Report Card–Catchers

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Onward to the report card for Catchers throughout the organization.  Remember, grades are based on pre-season expectations against themselves NOT against each other. Prospect rankings are based on which players will potentially have the most impact for the Phillies as major leaguers. Look for the next report on outfielders in the top half of the organization (LV, REA, and CW) coming Wednesday or Thursday.

Lehigh Valley

Cameron Rupp, Soon to be 25, Phils 3rd round pick in 2010; .258/.318/.437 in 325 AB’s between Reading and Lehigh Valley; 14HR 45RBI; 5%bb/21% k rates; Hit .269 for Lehigh Valley; .404 vs. LHP; .215 vs. RHP; 84 games caught with 6 errors (.991)and 6 passed balls; Threw out 28 of 82 base stealers (34%); A very good year of progress for Rupp who hit for power and was very good defensively.  His production was pretty much exactly what we would have hoped pre-season.  Grade: B+ ; 2014: He will see major league time, just a matter of when. Until then, Lehigh Valley. Prospect Ranking: 14

Steven Lerud, 28, Re-Signed as a free agent in 2013; .217/.353/.311 in 180 AB’s; 3HR 21RBI; .212 vs. LHP, .218 vs. RHP; .241 with RISP; Hit .167 Post All Star Game; 16%bb/23% k rates; 60 games caught with 8 errors (.982); 10 passed balls; Threw out 18 of 51 would be base stealers(35%); Very pedestrian numbers for Lerud with the caveat that he does get on base because of a good eye at the plate and did very well gunning down base stealers.  Grade: C; 2014: Another organization. 

John Suomi, 32, Re-Signed as a free agent in 2013; .243/.331/.336 in 107 AB’s between Reading and Lehigh Valley; 3HR 13RBI; 12%BB/5% k rates; 21 games caught with 1 error (.993); 7 passed balls; threw out 5/29 base stealers (17%); 4 games at 1B without an error; As with the past few years, Suomi bounced around and played as needed at the upper levels of the organization performing competently.  Grade: C; 2014: Could be the end of the road for Suomi unless the Phils keep him around for an emergency in the upper parts of the organization.

Reading

Sebastian Valle, 23, Signed as a free agent in 2006; .203/.245/.359 in 354 AB’s; 12HR 41RBI; 5%bb/24% k rates; .198 vs. LHP; .205 vs. RHP; .186 with RISP; .182 Post All STar Break; 90 games caught with 1 error (.999); 10 passed balls; Threw out 32 of 120 base stealers (27%); Just a miserable year with the bat for Valle who is in jeopardy of losing his 40 man roster spot. Defensively, he is a leader, calls a good game and did a nice job keeping runners honest. Grade: D+; 2014: If he isn’t designated for assignment and lost to another organization, I expect him in Lehigh Valley as a back up until Joseph’s health becomes less of a question mark. 

Justin Dalles, 24, Signed as a free agent in 2013; .284/.324/.537 in 95 AB’s between Lakewood and Reading; 5HR 22RBI; Hit .219 for Reading in 32AB’s; 5%BB/16%K rates; 23 games caught with 4 errors (.977); 1 passed ball; threw out 8/31 base stealers (26%). Dalles was decent in what he was asked to do…which was play about once a week for Lakewood and Reading.  Grade: B- 2014: Dalles almost retired after last season and based on the limited opportunity he was given this year, retirement wouldn’t surprise me.

Tommy Joseph, 22, Acquired from San Francisco in 2012; .179/.229/.285 in 123 AB’s across 4 levels; 3HR 16RBI; 5%bb/23% k rates; 33 games caught with 1 error (.996); 11 passed balls; threw out 12/47 base stealers (26%); The season could not have gone much worse for Joseph who struggled mightily both offensively and defensively out of the gate for Lehigh Valley and then suffered a major concussion that, after two attempts to come back, effectively ended his year. Whether Joseph will be able to continue catching is currently a question mark, with the hope of Joseph seeing significant action in the Florida Instructional League. Grade: D (note this grade is not bast on getting injured, it is based on pre-injury production). 2014: Reading; Prospect Ranking: 12

Clearwater

Logan Moore, 23, Phils   draft pick in  draft; .185/.257/.272 in 302 AB’s for Clearwater; 4HR 28RBI; .187 vs. LHP; .185 vs. RHP; .227 with RISP; 10%bb/21% k rates; .203 post all star break; 91 games caught with 8 errors (.989); 8 passed balls; Threw out 51/124 base stealers (41%); Moore somehow managed to make the FSL All Star Team while hitting below .200 which shows just how highly others think of his defense; He has an outstanding arm and is very good at calling the game.  That said, his offense was consistently anemic all year.  Grade: C…I just can’t go higher than that for a guy who hit .185.  2014: Based on comments I have read from Joe Jordan, I would be very surpised if Moore were not in Reading next year.

