Milwaukee Brewers: Is Payton Henry the future at catcher?

Milwaukee Brewers prospect Payton Henry is in his third professional season, but he’s starting to look like the future at catcher. What has he done that’s so impressive?

Payton Henry was drafted out of high school in the sixth round in the 2016 draft. The Brewers bought him out of a scholarship to Brigham Young University with a signing bonus that was more than double slot value. Henry spent two years in Rookie ball, but now he’s in Single-A, and is starting the climb up the organization ladder in his age-21 season.

What has Henry done this year?

Henry has a .261/.342/.428 slash line in 79 games with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. He’s blasted 10 homers, and owns an 8.9% walk rate.

Henry has also made huge strides behind the plate. He came to the position with a strong arm, but he’s refined his mechanics, and routinely posts Major League-level pop times. His footwork has also improved, and he looks like he’s going to stick behind the dish.

How does he rank in the organization?

MLB Pipeline has Henry as the 12th rated prospect after leaving him off the pre-season list. He’s ahead of familiar names such as Trent Grisham, Trey Supak, and even RtB favorite, Troy Stokes.

What’s his ETA to the Major League roster?

Henry is at least three years away from making his Major League roster debut. He has too much swing-and-miss, and owns a 30.7% strikeout rate. He needs to refine his approach at the plate and in the defensive department before he shows up in a Milwaukee Brewers uniform.

With Henry, Mario Feliciano, and KJ Harrison, the Milwaukee Brewers have impressive depth at catcher in their lower levels. However, it looks like Henry is the clear favorite to eventually reach the Major League level, and fans need to remember his name.