Rusty Oddo

Rusty is a slightly undersized, fundamentally sound catcher with ability to provide future reliable defense behind the plate and handle the bat with more average than power. Medium, square build with room to add some strength in upper & lower halves. Offensively Rusty starts slightly open with a small leg kick to get loaded. Gets hands to a good launch position and has a low maintenance swing with good path thru zone. Direct to ball with extension thru zone. Slight uppercut path with good feel for the barrel and good bat to ball skills. Puts the barrel on the ball consistently with a gap to gap type approach. Shows some feel for the strike zone and very little swing & miss in the zone. Don’t see a ton of power coming in the future but can handle the bat and create tough at bats. Defensively Rusty moves well behind the plate with some athleticism and flexibility. Threw out numerous baserunners during Showcase event always getting the ball right on the money. Just needs to get stronger but should be a durable kid. Comes out of crouch well to throw, still can improve footwork but light on his feet. Arm works properly, just lacks ideal carry presently. Arm strength will need to improve. Excellent transfer and gets ball in the air quickly and accurately (2.26, 2.4 pop times). Rusty is not a runner (8.44 60). Can certainly improve but never going to be a big part of his game. Rusty shows some polish to his game for a young kid and an idea of what he is doing both offensively and defensively. Strength gains and arm improvement critical but has a chance to provide defensive value at a premium position along with ability to handle the bat. Hard-nose player with grit. Does the little things to help the team win. Will compliment any college baseball program. He knows how to play the game and gets the most out of his abilities. See him as a quality JUCO/D3 type recruiting target with some smaller D1/D2 upside if he fills out and gets stronger.