19. Hayden Senger, C
B/T: R/R
Age: 24 (4/3/97)
Ht: 6’1 Wt: 210 LBS
Acquired: Mets 24th round draft pick, 2018 (Miami, Ohio)
ETA: 2023 Previous Rank: N/A
2021 Stats (Brooklyn/Binghamton):.263/.341/.429, 18 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 14 RBI
A well-rounded backup catcher with ability on both sides of the baseball may not be the sexiest commodity on prospect lists, but quality catching depth has become more rare and important than one might first realize. The Mets would know, as they have come to realize the value of Tomas Nido as de facto leader of their “bench mob”.
The Mets organic pipeline of quality backstops does not appear to be letting up, as Hayden Senger had somewhat of a breakout campaign in 2021. The late-round pick out of Miami of Ohio in 2018 has all of the skills coming into place that you’d like to see in a major league backstop, but with some work left to be done.
Senger, who will turn 25-years-old before opening day, brings a foundation of strong all-around defensive skills. Thanks to a strong arm and quick release, Senger has cut down base-runners at a very strong clip, both last year and across his minor league career to-date (35% career caught stealing, 32% caught in 2021).
Senger is also considered a strong pitch-framer, often dropping to one knee to help present the low strike. He moves sufficiently well as a receiver, though his eight passed balls last season will need to get cleaned up.
On the offensive side of the ball, Senger utilizes a line-drive, all-fields approach when he makes contact, often looking to extend his hands and drive the ball to the right-center field gap. Proof of this strategy can be seen in his batted-ball outcomes for his time in Double-A, with Senger pulling the ball and going the other way an equal 35% of the time each.
Start your week off by watching Hayden Senger hit a three-run walk-off homer for the Brooklyn Cyclones from Sunday.
— MetsMinors.Net (@Mets_Minors) May 24, 2021
While Senger’s 0.367 BABIP in Double-A seems to indicate some good fortune in his league average performance there in 2021 (101 wRC+), Senger appears to have some sustainable skills in the quality of his contact. Not only does Senger tend to hit the ball where it’s pitched, he hits the ball hard and he avoids hitting it on the ground at excessive rates. Seen with max exit velocities over 110 mph and a ground ball rate last year just a shade over 40%, when Senger makes contact, it’s often the type that leads to hits.
The offensive development plan ahead for Senger would appear to be in getting the ball in play more often. With only 19 walks against 78 strikeouts last year, running a season strikeout rate over 30%, Senger will look to get the ball in play more often as he continues to adjust to more advanced pitching as he makes his way up the ladder. You can see in this clip of Senger’s walk-off home run, his level swing allows him to stay on plane with most pitches, but his loading mechanism as he brings his hands back creates some distance to the baseball.
If Senger can polish up his swing decisions and perhaps get a little shorter to the baseball, his quality of contact should enable a solid major league hit tool with average raw power. Add that to his stalwart defensive skills, and Senger would be precisely the kind of catching depth teams would look to have on their 40 man roster.
The Mets decided not to protect Senger from the next rule 5 draft, which has not occurred due to the lockout. Should Senger go unselected, he’ll be given the opportunity to hone his craft further in the upper levels of the Mets system and make that final push for a coveted 40 man roster spot.
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