Bob Stumpo, 26, Phils 33rd round pick in 2010 draft; .210/.306/.286 in 105 AB’s; 2HR 11RBI; .156 vs. LHP; .233 vs. RHP; .172 with RISP; 12%bb/18%K rates; 37 games caught with 4 errors (.983); 3 passed balls; 15/43 baserunners caught stealing(35%); Stumpo did an adequate job as Moore’s back up, basically giving Clearwater the same as Moore. Not much offense and good defense.  Grade: C; 2014: With all the up and comers below him, Stumpo is going to have a hard time sticking around next year.

Lakewood

Chace Numata, 21, Phils 14th round pick in 2010 draft; .231/.307/.305 in 308 AB’s; 3HR 37RBI; 4SB; .284 vs. LHP, .214 vs. RHP; .209 with RISP; .201 Post All Star; 9%BB/13% K rates; 90 games caught with 16 errors (.979); 28 passed balls; Threw out 38/148 base stealers (26%); Numata started the season very hot and then really came back to Earth and had a troubling year defensively.  Grade: C; 2014: I think he moves up to CLearwater but will be the #2 catcher behind Andrew Knapp.

Gabrial Lino, 20, Acquired from Baltimore in 2012; .254/.304/.376 in 189 AB’s between WIlliamsport and Lakewood; 4HR 32RBI; 6%bb/30%K rates; Hit .242 in 42 AB’s for Lakewood; Caught 49 games with 3 errors (.992); 10 passed balls; Threw out 24/76 base stealers (36%); I was a bit surprised that Lino started in WIlliamsport this year, but through his time there, he re-gained confidence and played well.  A very high K rate needs to be worked on but he played well defensively and added some offensive punch at times.  Grade: B-; 2014: Lakewood, starting catcher

Josh Ludy, 23, Phils  round pick in 2012 draft; .246/.306/.360 in 114 AB’s between Lakewood and Clearwater; 1HR 8RBI; Hit .245 in 102 AB’s for Lakewood; 7%BB/32% K rates; 13 games caught with 2 errors (.971); 0 passes balls; Threw Out 2/12 base stealers (17%); Difficult year for Ludy who hardly played.  Only 13 starts behind the plate the whole year and a 32% k rate at bat leads me to believe the Phils will go a different direction next year. Grade: D+; 2014: Elsewhere

Williamsport

Andrew Knapp, 21, Phils 2nd round pick in 2013 draft; .253/.340/.401 in 217 AB’s for Williamsport; 4HR 23RBI; 7SB; .214 vs. LHP; .267 vs. RHP; .193 with RISP; .257 Post All Star Break; 9%bb/24% k rates; 21 games caught with 4 errors (.974); 10 passed balls; Threw out 6/23 base stealers (26%). Knapp played almost the entire season with an injured elbow which will be fully healed come Spring 2014.  It’s pretty clear the Phils made an extremely good pick nabbing Knapp when they did as his potential is obvious when you watch him.  His statistical line is below what I would expect moving forward.  Grade: B-; 2014: Starting Catcher in Clearwater; Prospect Ranking: 9

Chad Carman, 24, Phils 24th round pick in 2012 draft; .269/.340/.301 in 93 AB’s between Lakewood, GCL and Williamsport; 0HR 7RBI; 5%bb/13%k rates; Hit .200 in 20 late season AB’s with WIlliamsport; caught 30 games with 2 errors (.989); 3 passed balls; Threw out 14/46 base stealers (30%).  I am admittedly a Carman fan because he is a super nice guy and I am trying to be objective here…His season was all but lost due to a significant finger injury, and because of the promotion of Lino, Carman went back to Williamsport when healthy.  When he played, Carman did a good job but he is stuck with the label of a low draft choice, with advancing age at a low level.  Grade: B-; 2014: Total crapshoot. It all depends on who is healthy come the end of SPring Training.  Could be in Clearwater in they want three catchers, but could just as easily be with another organization.

Corey Bass, 22, Phils 20th round pick in 2013 draft; .155/.271/.190 in 58 AB’s; 0HR 5RBI; 8%bb/30%k rates; 15 games caught with 6 errors (.935); 7 passed balls; Threw out 4/23 base stealers (17%); Simply not pretty in any way, shape or form. Grade: D-; 2014: I would be surprised to see Bass back.

