San Felix, Venezuela, is the old town section of Ciudad Guayana in the state of Bolívar on the eastern side of the country. Five big leaguers have come from there, including right-hander Deolis Guerra, who made his Major League debut with the Pirates in 2015. Plaz looks to become the latest in that lineage, having signed with Pittsburgh for $350,000 when the 2022 international signing period opened. He tore through the Dominican Summer League that year with a .382/.500/.706 slash line before spending the majority of this past season with Single-A Bradenton, his first exposure to full-season ball stateside.
Having just turned 19 years old earlier this summer, there is plenty of time for Plaz to continue honing his right-handed swing, which has shown some sizable power gains. Despite being listed at just 165 pounds, Plaz has an electric swing that produced eight balls in excess of 110+ mph during Florida State League action. While his line-drive rate left room for improvement (23.6 percent), his elevated flyball rate (41.6 percent) led to a 15-homer campaign, making him one of just two primary catchers to reach the plateau at the Single-A level in 2024. On the flip side, he struck out at a 29.2 percent clip and hit just .207 with a .235 BABIP, raising some questions about how he’ll handle elevated competition.
Signed as a catcher, and initially sent out as a backstop in the DSL and Arizona Complex League, Plaz nearly split time at first base this past year with Bradenton. He is largely a non-factor on the basepaths, having attempted just four steals over his three pro seasons. There’s a lot to like about Plaz’s offensive-minded profile and whether some of his “under the hood” metrics can stand up to the test of advanced pitching.
