Will Banfield Be Offered Baseball?

With the season winding down, many teams are looking to solidify their rosters for the playoffs. One player who may be on the move is Will Banfield, a catcher for the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets.

Banfield is a top prospect in the Mets organization, and with the team struggling to find a consistent option behind the plate, there have been rumors that they may offer Banfield a spot on the big league roster.

only time will tell if

Introduction

Will Banfield be offered baseball? It is a question that many fans of the game have been asking since he was drafted in 2013. The short answer is that he very likely will not be. Here is a look at the reasons why.

Banfield was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the first round of the 2013 MLB Draft. He was widely considered to be one of the top prospects in the draft, and many thought that he would be taken in the top 10 picks. However, he fell to the Marlins at pick number 69, and many thought that it was due to his signability.

The Marlins gave Banfield a signing bonus of $1.7 million, which was significantly less than what other top prospects were getting. This led many to believe that Banfield would not be offered baseball, as it would not make financial sense for the team to do so.

Banfield made his professional debut in 2014 with the Greensboro Grasshoppers of the South Atlantic League. He struggled mightily, hitting just .206/.288/.292 with four home runs and 22 RBIs in 68 games. He did show some improvement in 2015, hitting .247/.331/.394 with seven home runs and 46 RBIs in 103 games, but his development has been slow overall.

At this point, it seems unlikely that Banfield will be offered baseball by the Marlins. He has not shown enough progress at the minor league level, and there are other prospects who are ahead of him on the depth chart. Additionally, Banfield will likely need to sign a significant contract if he wants to play baseball next year, and it is doubtful that the Marlins are willing to do so.

The Case for Banfield

Will Banfield, 19, is one of the top prospects in baseball. The Florida Marlins selected him in the first round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft. He is a 6-foot-1, 200-pound catcher who bats and throws right-handed.

Banfield has not played above Class A, but he has shown great promise at that level. In 2019, he hit .269/.333/.406 with four home runs and 17 RBIs in 31 games for the Jupiter Hammerheads, the Marlins’ Class A affiliate.

At 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Banfield has plenty of size for a catcher. He also has a strong arm, which should enable him to stay behind the plate as he progresses through the minors.

The biggest question surrounding Banfield is whether he will hit enough to be a big league regular. He does not have much power at this point in his career, and his lack of speed limits his ability to get on base.

The Marlins are high on Banfield’s defensive skills and believe he has the potential to be an everyday player in the big leagues. They will likely give him a chance to prove himself at Double-A or Triple-A in 2020 before making a decision on his future with the organization.

The Case Against Banfield

Will Banfield is a highly touted baseball prospect, but there are some serious questions about his ability to play at the highest level. One issue is his size; at just 5’9″, he doesn’t have the prototypical build for a catcher. Additionally, his throwing arm has been called into question; some scouts believe that he doesn’t have the strength or accuracy to be an effective Major League catcher.

Banfield has shown good hitting ability in the minors, but it’s unclear if that will translate to success against big league pitching. He also hasn’t shown much speed on the base paths, which could limit his value as a baserunner and decrease his overall value as a player.

Given all of these concerns, it’s doubtful that Banfield will be offered a Major League contract anytime soon.

Conclusion

The final decision on whether or not Will Banfield will be offered a baseball contract rests with the team’s management. However, based on the information that is currently available, it seems unlikely that Banfield will be offered a contract.