GCL

Deivi Gruillon, 17, Signed as a free agent in 2012; .273/.333/.364 in 121 AB’s; 1HR 14RBI; .462 vs. LHP; .183 vs. RHP; .250 with RISP; 8%BB/14% k rates; 38 games caught with 5 errors (.974); 9 passed balls; Threw out 12 of 43 base stealers (28%); Plenty to be excited about as the 17 year old opened many an eye with his bat and glove.  Grade: B+; 2014: Williamsport; Prospect Ranking: 33

Jake Sweaney, 18, Phils 4th round pick in 2013 draft; .164/.256/.192 in 73AB’s; 0HR 3RBI; 6%BB/40% k rates; caught 26 games with 3 errors (.982); 4 passed balls; Threw out 3/29 base stealers (10%); Really no positives from a very high draft pick. Bright side is that he is young.  Grade: D- (because he is young); 2014: GCL

Jose Mayorga, 21, Signed as a free agent in 2010; .196/.339/.235 in 51AB’s; 0HR 2RBI; 15%bb/8%K rates; 21 games caught without an error; 2 passed balls; Threw out 8/11 base stealers (73%); Played 7 games at 1B without an error. In limited playing time, Mayorga was outstanding defensively, and the sub Mendoza offensive numbers may have been decieving based on the extremely low K rate.  Really not enough playing time to judge, but enough positives that Mayorga will get a closer look in the FIL and in Spring Training.  Grade: C+;  2014: Williamsport

41 thoughts on “Report Card–Catchers”

  1. Although I wish him well and his injuries were unfortunate, if Joseph doesn’t get an F especially based on his preseason expectations (top 4 prospect) I don’t think anyone can get an F.

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  2. agreed. Also, while this is not a prospect list post, per se, I don’t agree at all with how high Knapp is versus how low Grullon is. I can see an argument on having Knapp pretty high, but Grullon was a bonus baby in his own right and frankly, performed better at his level when taking age into consideration; not to mention Knapp is going to have to carry himself with the bat, as no one claimed he was polished defensively, and he didn’t exactly rake at Williamsport.

    At any rate, that is pretty large discrepency for two prospects that I think it would be easy to argue about on par.

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  3. Grullon is # 33. Wow we have a great farm system! 17 year old 575k(2nd round $)hits .273 and is said to have a great arm and a solid defender. easy guy to put in 10-15 range.

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        1. There is nothing wrong with a little ball breaking when disagreements are expressed as long as no 1 is offended. If I offended Gregg. I’m sorry.

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      3. Nope, I have no problem with someone disagreeing with Gregg but I don’t like the sarcasm that Chris used to disagree with him.

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  4. Grullon is bullion in my book.
    Before he turns 20-years old, he should be a top ten prospect in the organization.

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  5. Grullon should be in the top 25 imo. At least it seems that way. I haven’t sat down and actually ranked everyone but I can’t imagine him ending up outside of the top 30.

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  6. Since, in observing things as in the assignments in the following season, they usually might bring 3 catchers to Spring Training for the full season teams, and they might bring 5 catchers for the short season teams (maybe for each team) or comparable numbers. I would say most of the players they have rights to will return for Spring Training. Given that there are not that many catchers at lower levels available for signing in the off season, and a general lack of catchers of any kind, given attrition and various factors, that, barring unforeseen unusual circumstances , most of the catchers in the organization they have rights to will still be under contract when the minor league seasons begin. At least, that has been the observation of how it usually works.

    Valle- don’t see the assignment as back-up thing. As long as there is adequate and above defense and any kind of home run ability with potential for more, he should receive assignment as a regular. If not with LVIP ( I believe Rupp will be in MLB) or Reading ( I believe Logan Moore should be assigned there) then they could assign him to the Mexican League. They would still have his rights. I believe Valle is unnecessarily downgraded due to the ” We knew he wasn’t coaxing enough walks, so we knew he’d have a low batting average, so we’re great” theory.

    As to Rupp, It seems the prevailing indisputable wisdom on both medias has been that ” Rupp is working away toward his possible ceiling as a back-up. What stone tablet came down from the mountain-top with that on it? I originally did not rate Rupp well as a (draft or otherwise) prospect because of the potential low batting average thing, but now that Rupp has shown good potential to have a better than average batting average at AAA, I believe the job training for the MLB could warrant a high level spot. And it can be observed that MLB catchers don’t have really good numbers on average in many offensive categories, nowadays.

    I believe Rupp should be penciled in as the starter in the MLB, to mark the official beginning of the “Ruf-Brown- Asche-Rupp era”.

