Luke Carlin

Carlin enjoyed his most productive professional season at Triple-A Reno, finishing with a .321/.430/.481 line in 237 at-bats while sharing time with John Hester. The Pacific Coast League tends to bring out the best in a player's bat, so don't be fooled by the inflated numbers. Depending on the outcome of offseason attempts to trade Chris Snyder, Carlin may have an opportunity to compete for the backup catcher spot behind Miguel Montero during spring training. Even if the path to playing time becomes clear, there should be alternatives with greater upside available in the endgame.

Carlin is a marginal prospect who hit .266/.392/.381 with four homers and 29 RBI in 244 Triple-A at-bats last season. He played behind prospect George Kottaras, who was dealt to Boston in September. Carlin has an outside shot to make the Padres' roster as a backup, but he isn't a great prospect and benefits from San Diego's organizational weakness at the position.