Atlanta Braves add another piece to the catcher puzzle
By David Hill
The Atlanta Braves seemingly had plenty of catching depth. With Travis d’Arnaud having found his bat over the past two years, and prospect William Contreras on the cusp of the majors, the Braves seemingly had enough behind the plate to weather whatever storms would be coming. That was until d’Arnaud and backup Alex Jackson both landed on the Injured List, leaving the Braves Triple-A tandem in the majors.
That quest for catching depth has led to the return of a familiar face. Tyler Flowers is back as a player, having signed a minor league contract with an eye towards returning to the majors in June.
Tyler Flowers is back with the Braves on a Minor League contract. He'll spend a couple weeks on the taxi squad and then start playing for Gwinnett. Will likely become Atlanta's backup catcher in June. He'll draw a $1.5M salary when he returns to the Majors.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) May 6, 2021
Tyler Flowers is back with Atlanta Braves
Flowers had spent the previous five seasons in Atlanta, serving as part of a catching tandem during that time. He fared well in that arrangement, producing a solid .251/.349/.408 batting line in his 1381 plate appearances, hitting 40 homers and 60 doubles. However, his greatest contribution was in regards to his pitch framing, as he was one of the early adopters of that metric.
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It seemed inevitable that Flowers would return behind the plate. He had been with the organization in a non-playing capacity, helping blend analytics into game preparation. But that role seemed to be more of a matter of keeping him with the Braves in case of emergency, such as what has happened.
Chances are, Flowers will take over as Atlanta’s primary backup catcher. Contreras is the future of the position, and was expected to take on that role in 2022. However, with d’Arnaud on the 60 day Injured List, his time has come sooner than expected. The Braves may as well see what they have in their young backstop.
Although current backup Jeff Mathis is also an excellent defensive catcher, Flowers could be a better option for him to learn from. Although robo-umps are expected to be the wave of the future for balls and strikes, having someone with Flowers’ knack for framing pitches could be a valued part of Contreras’ development this year.
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The Atlanta Braves made a move that everyone expected in bringing back Tyler Flowers. His presence could help William Contreras be the future of the position.