ProfileHt.: 5'10" / Wt.: 190 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School
UNC Wilmington
Debut04/26/2015
Drafted in the 4th round (139th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2010 (signed for $189,000).
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Stanley comes from a baseball family, as his father played both baseball and football at Elon, and his mother played junior-college softball. He was a high school punter at Clinton High, a powerhouse 2-A program in North Carolina, and was defensive player of the game in the state championship game. His draft credentials are less flashy, as Stanley has average tools across the board, but his profile is strong. He's a lefthanded hitter who has solid athletic ability at 5-foot-11, 192 pounds. He has a track record of hitting with wood and has handled a decent pitching staff with some hard throwers. Stanley hit .299/.409/.443 in the Cape Cod League last summer, and his polished approach was evident at the plate this spring, where he had 35 walks against 21 strikeouts. Stanley's a solid receiver and blocker with average arm strength. His release can get long, resulting in below-average times to second base, but he threw out 30 and 31 percent of opposing basestealers the last two seasons. Stanley has solid gap power and is a good runner for a catcher. While he has no glaring weakness, he also has no obvious strength, and for some his tools are only fringe-average. He still figures to go out in the first six rounds thanks to his profile and the lack of catching prospects.
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Stanley's efforts to restore his image following a 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug use in 2012 materialized at Double-A Springfield in 2014. His overall game matured to the point that the Cardinals added him to the 40-man roster in November. Stanley finished fifth in the Texas League in batting (.283) and slugging (.429) in 2014, largely because he began using the whole field and exhibited more patience. Most of the lefthanded hitter's power is to his pull side, and he can drive the ball to the gaps. He remains susceptible to chase, particularly against lefthanders, who held him to a .227/.306/.309 line. For a catcher, he's fleet afoot and knows when to pick his spots. Defensively, Stanley's game-calling, handling the staff, blocking ability and control of the running game improved dramatically. He threw out a careerhigh 42 percent of basestealers, showing improved footwork out of the crouch. Stanley will challenge for a Triple-A Memphis role in 2015 and profiles as a solid backup catcher.
For a catcher who was considered completely raw behind the plate when he signed as a fourth-round pick in 2010, Stanley evolved into a comforting and capable presence at catcher last season for Quad Cities standout pitchers Carlos Martinez, Trevor Rosenthal and Boone Whiting. Stanley has proven a quick learner, radically enhancing his average footwork and agility behind the plate. His arm strength is more fringy than average, yet he threw out 39 percent of basestealers last year. He moves well enough to occasionally fill in as an outfielder. All that said, Stanley's most marketable trait is his bat. He hit eight homers in the final two months of last season as his lefthanded swing grew from gap power to legitimate pull power. He also can drive some balls to the opposite-field gap, though he doesn't control the strike zone well enough to hit for a high average. If everything comes together, Stanley could be a .260 hitter who provides 10-15 homers and decent defense as a major league regular. He'll be reunited in high Class A this year with most of the batterymates he thrived with at Quad Cities.
Minor League Top Prospects
The Cardinals drafted Stanley in the fourth round in June for his offensive profile. He's a lefthanded-swinging catcher with solid hitting tools, athleticism and a track record with wood bats. He ranked fourth in the league in hitting (.321) and on-base percentage (.380), and he also won over Appy observers with his marked defensive improvement during his pro debut. St. Louis employed four-time Gold Glove winner Mike Matheny as a special assistant to work with Stanley on his catching technique, specifically with regard to framing low sinkers, getting into better blocking position and cleaning up his footwork on throws. He erased 57 percent of basestealers to test him, though nobody regarded his arm as anything better than average. (In fact, Johnson City pitchers and catchers nabbed 56 percent of basestealers as a team, while the league averaged just 35 percent.) While he showed mostly gap power during the regular season, he smacked two home runs in the playoffs at Burlington, muscling one the other way and lofting one out to deep right field. He isn't afraid to hit with two strikes because he has a quiet hitting setup and controlled swing. He runs well for a catcher and his speed rates a 50-55 on the 20-80 scouting scale.
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