Jack Payton 2023 MLB Draft Profile

Prospect: Jack Payton
Position: Catcher
School: Louisville
Year: True Junior
Bat/Throws: R/R
Height, Weight: 5-11, 200

Background

Born Aug. 7, 2001 (age 21) to parents Sue and Dave Payton. A native of Orland Park, Ill., he lettered four years in baseball at Brother Rice High School in the suburbs of Chicago. Despite being the No. 259 prospect in the Class of 2020 and top catcher in the state of Illinois by Perfect Game, Payton was not drafted out of high school.

With future 2021 No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis and future 2022 second round draft pick Dalton Rushing ahead of him on the depth chart, Payton saw limited action in his true freshman campaign. He only played in 13 of Louisville's 50 games with seven starts, hitting .273 with a pair of RBIs.

When Davis left for the major leagues, Payton's role took a dramatic uptick. Instead of Rushing sliding in as the everyday backstop, he and Payton took turns starting at catcher and designated hitter at an almost 50/50 split. He flourished in this new role, batting .350/.429/.504 with four home runs, 54 RBI, 23 doubles, two triples and 32 walks. His batting average and hit total (89) led the team, while leading the ACC in doubles, earning a Third-Team All-ACC selection. He played in all but one of Louisville's 64 games, making 62 starts in the process (30 at catcher, 32 at DH).

After Rushing left, Payton took over as the primary catcher, and was unquestionably Louisville's best offensive weapon. Playing in 48 games with 47 starts, he bat .374/.472/.642 with 12 home runs, 41 RBI, 10 doubles and 22 walks. All three of his slash line categories led the team, as well as his 115 total bases, his home run total tied for the team lead, and his RBI mark came in third. 36 of his starts came at catcher, while 10 were at DH and one was even in left field. Despite not making an All-ACC team, he was named one of the three finalists for the Buster Posey Award, which is given to the nation's top college catcher.

Scouting Report

Top 500 Prospect Rankings:

MLB.com: No. 148
Baseball America: No. 120

Strengths

Has a good approach at the plate when it comes to hitting for contact. He has a compact swing that can drive the ball to all areas of the field, and he regularly makes hard contact.
He doesn't force any of his extra base hits, as his power comes naturally from his packed frame. He might not be a threat to go deep in every at-bat, but he has a solid repertoire as a gap hitter.
His athletic intangibles from an agility standpoint are above average. He has occasionally shown a plus home-to-first run times, moves well on the base paths and does have decent range when in the outfield.

Weaknesses

Ironically, his defense behind the plate is his biggest question mark. While he did throw out 32 percent of potential base stealers in 2023 (improving from 14 percent in 2022), his receiving plus both his arm strength and accuracy are very hit-or-miss. Likely projects as a left fielder at the major league level.
Regressed a bit from 2022 when it came to his prowess driving the fastball at plus-velocity (Mainly 93mph and higher). Occasionally struggled with making contact on off-speed pitches.
While he has an overall good approach at the plate, he is an aggressive hitter and sometimes gets overzealous on pitches just outside of the zone. Struck out on 19.2 percent of his at-bats.

Draft Film

(Photo of Jack Payton: Taris Smith - University of Louisville Athletics)

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