Tony Wolters

Last season was the year of the catcher, where many guys showed surprising power numbers making all of us look foolish for trashing the position last winter. Wolters was not one of those guys as he managed all of one home run in 411 plate appearances while playing for the Rockies. His lone home run came in Pittsburgh off Nick Kingham, who was likely levied a hefty fine by the Kangaroo Court in the Pittsburgh clubhouse. That, or someone punched him. Meanwhile, Wolters is on the major-league roster because of his defensive skills. The bat is a necessary evil that comes along with him getting playing time, but his 2019 line may be his peak production. If you must draft a second catcher, find someone with a modicum of upside that does not exist here.

Following the signing of Chris Iannetta, Wolters was locked into a backup role to begin the 2018 campaign. His production during the season also didn't demand a bigger role. Across 216 plate appearances, the 26-year-old slashed .170/.292/.286 with three homers and 27 RBI. He continued displaying good plate discipline (33:26 K:BB), but he didn't take advantage of Coors Field, as his OPS both at home and on the road declined. With Iannetta back for one more year in 2019 and Tom Murphy taking more innings behind the plate, the catcher position in Colorado is pretty crowded heading into 2019. However, Wolters did wind up being German Marquez’s personal catcher by the end of 2018 and is a superior defensive catcher to Iannetta and Murphy, so he has a path to some playing time with a chance for more if he can perform better with the bat.

In the first half, the converted infielder looked to be having a breakout year in his second full season in the big leagues. Wolters held a batting average above .300 into mid-June and produced a 20:27 BB:K in his first 44 games. However, things went south quickly. He only mustered a .156 batting average over the last three-and-a-half months of the season and even went to the minors at one point. It didn't help that the Rockies brought in Jonathan Lucroy at the trade deadline, but Wolters' splits are what truly did him in. In his two MLB seasons, he holds an .820 OPS at home and a mere .534 OPS on the road. He also is barely hitting above the Mendoza Line in his career against lefties, and packs little-to-no power. Chris Iannetta was signed in free agency and Tom Murphy looks like the likely backup to begin the season, leaving Wolters as an organizational depth option.

Wolters hadn't appeared above Double-A prior to the 2016 season, but after developing quite a bit behind the plate and putting together a strong showing during spring training, the former infielder managed to crack the Rockies' Opening Day roster as the backup catcher. Expectations were fairly low for the 24-year-old, as he hadn't hit above .250 since 2013 with Cleveland's Low-A affiliate, but he surprised everyone by posting a respectable .259 batting average to go with 15 doubles and 30 RBI. He also was heralded for his defensive abilities by the end of the season. His 23 percent strikeout rate is less than desirable, but given how much he produced in a backup role, the former third-round pick's first season in the majors was largely a success. Still, catching prospect Tom Murphy seems primed to take over the starting catching duties now that Nick Hundley has left Colorado, which could limit Wolters to a backup role once more.

Wolters' transition from the middle infield to behind the plate has actually gone pretty well as he threw out 49 percent (38-of-77) of would be basestealers last season at Double-A Akron. His bat has been slow to come around, however. Wolters has never hit much since being drafted in 2010, posting just a .607 OPS in 159 career games at Double-A, so the move to behind the plate was the best chance for him to carve out any sort of career in the big leagues. He'll need to continue to refine his receiving skills and perhaps the bat will take an upturn at some point as he gets more comfortable behind the plate, but he's never going to be a fantasy asset. He's a good candidate to get DFA'ed this winter as the Indians look to make room on their 40-man roster.

Wolters' offensive shortcomings have been fairly well established after five minor league seasons. In 94 games (387 PA) with Double-A Akron in 2014, Wolters hit just .249/.319/.314 with one homer, 34 RBI and a .605 OPS against left-handed pitching. He does have a career .342 OBP, but has managed a mere 13 homers in 1,598 plate appearances. The 22-year-old is uniquely versatile in the field, however, with the ability to play catcher as well as both middle infield positions. The Indians added Wolters to their 40-man in November ahead of the Rule 5 roster deadline, presumably to serve as an insurance policy behind the plate in the early going, but even if Wolters does receive a major-league opportunity in 2015, he likely won't be deployed in anything more than a backup/utility role and he's shown nothing in the minors to suggest he'll ever make a fantasy impact.