Projections and Timetable
Again, I don’t think people realize how close Shea Langeliers came to appearing in a game last postseason.
Had Travis d’Arnaud re-injured that shoulder I truly believe Langeliers would have gotten the call to replace him over William Contreras with how much Brian Snitker values defense at catcher in the postseason — and rightfully so.
That being said, I still think the Braves would love to see him get another year of development (with the bat) at the Triple-A level.
But if TDA gets injured for a significant amount of time, which is known to happen throughout his career, Langeliers will get a chance.
They’re not going to bring him up unless he’s going to play every day — and that would take an injury to TDA, and possibly even Pina.
As far as projections go, I kind of gave you that with my Russell Martin comp. I see him being a .240-.250 hitter with 20 home runs, a .320 OBP, and a .750 OPS. I think he’ll carry that 9 percent walk-rate and 28 percent strikeout rate to the majors.
He’ll have years down the road where he flirts with being a .800 OPS player.
But even with those numbers I project, combined with his defense, that should make him a very good big league catcher for a long time in Atlanta.