Logan Tanner

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #24 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium
  
  Track Record: Tanner is already a star in Starkville, Miss., as he was the catcher for Mississippi State's first-ever national title. He hit 15 home runs that year, but his offensive production tailed off in 2022, which led to him sliding to the second round.
  
  Scouting Report: Tanner is the epitome of a glove-only catcher, but one whose glove is good enough to be worth carrying on a roster even if he hits under .200. His swing can get long and he struggles against top-notch velocity. He never hit .300 in three years at Mississippi State, and he projects as a nearly bottom-of-the-scale hitter with below-average power. For a player with that resume to get regular at-bats, the receiving has to be pretty special, and Tanner's is. He's an above-average receiver with a plus-plus arm.
  
  The Future: Tanner is the catcher his team's pitchers will love to throw to, but he needs to ensure he's not also the catcher other team's pitchers love to face. If he can shorten his swing or tap more into his power, his glove will handle the rest.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 30. Power: 40. Field: 55. Run: 30. Arm: 70.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #68 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: Mississippi State Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
  Age At Draft: 21.7
  BA Grade: 45/High
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 50 | Run: 40 | Field: 55 | Arm: 70
  Tanner was a talented two-way prospect in high school who showed impressive catching skills and a big arm on the mound that could get up to 95 mph. He focused on catching and hitting at Mississippi State, where he has shown some on-base ability and power, but mostly has stood out as one of the better catch-and-throw backstops in the country. In a class where the top catching prospects are bat-first, Tanner is a no-doubt catcher at the next level who receives at a high level and has 70-grade arm strength. He threw out 26% of basestealers during the 2021 season and 24% during the 2022 season. He’s a hard worker behind the plate and has shown an ability to handle power arms with ease and should develop into an above-average defender at the game’s most premium defensive position. Offensively, Tanner is a power-over-hit righthanded bat who managed 15 home runs as a sophomore in 2021 but has never hit over .300 in a full season. He has a solid approach at the plate but struggles against 93-plus mph velocity and his swing gets long and sweepy. He projects as a below-average hitter who will provide defensive value.
• Ranked #312 prospect in 2019 draft
  Tanner has an interesting decision to make going forward. The Mississippi State signee is a pretty polished catcher for his age with soft hands, an above-average arm and the mentality to handle the grind of catching. But he's also a strong-armed pitcher with a 89-95 mph fastball that has plenty of arm-side run thanks in part to his three-quarter arm slot. While he has potential either way, it's difficult for anyone to handle the grind of catching and pitching. In fact, USA Baseball's Pitch Smart program recommends not doing both because of what it asks of a player's arm. Tanner's high elbow in his delivery concerns some scouts, but he does show an understanding of how to spin his fringe-average slider and he already has some confidence in a developing changeup. Scouts aren't yet sold on Tanner's bat.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium
  
  Track Record: Tanner is already a star in Starkville, Miss., as he was the catcher for Mississippi State's first-ever national title. He hit 15 home runs that year, but his offensive production tailed off in 2022, which led to him sliding to the second round.
  
  Scouting Report: Tanner is the epitome of a glove-only catcher, but one whose glove is good enough to be worth carrying on a roster even if he hits under .200. His swing can get long and he struggles against top-notch velocity. He never hit .300 in three years at Mississippi State, and he projects as a nearly bottom-of-the-scale hitter with below-average power. For a player with that resume to get regular at-bats, the receiving has to be pretty special, and Tanner's is. He's an above-average receiver with a plus-plus arm.
  
  The Future: Tanner is the catcher his team's pitchers will love to throw to, but he needs to ensure he's not also the catcher other team's pitchers love to face. If he can shorten his swing or tap more into his power, his glove will handle the rest.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 30. Power: 40. Field: 55. Run: 30. Arm: 70.
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium
  
  Track Record: Tanner is already a star in Starkville, Miss., as he was the catcher for Mississippi State's first-ever national title. He hit 15 home runs that year, but his offensive production tailed off in 2022, which led to him sliding to the second round.
  
  Scouting Report: Tanner is the epitome of a glove-only catcher, but one whose glove is good enough to be worth carrying on a roster even if he hits under .200. His swing can get long and he struggles against top-notch velocity. He never hit .300 in three years at Mississippi State, and he projects as a nearly bottom-of-the-scale hitter with below-average power. For a player with that resume to get regular at-bats, the receiving has to be pretty special, and Tanner's is. He's an above-average receiver with a plus-plus arm.
  
  The Future: Tanner is the catcher his team's pitchers will love to throw to, but he needs to ensure he's not also the catcher other team's pitchers love to face. If he can shorten his swing or tap more into his power, his glove will handle the rest.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 30. Power: 40. Field: 55. Run: 30. Arm: 70.
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  August Update: Tanner was a talented two-way prospect in high school who showed impressive catching skills and a big arm on the mound that could get up to 95 mph. He focused on catching and hitting at Mississippi State, where he has shown some on-base ability and power, but mostly has stood out as one of the better catch-and-throw backstops in the country. In a class where the top catching prospects are bat-first, Tanner is a no-doubt catcher at the next level who receives at a high level and has 70-grade arm strength. He threw out 26% of basestealers during the 2021 season and 24% during the 2022 season. He&#39s a hard worker behind the plate and has shown an ability to handle power arms with ease and should develop into an above-average defender at the game&#39s most premium defensive position. Offensively, Tanner is a power-over-hit righthanded bat who managed 15 home runs as a sophomore in 2021 but has never hit over .300 in a full season. He has a solid approach at the plate but struggles against 93-plus mph velocity and his swing gets long and sweepy. He projects as a below-average hitter who will provide defensive value.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 40. Power: 50. Run: 40. Fielding: 55. Arm: 70.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  Tanner has an interesting decision to make going forward. The Mississippi State signee is a pretty polished catcher for his age with soft hands, an above-average arm and the mentality to handle the grind of catching. But he's also a strong-armed pitcher with a 89-95 mph fastball that has plenty of arm-side run thanks in part to his three-quarter arm slot. While he has potential either way, it's difficult for anyone to handle the grind of catching and pitching. In fact, USA Baseball's Pitch Smart program recommends not doing both because of what it asks of a player's arm. Tanner's high elbow in his delivery concerns some scouts, but he does show an understanding of how to spin his fringe-average slider and he already has some confidence in a developing changeup. Scouts aren't yet sold on Tanner's bat.