Catching From Nowhere

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When I sat down to write the pre-season Top 50 there were two glaring positional weaknesses in the system catcher and third base. Only one third baseman (Jake Holmes) made the list, and that position has seen some natural improvement with bounce backs by Zach Green and Luke Williams and the drafting of Alec Bohm. Coming into the year catcher was Jorge Alfaro and then a gap. Abrahan Gutierrez (the former Braves prospect who had is contract voided by MLB) made the list at 48 with guys like Deivi Grullon, Rafael Marchan, and Rodolfo Duran just outside the list. This meant that entering the year, AAA was Logan Moore, Matt McBride, and Nick Rickles all catchers with no MLB future.

This season however has been the year of the breakout. It has been a breakout from many fronts too, with the end result being a sudden influx of depth rather than just one or two prospects rocketing up lists. Part of this isn’t that the depth is actually new, it is that the depth is actually doing something. For years the Phillies have built up the middle in talent acquisition, especially in Latin America, prioritizing C, 2B, SS, CF, and P in their acquisitions. This isn’t unique, but it is a constant of sorts. The same has been kind of true in the draft with the Phillies under Johnny Almaraz constantly adding up the middle talent into the system year after year.

The Draft

It isn’t surprising that in many ways Almaraz seems to draft like an international signing period. It is up the middle talent, off the board talent, and guys with solid foundations gradually moving to more risk the later we get. One of the hallmarks of the Almaraz drafts have been medium value picks/slots on at least a catcher per year. Since his first draft in 2015 here are the notable catcher picks.

  • 2015: Edgar Cabral (11), Austin Bossart (14)
    • Cabral was out of a junior college and was taken in the 11th often a priority pick slot since they can be given the base bonus without it counting against the pool. Bossart out of an Ivy League was a well regard college senior. The Phillies also took Greg Brodzinski in the 18th, he is now a coach in the system.
  • 2016: Henri Lartigue (7), Brett Barbier (16)
    • Lartigue’s report was unspectacular, but he was a bat first catcher out of a prominent conference. Barbier didn’t really catch and didn’t last very long. Daniel Garner (32) signed but didn’t last long, and the Phillies did take a run at a HS catcher in Carter Bins (35) but did not sign him.
  • 2017: Colby Fitch (13)
    • After giving Jake Holmes a large bonus in the 11th, the Phillies gave mid day 2 bonuses to Fitch and 12th round pick David Parkinson. Fitch was supposed to go in the 6th to 8th rounds.
  • 2018: Jesse Wilkening (14), Logan O’Hoppe (23)
    • Like Fitch, Wilkening slid in the draft and the Phillies gave him a 7th round bonus to sign. O’Hoppe is the first HS catcher the Phillies have signed since Chace Numata in 2010. With two GCL teams the Phillies had the space to give more catchers at bats. They took two more college catchers late to fill in depth.

Now this may be a bit of a fluke and how the board broke over the years, but the results have been positive in terms of putting a player at almost every level who is doing well.

International

You cannot count on many things in the international market, but you can pretty much bank on the Phillies signing a catcher for $200,000-$500,000 every year, often one that is hit first and possibly a converted infielder. Since 2012 here is how their notable signings break out.

  • 2012
    • Deivi Grullon – $575,000
    • Gregori Rivero – $110,000
  • 2013
  • 2014
    • Rodolfo Duran – $75,000
    • Lenin Rodriguez – $300,000
  • 2015
    • Rafael Marchan – $200,000
  • 2016
    • Juan Aparicio – $475,000
  • 2017
    • Abrahan Gutierrez – $550,000
    • Cesar Rodriguez – $500,000
    • Oscar Gonzalez – $135,000
  • 2018
    • Victor Diaz – $250,000
    • Javier Vina – $300,000
    • Andrick Nava – $400,000
    • Mitchell Edwards – $100,000

There has been a slight escalation of late, but that is a pretty study influx of a well regarded prospect each year.

The End Result

Catchers are non-linear in development, especially those just learning how to catch. It can take a while for a player to reach their offensive ceiling, something the Phillies are dealing with in the majors with Jorge Alfaro. It is hard to know why all of the catchers started hitting this year, but we can see how the existing structure creates the environment for strength across the minors, by pivoting the two lists above into an org depth chart (player’s age in parentheses, all stats from before today’s games).

  • Reading
    • Deivi Grullon (22)
      • 2017 (CLW/REA) – .249/.283/.398
      • 2018 (REA) – .282/.312/.509
    • Austin Bossart (25)
      • 2017 (REA/CLW) – .245/.284/.332
      • 2018 (REA) – .300/.341/.523
  • Clearwater
    • Edgar Cabral (22)
      • 2017 (LKW/CLW) – .260/.332/.357
      • 2018 (CLW) – .242/.318/.358
    • Henri Lartigue (23)
      • 2017 (LKW) – .248/.292/.410
      • 2018 (CLW) – .280/.353/.416
  • Lakewood
    • Rodolfo Duran (20)
      • 2017 (WPT) – .252/.298/.346
      • 2018 (LKW) – .238/.280/.481
    • Colby Fitch (22)
      • 2017 (WPT/LKW) – .266/.400/.413
      • 2018 (LKW) – .265/.359/.412
    • Gregori Rivero (22)
      • 2017 (LKW/WPT) – .270/.292/.416
      • 2018 (LKW) – .192/.226/.288
  • Williamsport
    • Rafael Marchan (19)
      • 2017 (GCL) – .238/.290/.298
      • 2018 (WPT) – .306/.346/.357
    • Lenin Rodriguez (20)
      • 2017 (GCL) – .262/.408/.344
      • 2018 (WPT) – .222/.344/.259
    • Jesse Wilkening (21)
      • 2018 (GCL/WPT) – .292/.393/.375
  • GCL
    • Juan Aparicio (18)
      • 2017 (DSL) – .228/.299/.294
      • 2018 (GCL) – .357/.386/.667
    • Abrahan Gutierrez (18)
      • 2017 (GCL) – .264/.319/.357
      • 2018 (GCL) – .333/.360/.393
    • Logan O’Hoppe (18)
      • 2018 (GCL) – .500/.537/.583
    • Mitchell Edwards (18)
      • has only played one game
  • DSL
    • Cesar Rodriguez (17)
      • 2018 (DSL) – .280/.348/.360

Not every catcher is having an amazing season, but there are age appropriate catching prospects at every level, and a lot with pedigree and talent. As of right now, not only will Gutierrez be in the Top 50 this offseason, but Grullon, Duran, Marchan, and Aparicio will all be on the list. Some will fall back as things go farther, but the Phillies have a base of catchers to get some prospects from again. It isn’t really that the depth is new, there is a system in place to grow depth and now it is paying off.