Catchers don’t really have to hit. Because it’s so hard to find guys who can catch good pitching, call a game, understand everything going on, make good and quick throws to second, and withstand the rigors of crouching behind the plate 120 games a season, the offensive threshold for catchers is really low. Teams are simply willing to accept catchers who can’t hit because it’s so hard to find guys who can play the position, and to make matters worse, some teams switch prospects off the position (see Myers, William) because their bat is so good that it would be wasted trying to develop the defensive skill necessary to catch. When a team finds a guy who can hit and catch, the player becomes incredibly valuable. Guys like Buster Posey, Ivan Rodriguez in his prime, Johnny Bench, Joe Mauer, and Brian McCann are/were excellent players because they could do what a lot of catchers can’t. Travis d’Arnaud may be the next such player for the Toronto Blue Jays.
D’Arnaud was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2007, and he began his professional career the same year, hitting .241/.278/.348. That’s not good, but it takes some prospects time to get acquainted pro ball. He recovered to hit .305/.367/.464 in 2008, but injuries kept him down to 64 games. D’Arnaud stayed healthy in 2009, playing 126 games for Low-A Lakewood, but his line fell to .255/.319/.419. That isn’t good, but for a 20-year old catcher in Low-A, that shows some promise. During the ensuing off-season, he was a key part of the package sent from Philadelphia to Toronto for Roy Halladay. He moved up to High-A Dunedin where he essentially repeated that line. D’Arnaud, however, has really ramped it up this season, hitting .329/.397/.564 during his promotion to AA.
D’Arnaud has always had the tools, but he’s finally putting it all together. A somewhat poor approach and the inability to recognize off-speed pitches masked a pretty good hit tool, and he always had pretty good power. Having improved his approach and pitch recognition, he’s making harder contact more frequently, though he is striking out a bit more. Behind the plate, d’Arnaud has always been a good defender with good receiving skills and a strong arm, though a slow release holds him back somewhat. With the exception of speed, d’Arnaud is close to a complete player.
The 22-year old backstop was already one of the top catching prospects in baseball, even though the scouting reports didn’t quite match the performance, but he’s one of the top 3 in the minors now. Catchers are usually moved slowly in order to adjust to the speed of the game and the new volume of information they must intake, so d’Arnaud will probably just move up to AAA next season. If he continues to hit, he’ll show this season was no fluke, and he may become one of the top prospects in baseball.
But getting a job may not be so easy. JP Arencibia is 25 years old, and he should develop into a fine major-league catcher. His line of .214/.280/.447 shows his strengths (power) and weaknesses (hit tool), but he should get a little better over time. Regardless, he’s already an average MLB starting catcher even with that line (1.3 bWAR), and tons of teams would like a guy like him, which leads us to our answer. One of the two will probably be traded. If I had to guess, the Blue Jays will let Arencibia start the season behind the plate, and if d’Arnaud rakes at AAA, they’ll move Arencibia for a valuable piece sometime around the trade deadline. As I’ve mentioned, having catchers is valuable, and teams are always looking for it. D’Arnaud will get his shot soon, though it may not necessarily be with the Blue Jays.
