DALLAS — For the first time in what has seemed like a long time, the position of catcher feels like something to get excited about for the Texas Rangers.
From the addition of former Silver Slugger Mitch Garver last spring, to the emergence of 2016 7th round draft pick Sam Huff as a prospect, and with the highlight of the Elvis Andrus trade to Oakland, Jonah Heim, establishing himself as a viable starting catcher, the Rangers’ backstop position has gained some legitimacy to it.
Robinson Chirinos’ tenure in Texas was the last time that the Rangers had a balanced combination of pop and defense at the backstop position, but the 2023 club features a wealth of catchers that have both a high floor and a high ceiling in both areas.
New Rangers manager Bruce Bochy could end up carrying three catchers on the Major League squad, especially given the injuries that wore down the players at the position last season. Ultimately, the Rangers could end up rocking a nice trio behind the plate for the 2023 squad.
- 2022 Opening Day Catchers: Mitch Garver, Jonah Heim
- 2023 Projected Opening Day Catchers: Jonah Heim, Mitch Garver, Sam Huff
Garver came over from Minnesota in the trade that shipped out Isiah Kiner-Falefa and he joined with a lot of hype for his hitting prowess at the position. Despite his only year as a full-time catcher being in 2018, his bat ensures that he can stay in a Major League lineup.
In 2019, Garver earned his Silver Slugger award with a slash line of .273/.365/.630 with an incredible 31 home runs. Coming to Texas was supposed to be Garver’s return to the full-time backstop role. Unfortunately, a forearm injury limited him to DH duties early and then took him out of the equation completely by mid-year as he elected to have surgery to be ready for the 2023 season.
Enter Heim. Coming from Oakland as a well-thought-of prospect in 2021, Heim was seen as having great potential for being a strong defensive catcher with a bat that needed work. In 2022, Heim earned a reputation as a solid game-caller and a good pitch-framer with a decent arm behind the plate.
Heim’s bat began to blossom when he was given the opportunity to be the team’s main catcher after Garver went down. Over 127 games in 2022, Heim slashed .227/.298/.399 with 16 homers, 48 RBI and 20 doubles, which are solid numbers for a catcher. However, Heim was a force at the plate in the first half of the year (.262/.313/.467) before slowing down in the second half.
The decline down the stretch makes sense, as Heim was taking on more of the workload than he had been asked to do previously. Prior to his 127 games in 2022, Heim’s career high in games played had been 82 in 2021. For Heim to keep up the level of production that he did demonstrated in the first half last season, he needs someone to help shoulder the load behind the plate.
Garver could be the guy to help balance things out at catcher if his repaired arm holds up. Garver is currently listed as the team’s designated hitter on the 40-man roster and it is possible that the Rangers will want to limit his time behind the plate to keep his bat in the lineup.
Meanwhile, Huff might get his chance to step up and grab the role of the solid backup. With the new rules aimed at producing more action on the base paths, Huff’s arm – which is said to be his strength defensively – could allow him to shine this upcoming season. At the plate, Huff had 132 plate appearances in 2022 and slashed a very respectable .240/.303/.372 with four homers. For a backup, that will do.
Texas will find itself in a bit of a foreign situation, as the three catchers expected to start the season will have to get used to practically an entirely new starting rotation. Martin Perez and Jon Gray are the only two that return from the 2022 squad, as the needs of additions Jacob deGrom, Andrew Heaney, Nathan Eovaldi and Jake Odorizzi levy an immense amount of pressure on the game calling abilities of the backstops.
However, the catcher position should rank low on the list of potential problem spots for 2023, as the Rangers appear to be in very capable mitts.
Do you think the Rangers will get solid production from their catchers in 2023? Share your thoughts with Matt on Twitter @FisherWritesMLB.