Tyler Flowers
It should be noted that the Tampa Bay Rays currently employs one catcher on its 40-man roster: top catching prospect Ronaldo Hernandez. While Hernandez hasn’t played professionally above Class A Advanced, don’t be surprised if the Rays look to expedite his trip to the big leagues.
It’s very possible to see Hernandez in a big-league uniform halfway through the 2021 campaign. That being said, Tampa Bay will probably look for cheap, timeshare candidates that appeal to its analytics staff.
Enter Tyler Flowers. The 35-year-old Flowers hits unrestricted free agency after a season playing backup to d’Arnaud in Atlanta. Throughout his career, Flowers has been regarded as a premium pitch-framer who mashes left-handed pitching.
A primary defender who can successfully hit at one side of the plate? That’s the primary definition of a Tampa Bay position player. According to FanGraphs’ advanced metrics of catchers, Flowers recorded a 0.4 fielding rating. The majority of catchers on this list ranked negatively in this category.
While Flowers’ production against lefties has hit a downturn in recent years, Tampa Bay will be happy to look at the entire body of work here. Throughout 12 seasons, Flowers owns a .234/.333/.391 batting line against lefties. The 35-year-old is also decent at hitting to all fields.
Against lefties, Flowers has a pull percentage of 42.5 percent but hits to center field or opposite field nearly 60 percent of the time.
The Tampa Bay Rays could likely sign Flowers to less than $2 million next year, which makes this an even better possibility.