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Summary
The 6'2", 205-pound Denney is easy to fall in love with because of his raw power, solid arm strength and gorgeous swing. He's, by far, the best-hitting catcher in this year's class, and have a strong enough arm to stick at the position. However; reports of well below-average receiving skills have some questioning whether he'll stick at catcher, and a move to first would greatly diminish his value as a prospect.
Regardless of what position Denney ends up at, I'm pretty confident his bat is going to have plenty of value. Although he hasn't consistently dominated this season, he has shown enough flashes to solidify himself as a first-round pick.
Denney's swing is fairly simple, but it's not short of speed and/or power. His hit tool has a chance to be at least average, with a slight chance of being above-average. Pair that with his massive power and he has All-Star potential at catcher, and maybe even first.
Major League Floor
Back-up first baseman/catcher with power potential off the bench. Think beginning of Ryan Doumit's career.
Major League Ceiling
I think he could provide Brian McCann-type production at the plate, if he reaches his full potential. Hopefully his receiving develops enough to the point where he's at least average.
Projected Draft Round
He's a lock to go second half of the first round. There's no chance he falls to the Astros at 2-1. If by some miracle he did, he'd be wearing Orange and Blue at a press conference a few days later.
College Commitment: Arkansas, Will He Sign?
Sorry Arkansas fans.
Bibliography
In a deep class of high school catchers, there might be other names who have gotten more attention to date, but Denney could be as good, if not better, than all of them when all is said and done.
Denney has the complete package for the position, with advanced receiving skills and a plus arm. He has some power in his bat as well and showed off his offensive skills at the Area Code Games over the summer.
He continued showing all-around ability both at and behind the plate during his senior year, moving him past other prep backstops on this list.