Minnesota Twins Depth Chart: Catcher
Feb 26, 2015; Peoria, AZ, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher
John Hicksposes for a portrait during photo day at Peoria Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
AAA:
John Hicks, Carlos Paulino and Juan Centeno will likely be playing in Rochester. All three have been invited to spring training and are on the 40 man roster. Hicks and Paulino have both played in the majors and as recently as last year. As mentioned in the previous slide, Turner is also a possibility.
Hicks was claimed on waivers from the Mariners earlier this December. Hicks had 34 PAs with Seattle in 2015 but only had 2 hits. In AAA, he had a .645 OPS. He’s considered a plus defender.
Centeno was signed to a minor league deal in November. He had 23 PAs with the Brewers in 2015 but had one hit and two walks. He has a .408 OPS in 66 PAs in his major league career. In AAA last season, he posted a .675 OPS. In 2014, Centeno was named the best defensive catcher in the PCL.
Carlos Paulino has yet to break through to the majors. He’s been a part-timer in the upper minors the past few years. He had a .640 OPS with Rochester last season. He’s a solid defender.
MLB:
John Ryan Murphy and Kurt Suzuki will form the major league catching tandem for the Minnesota Twins in 2016. Murphy was acquired via trade from the Yankees earlier this offseason.
Suzuki had a down year at the plate in 2015. He had just a .610 OPS. He posted a 0.9 dWAR which was contradicted by a -9 DRS. He caught only 15% of would be base-stealer and is not rated as a good pitch framer.
Murphy had a better year than Suzuki at the plate with a .734 OPS in a bench role. He had a -0.1 dWAR and a -2 DRS.
Catcher is a weak position for the Twins at the AAA and major league levels. They have some solid prospects in the middle minors. The Twins have a slew of catchers on the 40 man roster but if they can add a defense first type with good framing skills, they should.