Omar Narvaez

Position: C
Born: 2/10/1992
Ht: 5’11” Wt: 220 lb B-T: L-R
Acquired: Drafted in Triple-A phase of Rule V Draft in 2013
Career Stats

FutureSox Prospect Rankings

  • #25 – 2016 Preseason

FutureSox Media

Accolades

  • Carolina League All-Star, 2015 Midseason
  • Carolina League All-Star, 2015 Postseason

Scouting Report

Narvaez was signed by Tampa Bay as a 17-year-old in 2008 as an international free agent out of Venezuela for a low six-figure bonus. The Rays were very conservative with his development, as he spent his first four years as a professional with rookie ball level affiliates. Narvaez had no problem with that level of competition, hitting a combined .289/.375/.352 and throwing out over half of would-be base stealers. In 2013, he was finally promoted to Low-A Hudson Valley and hit a disappointing .267/.311/.333.

The Rays elected to not protect him via reserve list from the Rule V Draft. The White Sox pounced and selected Narvaez in the Triple-A portion of the draft. He rewarded their faith by posting his strongest season in 2014. With his new team he hit a combined .285/.365/.352 between Low-A Kannapolis and High-A Winston-Salem. One possible explanation for his success is the Sox had Narvaez abandon switch-hitting early in the 2014 season. His numbers against left-handed pitchers were still poor, but he mashed righties to tune of .317/.379/.392 in 2014. The White Sox had Narvaez start back in Winston-Salem in 2015, where his numbers were down from 2014, but still respectable at .274/.352/.313. He was named a Carolina League All-Star.

Narvaez started a whirlwind 2016 in Double-A Birmingham, but due to injuries above him, he went to Triple-A Charlotte quite quickly. He was also called up to Chicago in July and made his MLB debut. He improved with the bat in three years with the White Sox before being traded after the 2018 season in a deal that landed the White Sox closer Alex Colome.

Narvaez was initially a defense-first catcher with a good handle on the pitching staff and a strong arm. His bat caught up enough to make him an MLB-level catcher. Outside of a surprising 22 home runs with the Seattle Mariners in 2019, he has shown little power, but he possesses excellent plate discipline.