Detroit Tigers: Questions about who will catch in 2019
With the Detroit Tigers non-tendering catcher James McCann, the status of the 2019 catching position is in question.
Only Grayson Greiner remains as the lone catcher on the Detroit Tigers 40-man roster. John Hicks is listed as an infielder, even though he joined the team originally as a catcher.
There are two catchers on the Triple-A Toledo team who could be called up: Kade Scivicque and Jake Rogers. Scivicque has reached Rule-5 status and could be gone at the draft unless the front office moves him to the 40-man (there’s room for him). Rogers was the catcher who was acquired in Justin Verlander trade in August 2017 (sorry to bring that up).
Don’t count on any veterans
Fan favorite, Jarrod Saltalamacchia was in the Tigers organization in the 2018 season, but he was granted his free agency in October. The 33-year-old catcher had seven at-bats with the Tigers in 2018 with four strikeouts and one walk. It is doubtful that he will be re-signed by the Tigers, but if he is, we, fans, shouldn’t expect much.
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The tale of Greiner, Cabrera, and Hicks
Greiner has been with the Tigers since 2014 when he was drafted in the third round. He worked his way up from Single-A West Michigan (I saw him catch a few times there) to his debut in with the team in May. Greiner’s call-up was a necessity when Miguel Cabrera moved to the DL and John Hicks needed to take his spot at first. He ended up staying with the team as Cabrera and Hicks both finished the season on the DL due to biceps tendon surgery and hip surgery.
Fortunately, both Cabrera and Hicks should be back for spring training in February, which does make filling the line up easier for Ron Gardenhire. If Cabrera can be back a first regularly and Hicks becomes more than a bench player, the catching position could be split between Hicks and Greiner.
If the status quo remains, the question will be how will he split the two right-handed batters. Will he flip a coin?
Tigers need a left-handed bat
Hicks is a better batter against left-handed pitching and so is Greiner. That creates a small problem for the Tigers organization. The lack of success with right-handed hitting may cause the Tigers to bring up either Scivicque or Rogers from Triple-A.
In 2018, Scivicque had nearly the same splits against right- and left-handed pitchers. Rogers had a better batting average and on-base percentage against right-handed batters, but his slugging was significantly better against left-handed batters.
Could a free agent catcher come to Comerica?
Fans shouldn’t expect that Al Avila will sign a pricey free agent catcher like Yasmani Grandal or Wilson Ramos, but there are a bunch of decent pitchers available. One that would be a great fit for the Tigers is Matt Wieters. His switch-hitting bat would be useful for the Tigers heavy right-handed lineup. Wieters’ performance dropped off in his two years with the Nationals, which could get him to sign a contract well under the $10.5 million he was paid in 2018. Yes, he’ll be 33 for the majority of the 2019 season, but good veteran catchers are few and far between.
Next. Intriguing non-tendered MLB players. dark
One thing is certain: someone will catch for the Detroout Tigers. Someone will call the pitches. Someone will work the umpires. That someone will not be James McCann.