Next up on the list is another catcher.
Name: Daiverson Gutierrez
Position: C
Born: 9/11/2005
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 205 lbs.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Acquired: IFA, January 15, 2023 (Caracas, Venezuela)
2024 Stats: 14 G, 40 AB, .300/.472/.475, 12 H, 7 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 7 BB, 5 K, 1/1 SB, .346 BABIP (Foreign Rookie) / 15 G, 41 AB, .317/.463/.537, 13 H, 3 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 9 BB, 4 K, 0/0 SB, .306 BABIP (Rookie) / 8 G, 27 AB, .111/.111/.222, 3 H, 3 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 BB, 9 K, 0/0 SB, .167 BABIP (Single-A)
The Mets made Venezuelan catcher Daiverson Gutierrez their main priority once the 2023 international free agent signing period started and officially signed the backstop for $1.9 million dollars, roughly a third of their $5.2 million dollar budget. The last time the Mets made a Venezuelan catcher their top signing priority was in 2018, when the team signed Fransisco Alvarez to a $2.9 million signing bonus. Gutierrez was assigned to the Dominican Summer League for the 2023 season and appeared in 50 games combined with the DSL Mets Blue and the DSL Mets Orange, hitting a cumulative .186/.321/.244 with 4 doubles, 2 home runs, 2 stolen bases in as many attempts, and 22 walks to 36 strikeouts.
He started the 2024 season with the DSL Mets Blue, but the results were like night and day. Appearing in 14 games, the 18-year-old hit an impressive .300/.472/.475; of his 12 total hits, 7 were doubles, and he walked 7 times to 5 strikeouts. By the end of the month, Gutierrez was sent stateside and assigned to the FCL Mets. His time there was just as productive, as he hit .317/.463/.537 in 15 games, once again drawing more walks (9) than strikeouts (5). At the end of August, the Mets promoted him to St. Lucie, and while his performance took a nosedive- he went 3-27 in 8 games with no extra base hits, no walks, and 9 strikeouts- the season as a whole was an overwhelming success.
The Mets made major mechanical changes to Gutierrez’ swing, and it paid major dividends this past season. In 2023, he stood slightly open, with his hands held high and his bat wrapped behind his head almost perpendicular to the ground, crowding the plate. In 2024, the backstops stood extremely open at the plate, with his hand placement more-or-less the same, standing much further out in the box. In 2023, he often had his front foot down early, shifting his weight on his back foot during his swing. With his more exaggerated stance, Gutierrez is closing up his body while loading, making it easier to get his stride and front foot strike timing optimized. He comes to the plate looking to do damage but has a strong understanding of the strike zone for a young player and generally does not expand it, knowing when to swing and when to lay off.
In 2023, Gutierrez went to the opposite field just as much as he did pull the ball as a result of this, but with his modified swing mechanics, he is pulling the ball more than ever and doing more damage. He pulled the ball at a 40.7% rate, went back up the middle at a 24% rate, and went to the opposite field at a 35.3% rate in his first season as a professional. This past season, he pulled the ball at a 48.5% rate, went back up the middle at a 24.9% rate, and went to the opposite field at a 26.6% rate, an almost 10% increase to his pull rate and 10% decrease to his opposite field rate. His line drive and fly ball rates have increased, while his ground ball rate has dropped. Gutierrez never had a problem hitting the ball hard- in 2023, averaged an 86 MPH exit velocity in 2023 based on publicly available batted ball data, with multiple 100+ MPH readings, including a high of 109.7 MPH- but his batted ball profile components were far from optimized. With better mechanics, his batted ball profile components are all trending towards being a more effective hitter.
Listed at 6’2”, 205-pounds, the stocky Gutierrez put on some weight between when the Mets first began scouting him and when they were legally allowed to sign him, but the additional weight is far from excessive and shouldn’t impact his ability behind the plate. The Mets are high on his defensive ability, praising him on his above-average arm strength, leadership, camaraderie, and work ethic.
2025 Mets Top 25 Prospect List
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25) Edward Lantigua