Texas Rangers: Spring Training battle for catcher could get interesting

2019 Recap

Last season was a forgettable one regarding the Texas Rangers and the catching group in Arlington. The mix of catchers utilized by the Rangers produced at a historically low rate and were more hinderance than help for the Rangers team. Texas cycled through a number of catching options with Jeff Mathis, Tim Federowicz, Jose Trevino and Isiah Kiner-Falefa all getting time behind the plate. The slash lines for each of those players were fairly unimpressive…

• Jeff Mathis – 86 G – .158/.209/.224/.433
• Tim Federowicz – 29 G – .160/.213/.347/.559
• Isiah Kiner-Falefa – 38 G – .223/.298/.330/.629
• Jose Trevino – 40 G – .252/.266/.378/.644

As a group, the Rangers catchers hit just .193 last season with an OPS of .539 while driving in just 44 total runs. Defensively, the group wasn’t much better finishing with the fourth worst Fielding Runs Above Average according to Baseball Prospectus at -12.4 ahead of only the A’s, White Sox and Orioles. The only individual that finished with a positive FRAA for the Rangers last season was Jose Trevino at 0.5 and Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s -9.3 finished last on the team and 109th out of 113 qualifiers. That production made it clear that the club needed some sort of upgrade this offseason that could generate something positive at the plate entering Globe Life Field.

Offseason Additions

Entering the offseason, catcher joined third base and starting pitching as the trio of positional groups in need of an upgrade. The catcher market in free agency was slim with only Yasmani Grandal as the only available option considered a top tier catcher in the league. However, the Rangers were able to make a significant upgrade on their current group by bringing back fan favorite Robinson Chirinos after his one season stint with the Houston Astros.

Chirinos had a stellar season for the Astros playing in 114 games and posting a .238 average along with a .790 OPS. He hit 17 home runs, the third straight season he’s matched that mark or higher and walked a career high 11.7% rate. His defensive was impressive as well finishing with a 3.0 FRAA, the highest mark of his career.

Texas also signed 27-year old Blake Swihart to a minor league deal after he split the 2019 season between the Red Sox and Diamondbacks. Swihart has long been a player connected to the Rangers and Texas is hoping the switch hitter can give them some additional depth behind the plate. Last season was a rough one for Swihart who hit just .163 with a .527 OPS in 43 games. However over the course of his career, Swihart has been a .243 hitter with a much more impressive .656 OPS and the Rangers will hope he can regain that form in their minor league system.

Joining Swihart on a minor league deal was free agent Nick Ciuffo, a 24-year old who was a first round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2013. Ciuffo, a left-handed hitter, has just 19 big league games under his belt hitting .186 with a .529 OPS. He’s struggled to make a big splash in the minors but represents a young reclamation project for Texas who is looking to add depth at the position throughout their organization.

Top Catching Prospects

The good news for the Texas Rangers is that they have successfully started to restock their prospect pool with talented catching prospects who look like future big leaguers. The bad news, none are likely to be ready for 2020 and will need until at least 2021 to become regular Major League players.

Sam Huff: #74 in MLB Pipeline 2020 Top 100; #8 in MLB Pipeline 2020 Top 10 Catchers

Sam Huff, 22, represents the cream of the crop in the Texas Rangers’ organization among catching prospects. The #2 prospect in the Rangers organization per MLB Pipeline, Huff doesn’t fit the prototypical mold of a catcher, but after a breakout 2019 campaign, has emerged as a rising star in the minors. At 6’4″, 230 pounds, Huff looks more apt to play first base or right field than crouching down behind the plate but so far, his large frame hasn’t slowed him down as he cut down 48% of basestealers during the 2019 season.

His glove, while solid, isn’t what excites scouts or fans though. Rather it’s his bat that hit .278 in 127 games last season between Single-A and High-A. He also belted 28 home runs and a .758 OPS across those two levels while being named Futures Game MVP with a 2-run homer late in the game. He’s always going to be strikeout prone with his aggressive approach, going down at nearly a 30% clip every season, but his production when he puts the ball in play should be enough to counteract. The question is whether Texas keeps him at catcher long-term or decides to move him to first base, a less demanding position physically, in hopes of preserving his bat.

David Garcia: #30 in MLB Pipeline 2019 Top 30 Rangers’ Prospects

Garcia finished off last season at #30 in MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Texas Rangers Prospects and should be much higher up the list when the 2020 organizational ranks release. A switch-hitter, Garcia has made incremental improvements as a hitter in his first three years with the organization. His 2019 numbers with Low-A Spokane were evidence of this hitting .277 with a .786 OPS in 48 games. His value as a prospect comes behind the plate though where he has the potential to be an above average defender both with the glove and his arm. At only 20, he still has plenty of room to grow but it’s unlikely we see him in Arlington for a few years.

Randy Florentino: #24 in MLB Pipeline 2019 Top 30 Rangers’ Prospects

Florentino finished the 2019 season at #24 in MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Texas Rangers Prospects, the second highest catcher in the system, but likely will be jumped by Garcia in the update rankings later this month. The 19-year old spent most of 2019 in Arizona with the Rangers’ rookie affiliate where he hit .243 with a .682 OPS. He should continue to grow physically as he continues to adapt to pro ball and start to take advantage of his above average arm that should make him a solid defensive catcher.

Other Catching Prospects: Matt Whatley (Spokane), Heriberto Hernandez (Arizona)

2020 Outlook

The addition of Robinson Chirinos cannot be overstated in terms of impact he should make regarding the production of Texas Rangers catchers. He by far becomes the best hitter the club has at their disposal in the big leagues and arguably one of the better defensive options as well based off 2019 metrics. He’ll be locked in as one of the two Major League catchers have when they open the season with the only question being who joins the tandem.

The battle seems to be between veteran Jeff Mathis and Jose Trevino. In purely production terms, Trevino provided much more value than Mathis out producing him at the plate and showing off why he was a two-time Minor League Gold Glove winner in the minors. However, Mathis has the notion that Rangers pitchers enjoy pitching to him working in his favor. Both Mike Minor and Lance Lynn put up stellar seasons on the mound in 2019 with Mathis receiving vocal credit. Texas will hope their trio of new starters, Corey Kluber, Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles will see similar success and if Mathis can help with that, he might have the edge coming out of Spring Training. He’s owed $3 million in 2020 and if the Rangers opt for Trevino, they have to eat that salary. Trevino on the other hand still has minor league options meaning he can be sent to Triple-A to start next season.

The most likely outcome is that the Rangers opt for a Chirinos and Mathis pairing to open the year. Chirinos should be able to take a lot of the load from Mathis who played 86 games last season, the highest total of his career since 2008. Hopes are that a decreased workload can help Mathis be more productive. However, it’s likely to be a short leash with the Rangers looking to compete this upcoming season. If Mathis starts slow out of the gates, it might not take long before Texas decides to recall Jose Trevino and have him pair with Chirinos for the remainder of the season. Isiah Kiner-Falefa could get some time behind the plate as well considering he brings with him the ability to play throughout the infield meaning he could make the roster as a utility man and emergency third catcher.