The State of the Catcher

Austin Barnes and Russell Martin have taken the majority of the innings behind the plate this year. After about 25% of the season is complete, Martin is hitting .259 with a .400 OB% in just 39 AB’s while Barnes is hitting .206 with a .316 OB%. Barnes started the season hitting well but cooled off quickly and has not shown much since his initial start. Martin has fared better in the “eye test” as he has been working with the new hitting team to change his swing path. It appears to be having some effect.

The question is: Will he hold up physically? I can say YES and you can say NO but the truth is: WE DON’T KNOW! It would appear that 80 games might be optimistic. Neither Barnes or Martin is a long-term solution at catcher… maybe not a season-long solution. The popular notion is that Will Smith will be called up soon… and he could be. By all accounts, he is ready defensively to catch and throw at a Major League Level. The only question is: “Can he hit at the MLB Level?” That’s the big question.

Smith is hitting .252 with a .381 OB% at OKC. Not bad, but not tearing up the league either. To me, Will Smith projects as a solid back-up catcher who has great athleticism and is outstanding defensively. I think he will struggle to hit .200. That’s my opinion, but I could be wrong. If I were Andrew Friedman, I would call him up, like soon… and see how he does. If he struggles to hit, the Dodgers may have to look for another option outside the organization.

A while back someone said that Austin Barnes is too small to be an everyday catcher. Well, Will Smith is about the same size. Both are listed at 5′ 10″ with Smith being 8 pounds heavier than Barnes at 195. Will Smith will not likely be a workhorse if he makes it. I think that if I were totally wrong about his hit tool and he could be a good hitter, he will end up at 3B where he could be outstanding as well. I just don’t buy into the “hit hype” surrounding him.

Keibert (Kay Bear) Ruiz is the Dodger’s catcher of the future. Some of you will say, ” But he’s only hitting .229 at AA Tulsa.” That would be true, but just like the Dodgers re-worked Will Smith’s swing last year for more power, Ruiz is going through the same metamorphosis at Tulsa this year. Like Alex Verdugo, Kaybear has amazing bat-to-ball skills and even though he is still struggling, he has only logged 6 strikeouts in 105 AB’s. That a 5.7% strikeout rate.

Will Smith is 24 years old while Ruiz is 20… playing as one of the youngest players in the league. He won’t be ready THIS year, but if his new swing takes effect, he could be in the running next season. The Dodgers have shown a preference for moving youngsters along slowly so they may have him slotted for 2021, His bat could change all that. I think he is the #1 catching prospect in baseball and so does BA. Giants fans may argue that Joey Bart is better – we shall see. Ruiz is a switch-hitting Alex Verdugo. As we wait for him, let’s see what Will Smith can do. It’s time for the Fresh Prince – Will Smith!

Minor League Report by AC

The Dodger affiliates split their four games last night.

OKC Dodgers 2 – Round Rock Express 5 (Astros)

Brock Stewart started for the Dodgers and completed 5.0 innings. He allowed 2 runs and 4 hits, including a triple and HR. He had 3 walks to go with his 6 strikeouts. In his continuing rehab assignment, Caleb Ferguson pitched the 6th, allowing a double and a walk with his one strikeout, but did not allow a run. Kevin Quackenbush and Stetson Allie combined to allow 3 runs on 4 extra base hits, including 2 HRs.

Offensively, outside of Kyle Garlick’s team leading 10th HR and Will Smith’s 5th HR, the offense was rather anemic going very quietly with 17 of the last 18 batters being retired.

The Dodgers have dropped to 11-25 and have yet to beat the 1st place Express in 6 games. The Dodgers are now 12.5 games behind the Express in the PCL American Southern Division.

Tulsa Drillers 4 – Northwest Arkansas Naturals 8 (Royals)

The experiment of 36-year-old pitcher JD Martin hit another obstacle of ineffectiveness. After taking a 3-0 lead in the top half of the 3rd, Martin surrendered 7 runs to the Naturals in their half of the 3rd. Overall, Martin had 5.0 IP allowing 7 runs on 7 hits, 3 walks, and 2 strikeouts. Chris Nunn followed Martin with 2.0 IP. He did allow walk, stolen base, and single for one additional run, Layne Somsen finished with 1.0 IP and registered 2 strikeouts and no baserunners.

The Drillers used 4 singles, an error, and a sac fly to score their 3 runs. Jared Walker and Steve Berman each had 2 this, while Gavin Lux had 2 RBI’s.

The Drillers remain 2.5 games behind the Arkansas Travelers (Mariners) in the Texas League North Division.

RC Quakes 7 – Lancaster JetHawks 3 (Rockies)

20-year-old RHSP Gerardo Carrillo had another quality start going 6.0 innings allowing 3 runs on 6 hits, including a 6th inning solo HR. He did have 6 strikeouts to go with 1 base on balls. Wes Helsabeck did register his 2nd save in his 3.0 innings of shutout relief. He did surrender 2 hits but had no walks. He did strike out 5 JetHawk batters.

The Quakes scored in 5 of their 9 innings. Jeter Downs continued his resurgent offense with a 2-5 night, while Nick Yarnall also had 2 hits and 3 RBI’s including his 2nd triple and 3rd HR. Starling Heredia had 2 RBIs. Brandon Montgomery hit his 4th double and Drew Avans hit his 2nd triple.

The Quakes now have a 2-game lead over the JetHawks in the California League South Division. The two teams match up over the next three nights at the Hangar in Lancaster.

Great Lakes 3 – Dayton Dragons 2 (Reds)

After a three-game lull due to field conditions, the Loons returned to the diamond and continued where they left off with another win. They have now won 12 out of their last 13 games.

Andre Jackson started and threw 4.2 innings of shutout baseball, offering up 2 hits and 2 walks and generating 10 strikeouts. 20-year-old Jose Martinez finished the game with 4.1 innings. He did allow the 2 runs (1 earned), on 5 hits 1 walk and 3 strikeouts.

The Loons scored 2 in the 4th with doubles by Miguel Vargas (8th), and Jacob Amaya (10th). Later in the inning, Amaya scored on a Dan Robinson 2-out RBI single. After the Dragons tied the score in the 5th, the Loons strung together 3 singles to score the eventual game winning run in the 7th. Vargas went 3-4, Amaya went 2-4, and Robinson went 2-3 on the night, with each of the three getting an RBI.

The Loons continue to hold a 1.0 game lead in the Midwest League Eastern Division over three teams.