big league catcher. If he continues to progress, Cerda is a candidate for a 40-man roster spot next November.

Projection: Cerda's long term projection is still somewhat questionable, with the range of outcomes coming from a backup catcher or a guy who stalls out in Double-A. Next season may go a long way in determining if he can reach his ceiling of a big league catcher. He's still very raw on both sides of the ball and more than a year away from a big league opportunity, but has enough tools to stick if he capitalizes on that opportunity. 

Top 30 Diamondbacks Prospects Entering the 2024 Season