With spring training well underway and spring games getting ready to open, the position battles around Major League Baseball are going to really start heating up. Most teams have the majority of their depth charts set, but there are certainly a number of job openings to be had – even behind the plate. You’d like to think, given the importance of the position, most managers would be set with their catchers to start the spring. After all, the catcher is the backbone of the team’s defense and has to establish a strong bond with the pitching staff. But that’s not entirely the case walking into 2016, so let’s take a look at a few behind-the-plate position battles worth watching this spring.
Atlanta Braves
A.J. Pierzynski vs Tyler Flowers
After a year that saw the 38 year old Pierzynski bat .300 with nine home runs and 49 RBI over 436 plate appearances, the Braves gave the veteran backstop a one-year deal to return behind the plate for 2016. However, they also opted to bring in 30-year old Tyler Flowers on a two-year deal as well. Flowers had shown some nice power potential during his ascension in the White Sox organization but poor plate discipline and a high strikeout rate prevented him from really solidifying himself as a No. 1 catcher. Considering the team is in a rebuilding phase, neither backstop has any real long-term hope here, but with the team trading prospect Christian Bethancourt, there’s also no one breathing down their necks looking for a call-up. Manager Fredi Gonzalez could go with a straight lefty/righty platoon, but seems more likely to go with the more consistent bat of Pierzynski for the bulk of the work despite the fact that Flowers may be stronger defensively. Look for the two to alternate games this spring while Gonzalez waits for one to stand taller over the other.
Chicago White Sox
The Pale Hose overhauled their catcher position and brought in two veterans to compete for the starting job. Avila is probably the favorite to get the bulk of the work, however, his injury history prevents any team from putting all of its eggs into his basket. Between the knee issues and the concussion history, you need more than just a back-up. You need someone capable of starting regularly and that’s where Navarro fits in. The former Blue Jays back-up and part-time DH still believes the job is wide open and that he is more than ready to take on the role. He seems to have the better plate discipline and posts significantly better contact rates but Avila is considered the better defender. Considering how close the two seem to be though, overall that is, we could be looking at a fairly equal split. At least until Avila gets hurt again.
Los Angeles Angels
The funny thing about this battle is that it doesn’t matter who is doing what offensively. With Mike Scioscia at the helm of this ship, it’s all about defense behind the plate. After all, we’re talking about a manager who consistently benched Mike Napoli in favor of Jeff Mathis and kept an offensively inept Chris Iannetta behind the plate for his pitch-framing ability. Perez is considered the better defender according to a number of fielding metrics and is likely to get the first crack at the job. But Soto is an experienced veteran and should push for playing time.
Minnesota Twins
Kurt SuzukiWe’ve seen Suzuki’s offensive ceiling and based on the last four years, he’s not even coming close to that ceiling ever again. Defensively, he’s passable, but he certainly isn’t someone you seek out for his expertise behind the plate. While he might be the incumbent in Toronto, the Twins acquisition of Murphy screams volumes. The 24 year old is still developing, but has the ability to smack double-digit home runs and play as good, if not better, defense than Suzuki. An early look at the depth chart has Suzuki as the primary, but manager Paul Molitor is going to give Murphy every chance he can to let the youngster take over this spring. The two may start out splitting time, but it shouldn’t be long before Murphy takes the lead.
San Diego Padres
Austin Hedges vs Christian Bethancourt
We already know that Derek Norris is going to be the starting catcher for the Padres this year, but they’ve got two strong prospects here in Hedges and Bethancourt vying for the back-up job. Both are decent defensive prospects with Bethancourt maybe at a slight advantage but the expectation is that Hedges will have the bigger bat in the long-run. Each guy managed to grab some playing time last year and both worked behind solid defensive veterans. How much they actually learned will likely be seen this spring once the games start. Call this one a dead heat for now but expect one to start seeing a few extra starts in the spring once manager Andy Green sees a little more from each.
Seattle Mariners
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Steve Clevenger vs Mike Zunino
If you assume that the Mariners picked up Iannetta for his defense and pitch-framing ability, then it would also seem safe to assume that his place atop their current depth chart is a good enough indicator that he will be the primary backstop. However, the team also grabbed a veteran back-up in Clevenger to join Zunino, a now-displaced incumbent, to fight for the back-up job. It would seem that the addition of Clevenger means that the team wants Zunino to work out his plate discipline issues at the minor league level rather than rush his bat to the majors as they’ve done these last two seasons. He’s got tremendous power potential, but few teams or managers are going to tolerate a batting average below the Mendoza line. The bump down might mess with Zunino’s confidence this year, but if he takes the potential demotion as a challenge, maybe he works harder at fixing the problem. Of course, without much invested in Clevenger, should Zunino show improvement in camp, he could get the call to stay.
Tampa Bay Rays
With former backstop Kevin Cash at the helm, it’s very possible that the Rays take a Scioscia-like stance and push defense first behind the plate. That would give Rivera the edge here. However, the Rays obviously saw more in Conger than his former manager did when they brought him in and considering his bat brings a little more power to the table, his defense (more specifically, his throwing arm) gets a bit of a pass here. He’s got the ability to smack double-digit homers, he knows how to take a walk and he should hit for a higher average than Rivera. The stage is set for him to take the lead, but we still have a lot of spring left to go.