Minor League Matters: Catchers' depth chart

Promoted to front page, looks like the start of a good series! -- Kurt

System depth is an important part of minor league analysis. Depth charts allow baseball fans to tell how strong certain positions are across the system, and examining system depth is important to drafting players and planning for the future. So the first thing I’m going to look at in this Minor League Matters column is system depth.

First, some caveats. These charts are designed as an overview, not a comprehensive look at these players (prospect profiles will do that). So don’t expect a ton of information- just enough to provide a rough evaluation and to introduce you to some of the players down in the Minors. I’ll also be leaving off Rookie-league players- the Tigers don’t have any high profile IFA signings and projecting players out that far along the lines is futile. System depth will be examined by level, and organizational fodder will probably be labeled as such- I don’t want to spend 50 words on Max St Pierre when he probably won’t be impacting the big league club any time in the future, and I’ll probably ignore most of the fodder in the lower levels. Charts will be released by position- this week will be catchers, followed by corner infielders, middle infielders, outfielders, starting pitchers and concluding with relief pitchers (which will be the longest post ever).

Now, onto the system!

MLB

Gerald Laird: 29 years old

2009 Slash Stats: .225 average /.306 on-base % /.320 slugging average, 477 plate appearances (MLB)

Laird is going into his third year of arbitration and will be eligible for free agency after the 2010 season. Everyone knows his story: stellar glove, only hits at Phoenix Suns games. Good news is he’s a solid, cheap player. Bad news is he’s gone after next season.

Alex Avila: 22 years old

2009 Slash Stats: .279/.375/.590, 72 PA (MLB), .264/.365/.450, 387 PA (AA)

Whether you think he’s a demigod or just a really good young player, Avila is the hot new backstop in TigerTown. He’s got a few things going for him: A great arm, for one. He’s also got great discipline, as he’s one of the few Tigers that can actually take a walk. There’s also some serious power potential, and while slugging .590 may be unrealistic, Avila can probably get to about .500 in his prime. Unfortunately, what you see is probably what you’re going to get. His contact skills aren’t great, he’s not fast and his receiving skills are merely average. He’s no Laird with the glove, but he’s got serious potential and will probably land up being a solid catcher.

AAA/AA

Robinzon Diaz: 25 years old

2009 Slash Stats: .279/.307/.357, 138 PA (MLB)

Backup catcher for the Pirates for most of the 2009 season. That’s probably his ceiling. Good contact rates and lack of strikeouts make up for absence of power and inability to take a walk. He’s pretty good defensively, but nothing special.

Mike Rabelo: 28 years old

2009 Slash Stats: .202/.256/.294, 122 PA (MLB)

Rabelo’s a depth player whose only real claim to fame is inclusion in the Miguel Cabrera/Dontrelle Willis trade. He’s organizational fodder who makes for a pretty good third catcher. He works in case of an emergenc but is not somebody you want to trust for more than a few at bats.

Max St. Pierre: 29 years old

2009 Slash Stats: .224/.297/.397, 65 PA (AA), .248/.300/.423, 162 PA (AAA)

Supposedly St. Pierre has a good glove (thank you Jason Beck’s Twitter feed). But he was a 26th round draft pick in 1997 that never learned how to hit. His contact ability is his best tool with the bat, but you can see by looking at the lines above that it hasn’t meant much. Organizational fodder.

Jeff Kunkel: 26 years old

2009 Slash Stats: .218/.289/.345, 160 PA (AA)

Kunkel does have a good glove; he was rated as the best defensive catcher in the system in 2008 by Baseball America. He’s also a 26 year old in AA struggling to hit. His numbers are pedestrian at best and insulting at worst. He’s another St. Pierre, but with a less French sounding name. Organizational fodder.

A/A+

Andy Bouchie: 23 years old

2009 Slash Stats: .290/.351/.486, 229 PA (Ind.)

Booted from a Brewers system rich in catchers, Bouchie caught on in Independent ball. He’s got a decent glove and occasionally flashes some power. Bouchie will take a walk, but will take many more strikeouts. He’s probably a piece of organizational fodder, but his age means he at least has more upside than some of the older players on this list.

Jordan Newton: 23 years old

2009 Slash Stats: .263/.311/.447, 289 PA (A+)

Newton strikes out a ton: 80 in under 300 PA. He also doesn’t have great contact rates and can’t really take walks. But he was a sixth round pick in 2006 and has some pretty decent power. I don’t see him as much more than organizational fodder in the future, but it wouldn’t shock me if he landed up getting at least a cup of coffee in the majors.

Short Season

John Murrian: 21 years old

2009 Slash Stats: .296/.356/.468, 208 PA (SS)

Murrian was a ninth round selection out of Winthrop in 2009. He’s got good patience, is a reasonable defender and can hit with some power. But he’s not a huge upside guy, and his tools probably won’t carry him to the bigs. He’s probably organizational fodder down the road, but if he puts up decent numbers next year, who knows.

Organizational thoughts

The Tigers aren't exactly deep in catchers, but with Avila ready to take over from Laird as soon as the trade deadline and a couple decent backup types in Diaz and Rabelo, the club is probably set for the next couple years. Depth here thins out very quickly though, with Murrian being the best chance to actually become a somewhat legitimate prospect.