Miguel Olivo
Chicago White Sox
Position: C Bats Right Throws: Right Height: 6-0 Weight: 210 Born: 7/15/78
| Year |
Team |
Level |
G |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
K |
SB |
CS |
BA |
OBP |
SLG |
| 2001 |
Birmingham |
AA |
93 |
316 |
45 |
82 |
23 |
1 |
14 |
55 |
37 |
62 |
6 |
3 |
.259 |
.347 |
.472 |
| 2002 |
Birmingham |
AA |
106 |
359 |
51 |
110 |
24 |
10 |
6 |
49 |
40 |
66 |
29 |
13 |
.306 |
.381 |
.479 |
| 2002 |
Chicago |
AL |
6 |
19 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
2 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
.211 |
.286 |
.421 |
Background
Miguel Olivo was originally signed by Oakland out of the Dominican Republic in 1996. He emerged as a top prospect by hitting .311 in rookie ball in '98, then .305 with nine homers in the Class A California League in '99. Nagging injuries and concerns about his ability to call games dropped his stock a bit in 2000, and the Athletics traded him to the White Sox for Chad Bradford in December of '00. He showed intriguing power in '01, and did enough in '02 to fully ensconce himself as Chicago's Catcher of the Very Near Future.
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The Rookies
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Throughout spring training, John Sickels provides in-depth reports on 10 of the hottest rookies to watch. Here's the complete schedule of when each report will appear:
2/27: 1B, Travis Hafner, Cle.
3/5: 2B, Joe Thurston, L.A.
3/7: SS, Angel Berroa, K.C.
3/11: 3B, Brandon Larson, Cin.
3/13: C, Miguel Olivo, ChW
3/18: SP, John Patterson, Ari.
3/20: RP, Frankie Rodriguez, Ana.
3/25: OF, Hideki Matsui, NYY
3/27: OF, Rocco Baldelli, T.B.
4/1: OF, Marlon Byrd, Phi.
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Scouting report
The thing that most people first notice about Olivo is his arm. He has a laser behind the plate, one of the strongest catcher arms in professional baseball. Although some people have expressed concern about his weight, he moves well behind the plate, has soft hands and good instincts. Scouts have concerns about his game-calling ability, at least partially because he took a long time to learn English, but this problem is emphasized less than it was a few years ago and should continue to improve. Offensively, Olivo has a quick bat. His power production is gradually increasing. His strike zone judgment is neither terrific nor awful, and he makes solid contact, able to pull the ball for power or hit to the opposite field as needed. Olivo also runs very well for a catcher; he should be good for double-digit steals if he's aggressive enough on the bases.
Performance
Olivo's two Double-A seasons show him as a .240-.270 hitter at the major league level, with decent power and a not-horrible on-base percentage. He showed an ability to hit over .300 at Class A, and repeated that again last year at Double-A Birmingham. That's not likely to happen right away at the major-league level, but his ability to make contact does mean he should hit for improving batting averages as he gains experience. He is unlikely to break the 20-homer threshold at his peak but should be good for 8-12 dingers in a full season.
Health record
Olivo set a career-high in playing 112 games last year, as previous campaigns have been marred by a variety of nagging, catching-related injuries. This is par for the course with young backstops, and is part of the reason why young catchers often fail to develop offensively as well as expected. It's likely that Olivo will never set records for durability.
What to expect
Olivo has hit just .071 so far this spring and faces competition from Josh Paul and Sandy Alomar Jr. Even if he goes back to Triple-A to start the year, Olivo should see Comiskey sometime in '03, and he projects as the starter in '04.
John Sickels is the author of the 2003 Baseball Prospect Book, which can be ordered through his website, Johnsickels.com. His biography of Bob Feller will be published this spring by Brassey's. He lives in Lawrence, Kan., with his wife, son and two cats. You can send John questions or comments at JASickels@aol.com.
