Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 40 | Arm: 55 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40

If the Angels could combine Juan Flores (signed in 2023) and Laverde (part of the 2022 international class who joined the organization for $350,000) into one catcher, they’d probably have an All-Star backstop on their hands. While Flores leads with his defense, Laverde’s offensive ceiling is his calling card. He’s hit at most stops and even shook off a rough start with Single-A Inland Empire in 2024, where he was sharing catching chores with Flores. Laverde went back down the Arizona Complex League to reset, then came back and posted a .296/.392/.408 line from July 1 on.

All organizations love a good left-handed-hitting catcher, and Laverde checks off that box with an exciting bat profile. He does a very good job of managing the strike zone, drawing walks and rarely striking out. It’s more of a line-drive approach with some developing pop for extra bases mostly to the gaps, and he is capable of driving the ball to all fields. He’s pretty physical already, so he may not grow into a ton more over-the-fence thump, but he has the chance to be a solid overall hitter.

It remains to be seen whether Laverde will be able to stick behind the plate. He was splitting time with Flores at the start of 2024, which wasn’t great for his development. Once he had the chance to get behind the dish more regularly, there was a bit more improvement and a better arm. He’s fairly athletic, and runs well underway, so there is the chance the Angels could eventually try some other positions -- perhaps a corner outfield spot, where he once played as an amateur before moving behind the dish.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 40 | Arm: 55 | Field: 45 | Overall: 45

Outfielders Nelson Rada and Randy De Jesus were the headliners of the Angels’ 2022 international signing class, each getting seven figures to join the organization. They gave out six more six-figure bonuses, including the $350,000 they gave to bring Laverde into the fold. In his two summers of pro ball, in the Dominican Summer League in 2022 and the Arizona Complex League in '23, the teenage backstop has hit a combined .302 with a .411 on base percentage.

Laverde is a left-handed-swinging catcher who has shown a knack for putting the ball in play. He rarely strikes out and walks nearly as much as he whiffs, with a line-drive approach. He can use the whole field and started to find the gaps with doubles power a bit more in the ACL last summer. He needs to add strength so that he can drive the ball more and use his excellent swing decisions to do more damage.

Once an outfielder who is still relatively new to catching, Laverde is athletic and runs well, especially once underway. He has a strong arm that should play behind the plate, and while there’s a lot of work to be done defensively, his receiving improved as the summer wore on, giving confidence he should be able to stick there. If the impact at the plate can come, he has the chance to be a starter when all is said and done.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 40 | Arm: 55 | Field: 45 | Overall: 45

The Angels were aggressive when the 2022 international signing period opened, giving seven-figure bonuses to a pair of MLB Pipeline Top 50 international prospects in Nelson Rada and Randy De Jesus. They didn’t stop there, adding talent like Laverde, an athletic backstop who received $350,000 to join the organization. The Venezuelan teenager showed off skills on both sides of the ball during his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League last year, leaving the organization excited to see what he can do during his United States debut in 2023.

Laverde checks off a highly coveted box as a left-handed-hitting catcher. He’s already shown a very advanced approach at the plate, walking more than he struck out in the DSL in 2022. It’s a contact-first, patient approach and he’s definitely hit-over-power, though he’s shown an ability to drive the ball to the gaps with some extra-base authority that could turn into some home run pop in the future.

A former outfielder who has only been catching for a couple of years, Laverde, who runs pretty well, is very athletic for a backstop. There’s obvious work to be done on his overall receiving, but his athleticism plays well behind the dish and he has above-average arm strength that allowed him to throw out 40.9 percent of potential basestealers last summer.

Awards

MiLB.com Organization All-Star

Year	Team
2023

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	08/02/2025	C Dario Laverde assigned to Tri-City Dust Devils from Inland Empire 66ers.
	03/06/2025	activated C Dario Laverde.
	02/04/2025	Los Angeles Angels invited non-roster C Dario Laverde to spring training.
	06/20/2024	C Dario Laverde assigned to Inland Empire 66ers from ACL Angels.
	05/01/2024	C Dario Laverde assigned to ACL Angels from Inland Empire 66ers.
	03/07/2024	Los Angeles Angels Prospects activated C Dario Laverde.
	09/19/2023	Inland Empire 66ers activated C Dario Laverde.
	09/19/2023	Inland Empire 66ers activated C Dario Laverde.
	09/05/2023	C Dario Laverde assigned to Inland Empire 66ers from ACL Angels.
	06/05/2023	C Dario Laverde assigned to ACL Angels.
	09/28/2022	C Dario Laverde and assigned to Angels Organization.
	06/04/2022	DSL Angels activated C Dario Laverde.
	06/04/2022	C Dario Laverde assigned to DSL Angels.
	01/15/2022	Los Angeles Angels signed free agent C Dario Laverde to a minor league contract.