2012 MLB Draft: Brewers Select Clint Coulter 27th Overall

When Louisiana high school catcher Stryker Trahan went off the board to the Diamondbacks at pick 26, the Brewers had a chance to select a player at another position or make it two backstops in a row. They chose the latter and turned to Union High catcher Clint Coulter out of Camas, Washington to make it happen.

On draft night, he was on hand at MLB Network’s Studio 42 along with Gavin Cecchini, Carlos Correa, Courtney Hawkins and Andrew Heaney. He was the last of the group selected but still went in the 1st round and surely earned the respect of his peers with his decision to attend the event. Milwaukee moved quickly to get him under contract and signed him to a slot-value 1.675 million dollar bonus on Friday (June 8th). In signing Coulter passed on his commitment to Arizona State University but the Brewers have provided him an additional $150,000 in tuition assistance so he can pursue getting his college degree.

Not looking to haggle excessively over the details of the deal, Coulter came to terms with the Brewers without negotiating through an agent. I don’t know if that is overly significant but I think it is noteworthy and says something about his character and confidence.

He was ranked #48 in Baseball America’s Top-500, #35 on Keith Law’s ESPN Top-100 and #49 on MLB.com’s Top-100 so you could consider him a slight overdraft but in the 2012 draft class there was little separation between players in the top-60 after the first 7-8 players went off the board.

In the end I think the Brewers made a very wise selection adding Clint Coulter to their stable of prospects.

The Stats:

From an article on Max Preps, “Union played just 14 games this season, but Coulter hit .517, stole 18 bases, hit four home runs and drove in 18 runs. And with 18 walks, he rarely saw a good pitch to hit.”

The Stuff:

Coulter turns just 19 this summer – July 30th to be exact – but he’s already well put together at 6’3″ and 200-220 lbs. He’s an excellent overall athlete and was a state wrestling champion in his sophomore year, but gave up the sport to focus entirely on baseball as a junior and senior. While he’s moved on from life on the mat, his experience wrestling competitively will serve him well both physically and mentally as he transitions to professional baseball.

His strength provides him with above-average power potential and he uses his frame effectively to generate leverage and bat speed in his swing. He has a sound approach at the plate with good plate discipline which will serve him well in the minors.

Like most catchers he’s not exactly fleet of foot but he’s an aggressive and heady player on the field and that carries over to his baserunning.  He has more than enough arm to remain behind the plate with some sources rating it as above average and others grading it as high as plus. Coulter will have to work on his receiving skills as he’s a bit big for the position but he has excellent agility for his size and should be able to remain behind the plate on a long term basis.

Augmenting his overall package, Coulter has the intangibles that evaluators look for in upper echelon talent. He’s a hard and tireless worker, a natural leader and he’s considered to be very coachable. Former major league catcher, and current Union head coach, Tom Lampkin has already laid the groundwork for his development and it’s now up to Milwaukee’s staff to help Clint get to the next level.

The Future:

Long term, Coulter has a chance to be an offensive weapon hitting in Miller Park and there is every reason to believe that he will, at the very least, develop into an average defensive catcher given his overall skill-set and willingness to work and learn. Compared to the traditional frame of the ideal major league catcher, Coulter is a bit on the tall side, but that profile is starting to change with players like Joe Mauer, Matt Wieters and others having success at the position. I personally have little doubt that he will stay behind the plate as he has all the attributes necessary to be successful in that role.

In his own words, he models his game after that of Mike Napoli and it’s not a stretch to see some similarities already present between the two.

Now that he’s signed, his initial destination figures to be the Arizona Summer League when those games start up later this month, but I anticipate he will advance and spend some time in the Pioneer League with Helena by the end of the 2012 season.

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