Josue Briceno

DOB: 9/23/2004
B/T: L/R

Physical Description and Background: Large young man who is likely 10–15 pounds heavier than his listed weight (6’4, 200). Well put together and not overweight by any means, and though he already appears to be in his man body, he figures to gain more mass as he ages. Venezuelan native who signed in January 2022 as part of the 2021 international class.

Hit: 45

Briceno is a left-handed hitter with a very upright, open stance. Begins with the knob of the bat near his navel and the barrel nearly vertical before transitioning into his load and leg kick once the pitcher begins windup. Shows solid-average bat speed. Handles average velocity well, and shows an advanced feel for picking up spin, but will swing over the top of changeups down and away. Has a good eye overall and rarely leaves the strike zone.

Power: 55

Strong young man with pretty easy plus raw power. Shows impressive feel for the barrel and the ability to turn on inside pitches to the pull field or wait for pitches on the outer third and drive them to the left-center gap. Consistent hard contact and natural loft could lead to 20+ home runs a season.

Run: 20

Well below-average runner with slightly awkward gait. Hustles, but still produces home-to-first times in the 4.5-4.6 range.

Field: 30

Briceno shows good hands behind the plate and gets out of his crouch to field the ball well, but he is raw in every other aspect. He tends to stab at balls in the dirt rather than moving his body, leading to passed balls, and his framing attempts are sudden and lack subtlety.

Arm: 50

Shows slightly above-average arm strength behind the dish, with pop times in the 1.9-2.0 range, but his throws tend to stray from the bag.

Overall: Josue Briceno shows promising offensive tools, with a nice mix of pure hitting ability, plate discipline, and above-average power potential from the left side. That would make for a potential top-ten prospect in the system if he can stick as a catcher, but right now that looks unlikely. He’s not a lost cause, but he’ll need to make significant strides with his blocking and framing to be a viable backstop, and it’s hard to project increased agility for a large young man who will probably get bigger. It seems likely he transitions to first base, where he’ll need to maximize his hit and power tools to remain a viable prospect.

Report by: Chris Brown