DALLAS — In a farm system filled with volatile catching prospects, Jose Trevino is the surest bet to be a long term big leaguer. Trevino can already claim to have reached the big leagues as, on Friday, June 15, backup catcher Carlos Perez sprained his ankle during a game for the Rangers where Robinson Chirinos was serving a suspension.
Needing someone who could catch in an emergency, and with Isiah Kiner-Falefa not yet seeing duty behind the plate, Trevino got the call and made an his unexpected MLB debut.
Strangely enough, making his debut wasn't even the most important thing that happened to Trevino that week. On the preceding Sunday, Trevino’s first child was born: a son named Josiah Cruz Trevino.
With Perez ailing, on Saturday, June 16, Trevino made his first start as a major leaguer. The following day, exactly a week after the birth of his son, Trevino produced the most memorable moment of the season with a pinch hit, walk-off single to cap off a wild come from behind victory for the Rangers on his first Father’s Day as a dad.
Afterwards, Trevino gave an emotional interview about his own father who had recently passed away and won the hearts of Rangers fans everywhere.
Now let’s back up a little and tell you about how he got there. In 2014 the Rangers drafted Jose Trevino in the sixth round out of Oral Roberts University, where he briefly played with 2013 first round pick Alex “Chi Chi” Gonzalez. At ORU Trevino played mostly as a shortstop/third baseman with only a few games at catcher.
Texas always envisioned him as a catcher and began transitioning him to full time backstop once they drafted him. The first thing people say about Jose is how well liked and respected he is. Catchers with 80 grade makeup like Trevino stick around the big leagues because they make teams better, even if their tools are fringy.
Fringy tools does not describe Jose Trevino, however. Defensively, he already brings the skillset of a solid MLB catcher. His receiving is clean, he blocks pitches in the dirt well, and has an above average arm that plays as plus with his good footwork. Trevino also has a reputation for calling games well, which is the hardest part of the job for a catcher to learn.
Pitchers Trevino has caught say how comfortable they feel on the mound when he's is behind the plate. That’s a rare and highly valuable skill to be universally loved by pitchers. The defensive package that Trevino already brings behind the dish allowed him to win the Gold Glove for the top defensive minor league catcher in both 2016 and in 2017.
The offensive part of his game is where Trevino is still a work in progress. Trevino has a short compact swing and solid plate discipline. At the plate, he doesn’t walk or strike out very often. In five minor league seasons he has a career 12.4% strikeout rate and a 5.3% walk rate. Trevino doesn’t hit for a lot of power but as an everyday player projects to swat between 10-15 home runs a year at the MLB level.
The main concern with Trevino’s ability to stick as an everyday MLB player is with the offensive game. However, when I talked to a National League scout who watched Trevino in high school, college, and at AA he said “he can hit.”
When not being a hero for the Rangers, Trevino had spent the entire season in Frisco. Though he had a meager slash line of .234/.284/.332 through 46 games for the Roughriders, his line of .348/.400/.576 in the month of May after a slow start in April began to show the improvements he was making in his second season in Double-A ball.
Trevino was in line for a promotion to Round Rock before his season was abruptly cut short in the last few weeks where finally he had surgery for a left shoulder impingement that will now cause him to miss the rest of the season. The injury isn't considered serious and he should be back in plenty of time for spring training next year.
His tools don’t shout as loudly as other catching prospects you might of followed for the Rangers like Jorge Alfaro, but Jose Trevino is a once and future big leaguer all the same. If he keeps playing like he has been, with his defensive prowess, Trevino will be a Texas Ranger backstop for many years to come.
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Do you see Jose Trevino making it as the catcher of the future for the Rangers or is he more of a backup in your mind? Share your thoughts with Brice on Twitter @80gradewhitt.