    Logan Moore at AA? No-brainer. Git-R-Done.

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    1. ‘I believe Rupp should be penciled in as the starter in the MLB’…whoa going out on a limb there. Hamels and Lee may have to give their rubber stamp on that before it happens.

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      1. don’t forget a middle infield pairing of Galvis and Hernandez. That lineup harkens back to the glory days of the late 80s.

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    3. You mean the Cameron Rupp with a .352 BABIP (.288 career), 28.4% K%, and .309 OBP in AAA. If his BABIP regressed to his career his line would have been .225/.269/.369. If you say his walk and k rate regress to career averages as well and now you have .245/.319/.398 which is not far off his career average and not inspiring any calls for him to hold down a major league job.

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      1. I’m hoping Tommy Tutone was kidding, but he might have been serious. I definitely see Rupp as a good backup in the majors. I’m not sure the Phils will be the place.

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      2. Good post. Rupp’s AA line was solid, but his AAA performance indicates he is not ready for the majors just yet.

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  7. Isn’t Rupp akin to Ruiz when he came up? At age 25 (almost), Rupp has spent enough seasoning time in the minors. Apparently his defense is better than average (don’t know how he is at calling pitches) and considering how bare the cupboard is for other catching candidates for the big club, any further “larnin'” can be done in the majors.

    It seems that Ruiz will be re-signed for maybe 2 seasons which is plenty of time for Rupp to complete his education and allows time for Knapp (?) to get it all together to represent a target for the #1 starter job vs. Rupp at that time. Keeping Rupp at LV would be a waste of his development time when he could be useful to fill the big club’s roster.

    Of course, the horrendous trade for Joseph was a miscalculation by the FO (the Phils FO, not the Giant’s) showed even before his concussion. He couldn’t make any kind of decent contact at either level he played at…and there remained significant questions about his defense, too.
    (On this subject, we should take note of the lousy returns by trades that the Phils have gotten over the last couple-3 years. Something stinks about their evaluations of other teams’ prospects. Attention needed there. And such terrible returns obtained from their own pitcher-prospects; there must be horrible draft choices and/or coaching! Many changes for the better due, hopefully soon.)

    I just don’t believe Kratz should block Rupp’s entry to MLB as,at first, the backup catcher. There is NO future with Kratz.

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    1. It seems counter intuitive to “develop” Rupp by playing him once or twice a week in Philly when he could be the starter in LHV and catching guys like Biddle and Morgan and working on the things he’ll need to be successful in the majors.

      I’m not as prepared some to give up on Joseph. Don’t forget the rave reviewes he got from coaches and pitchers in spring training. Hopefeull he stays healthy and can catch in Reading

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  8. Isn’t that how Ruiz was when he first got called up? He wasn’t their #1 catcher right away, was he? Playing less than full time would allow the same kind of pathway that Ruiz had. But, since Ruiz will need more time out of the lineup (because of his age), Rupp would play –as a starter–up to 3 games a week. That’s plenty without too much pressure in aid of his development. THAT does not seem counter-intuitive to me.

    I, too, hope that Joseph can be revived and becomes the .275, 25 HR player with advancing defensive skills…but he has shown none of that in games played in our system since we got him.

    The concussion that took him out was not the first he received during his minor lg career, according to what I’ve read. We should have come to know the effects of numerous concussions if only from the NFL studies. The position he plays makes him much more vulnerable to more of the same which makes me wonder whether he will be able to play behind the plate, or should.

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  9. Cameron Rupp will not be Plan A for a backup catcher in 2014. Ruiz will likely be resigned to start, and they will have a veteran backup in the big leagues like Kratz, or from some I’ve spoken to, they would prefer a backup swinging from the left side. Rupp will play every day at AAA with a Humberto Quintero type guy backing him up. Further down, they hope Joseph, Knapp, Lino, and Grullon will be the starters at the levels below. If Joseph isn’t able to catch, Moore will get the bulk of the time in Reading. The minor league staff LOVES him.

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  10. Catching is certainly an interesting position in Phillies minors. Especially with Joseph one of the most interesting prospects in organization.
    Here’s how I see them:
    Ruiz and Kratz in MLB. Ruiz is still a good vet and Kratz is cheap with no better options.
    Rupp AAA, Lerud type backup. Rupp just in waiting for callup due to injury.
    Valle AA and Moore as backup. Cannot give up on Valle yet. Joseph to another position.
    Could see Valle in AAA if Joseph given starts at C which I think is quite risky.
    Knapp A with Numata likely backup but maybe Carman through lower minors
    Lino A- with one of the ‘old guys’ Carman/Ludy/Dalles but why not Mayorga?
    Guillion at WPT with some draft pick
    Sweaney at GCL with some draft pick

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    1. How about the switch-hitting Galvis as a catcher? Freddy does everything else outstanding in the field. Think outside the box.

