Steve Saenz/Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
By Jon Weisman
Pratt Maynard, the Dodgers’ third-round pick in the 2011 draft, has retired from baseball because of injuries.
Tag: Pratt Maynard
North Carolina State catcher Pratt Maynard is the Dodgers’ third-round pick in the draft. The 6-footer has a .414 on-base percentage and .474 slugging percentage in 2011. He also has pitched in the past, but did not do so for North Carolina State this year.
Here’s a profile on Maynard from Caulton Tudor of (Charlotte) Newsobserver.com:
When Pratt Maynard left South Granville High in 2008 to join N.C. State’s baseball team, he had never played a game as a catcher.
That changed fast.
Entering what might be the final game of his college career today, Maynard could be a catcher for many years to come. ….
… College programs have started creating catchers as much as trying to find them in recruiting.
“It’s really changed,” Avent said. “Pratt is the first guy we’ve tried it with, but a lot of programs have been doing it for years. Catcher is such an important position that you almost have to look at all possibilities.
“We were planning do it with Russell Martin [then a junior college infielder in 2002] and converting him, but the Los Angeles Dodgers had the same idea.”
Originally a pitcher-third baseman, Maynard made a smooth adjustment to the demanding catching tasks. And as a left-handed batter with power, he emerged as one of the best in the nation. …
That’ll be it for round-by-round draft updates for the time being. We’ll catch up on the Dodger draft later today, but in the meantime, you can track selections here.
