Name: Caleb Ricketts
Position: C
Born: May 10, 2000
Country: US
Bats/Throws: L/R
Height/Weight: 6’4″ 225lbs
How Acquired: Drafted in the 7th Round of the 2022 Draft by the Phillies
Signed: July 25, 2022
Bonus: $218,100
Options Remaining: 3
Rule 5 Eligible: 2025
MiLB Free Agency: 2029
Stats
Hitter Statcast
*Statcast data only available for FSL (2021-2023), AAA (2023), and isolated select games and locations.
| Year | Balls in Play | Average EV | 90th Percentile EV | Max EV | Median Launch Angle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 44 | 87.1 | 100.7 | 104.1 | 7.5 |
| 2023 | 85 | 89.4 | 102.9 | 109.1 | 15 |
Prospect Rankings
Role: Bat First, 3rd Catcher
Risk: High – Ricketts is not a good defensive catcher, so his bat will need to carry him to a major league role, and he was poor offensively in high-A.
Summary: Ricketts looked to be on a breakout path to begin the 2023 season. He hit the ball on a line all over the field for the Threshers. He struggled to impact the ball after being promoted to Jersey Shore, and injuries and setbacks caused him to miss almost all of June and July. He was better after returning, but was still a below average hitter the rest of the way, with an ok showing in the Arizona Fall League. Ricketts has a relatively quiet and simple swing that should generate a good amount of line drives and fringe average power. He has a relatively aggressive approach at the plate, but not a large amount of swing and miss. Defensively, Ricketts can stick behind the plate, but likely will be below average defensively, and teams ran often on him. He has played some first base, but that has been relatively out of minor league team need and not as a future position. If Ricketts can be a solid hitter, he has a chance to be up and down on a 40 man roster.
2024 Outlook: Ricketts barely got on the field for Jersey Shore and the Phillies brought in a bunch of AA catching depth in the minor league Rule 5 draft. That points to Ricketts starting as a BlueClaw again.
Role: Offense First Backup Catcher
Risk: High – The big question is whether Ricketts can catch, and if he can, the pressure on his bat to perform is much much lower. If he can’t, the level he would need to reach as a corner outfielder might be impossible.
Summary: The Phillies drafted some guys with big college numbers in 2022, and none may have had bigger numbers than Caleb Ricketts. As a catcher and outfielder for San Diego he hit .373/.423/.658 with 16 home runs in 56 games. It was an enormous outburst for the 4th year junior who had 2 home runs in his 3 previous seasons. He didn’t strike out much, but he didn’t walk much. The strikeouts did get concerningly high in Clearwater, but the walks came up as well. It also was only 22 games after a long college season. He did not hit for much power with the Threshers either, as he posted an average launch angle of just 2 degrees, but that did mean he hit a large number of hard line drives to the pull side. It is likely that line drive hitter is more of the hitter Ricketts is, than the power hitter he was last year in college. He played outfield in college and is a work in progress behind the plate. If he can be an average defender, his bat could be good enough to be offensive oriented second catcher. Unless the power suddenly comes roaring back, it is hard to see him having a future at any position other than catcher.
2023 Outlook: The Phillies will likely send Ricketts to Jersey Shore where he should get a good amount of at bats behind the plate. It would be in the Phillies best interest to give him all of the chances they can to develop behind the plate.
Role: Bat First, 3rd Catcher
Risk: High – Ricketts is not a good defensive catcher, so his bat will need to carry him to a major league role, and he was poor offensively in high-A.
Summary: Ricketts looked to be on a breakout path to begin the 2023 season. He hit the ball on a line all over the field for the Threshers. He struggled to impact the ball after being promoted to Jersey Shore, and injuries and setbacks caused him to miss almost all of June and July. He was better after returning, but was still a below average hitter the rest of the way, with an ok showing in the Arizona Fall League. Ricketts has a relatively quiet and simple swing that should generate a good amount of line drives and fringe average power. He has a relatively aggressive approach at the plate, but not a large amount of swing and miss. Defensively, Ricketts can stick behind the plate, but likely will be below average defensively, and teams ran often on him. He has played some first base, but that has been relatively out of minor league team need and not as a future position. If Ricketts can be a solid hitter, he has a chance to be up and down on a 40 man roster.
2024 Outlook: Ricketts barely got on the field for Jersey Shore and the Phillies brought in a bunch of AA catching depth in the minor league Rule 5 draft. That points to Ricketts starting as a BlueClaw again.
Role: Offense First Backup Catcher
Risk: High – The big question is whether Ricketts can catch, and if he can, the pressure on his bat to perform is much much lower. If he can’t, the level he would need to reach as a corner outfielder might be impossible.
Summary: The Phillies drafted some guys with big college numbers in 2022, and none may have had bigger numbers than Caleb Ricketts. As a catcher and outfielder for San Diego he hit .373/.423/.658 with 16 home runs in 56 games. It was an enormous outburst for the 4th year junior who had 2 home runs in his 3 previous seasons. He didn’t strike out much, but he didn’t walk much. The strikeouts did get concerningly high in Clearwater, but the walks came up as well. It also was only 22 games after a long college season. He did not hit for much power with the Threshers either, as he posted an average launch angle of just 2 degrees, but that did mean he hit a large number of hard line drives to the pull side. It is likely that line drive hitter is more of the hitter Ricketts is, than the power hitter he was last year in college. He played outfield in college and is a work in progress behind the plate. If he can be an average defender, his bat could be good enough to be offensive oriented second catcher. Unless the power suddenly comes roaring back, it is hard to see him having a future at any position other than catcher.
2023 Outlook: The Phillies will likely send Ricketts to Jersey Shore where he should get a good amount of at bats behind the plate. It would be in the Phillies best interest to give him all of the chances they can to develop behind the plate.