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  11. Every year, as Moore has moved up, his offensive numbers have moved down. Obviously very good behind the plate but terrible at the plate and only getting worse. One more year to see if he can turn it around and then it’s time to pull the plug. Either find another position for Joseph or trade him. Not so impressed with Knapp behind the plate. Sweaney……..numbers were terrible for such a high pick. Numata……….and experiment gone bad. Numbers behind the plate and at the plate were atrocious. Time to pull the plug on him or move him to another position that he can actually play. Rupp was the big best thing going in the minors by far. If he hadn’t gotten hurt, Carman may have seen more time as he was doing very well before the injury. Didn’t see any of the others play so I can’t speak about them.

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    2. Phillies value a very good defensive catcher like Logan Moore. He’s the sort of guy you need behind the plate to help the pitchers develop. Not true that he got worse every year at the bat. He improved from 2011 to 2012. 2013 was not a good offensive year for him, but one never knows what nagging injuries catchers play through. Phillies aren’t going to cut him loose, regardless of how well he hits in 2014, if the D and handling of pitchers is superior. He’s only 22 and he’s at CLW, so he has at least a little time. Catcher’s O can come on late. Ruiz was first at CLW at age 23 and only put up a .591 OPS. He never put up a stateside OPS for a season above .700 until his age 25 year at Reading, when he exploded. Phillies are very patient with defensive catchers. Tuffy Gosewich made it to the bigs this season.

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      1. Moore is probably a guy who will end up sticking around the minor leagues for awhile as a backup just because of his defense (assuming he wouldn’t want to pursue other things). But I will say that I wonder, being 6’3″, if he has some power that might be tapped into if he can figure out his swing.

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  12. I stand corrected regarding Moore’s BA going down each season. It is true that from 2011 to 2012, his average went from .225 to .233. In 2012, he was hitting .277 at Williamsport, but went he got sent up to Lakewood, he only hit .177 there. Then, this last season, he went to high A Clearwater and faced many of the same pitchers he faced the year before at Lakewood, and hit .185. My point is that, as he has moved up, there has not been a significant improvement at the plate. He’s definitely in the top three in the Phillies minors system when it comes to catching, but at some point, he has to be able to hit. For some guys, it’s a matter of learning to recognize pitches better in order to hit them. For others, they may see the pitch well, but still not be able to hit it. Another year in the system and management should be able to figure out which kind of a guy Moore is. People keep talking here about catchers being organizational guys. Other than Suomi, I don’t think there’s another catcher in the system that’s thinking “Hey, I don’t mind being an organizational guy in this system”. They don’t make enough money to do that. These kids are signing 7 year contracts where they make very little. None of them are hanging around for 7 years so they can renegotiate their contract to be a minors league catcher. They are all playing to move up and to start.

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      1. I’m just giving my opinion about players I watched. What’s you’re problem other than just being an ass?

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        1. I really didnt understand the phillies taking two catcher high in this last draft. Reading all the draft reports, catcher were weak in this draft, yet we decide to go high for two catchers, very odd to me. but what do I know , i mean when you draft so well like they have recently, no one should question there picks. collier, hewitt, gose, greene.savery, who has been picking this kids lately???

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          1. Catching was actually very strong in the last draft, especially high school catching. Knapp was the top college catcher and some scouts liked the bat in general. Some guys thought there wasn’t huge drop off from Cuiffo, McGuire, and Denney to Sweaney and all of those guys went high or got paid well. Both Sweaney and Knapp had grades about when they were drafted and both should stick at the position and are athletic.

            But then again I don’t think you care, you just want to rant angrily at the world.

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            1. sorry matt that was me about the weak catchers draft, I thought thats what I read, maybe i am getting a little forgetful in my old age. Matt things I read said it was weak, maybe, i was on not so good sites,

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            2. Wow! So if someone’s opinion is different than that of the guys who write on here regularly then they are angrily ranting at the world? Did you vote for Obama too?

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          2. I really thought that Knapp or Sweaney might get moved to a different position after they came on board, but not surprised that they gave them a look first to see what they could do. I still think either could be moved, especially Sweaney. Knapp was hurt for a while and just DH’d but caught quite a bit the last month. I wasn’t overly impressed with him, but he did better than a lot of other catchers in the system did during the season.

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