Do D-backs Have Enough Catching Depth Behind Gabriel Moreno?
During the 2022-23 offseason Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen plugged a large organizational hole by trading for Gabriel Moreno, the Toronto Blue Jays top catching prospect. To do so, he needed to move a 5.0 WAR player in Daulton Varsho, but in order to get you need to give.
To say that move paid off would be a massive understatement. Moreno made an immediate impact, throwing out runners at the best clip in all of major league baseball. As the other aspects of his game improved, including pitch blocking, framing, and game calling, he developed into a Gold Glove catcher, an award he took home last week. Moreno's ability to hit for both average and occasional power made him an all around threat, all at the young age of 23. He is not only the catcher of the future, but the future is now.
The potential issue for the D-backs however is they have still not developed a strong back-up option internally. Catching remains an area where organizational depth of major league ready talent is lacking. Moreno missed a month of the season with a sore shoulder. Carson Kelly performed so poorly during most of the season after coming back from a broken forearm, that he was DFA'd when Moreno came back in August.
Jose Herrera tried to fill in as the backup, but as written about by Jake Oliver, struggled to establish himself as anything more than an automatic out in the lineup. The team picked up Seby Zavala in September, but he was not available for the postseason. He hit well in limited opportunities, but is a below average thrower.
Several times during the D-backs run to the World Series Moreno sustained injuries that made everyone hold their breath. The prospect of Herrera as the starting catcher for any length of time during the playoffs was not a viable option. Fortunately Moreno was able to play through the bumps and bruises, although he appeared tired by the end.
During the GM Meetings that just concluded on Wednesday of this week, Hazen confirmed that adding to catching depth is something they are always looking to do. He noted that while there was some encouraging progress by a couple of young catchers in the system, he may still need to look outside to bump up the depth.
Besides Moreno, Zavala, and Herrera, there are no other catchers on the 40-man roster at present. One prospect that may move up the chain, and perhaps even see MLB time during 2024 if there is more than one injury at a time would be left hand hitting Adrian Del Castillo. The 23 year old started the year in Double-A Amarillo and did well in the hitter friendly environment batting .273 with an .891 OPS. He didn't hit as much in Reno, batting just .248 with a .690 OPS. Overall he hit right hand pitching much better, posting an .850 OPS, compared to a .706 OPS against lefties. He threw just 20% of base runners in Reno after posting a more playable 27% in Amarillo.
One possibility the Diamondbacks might consider is to try to sign free agent Mitch Garver. He was the Rangers DH in the post season and much of the regular season, but still caught 27 games last year. There is no doubt about his bat, as he posted an .870 OPS last year and has a career .825 OPS in over 1600 plate appearances. But at 33 years old he would not be someone the team counted on to play more than 20-25 games behind the plate.
Tom Murphy is another similar option, a right-handed hitter with very good numbers in a part time role the last couple of years (.894 OPS in 2022 and .873 in 2023, .769 for his career). He was not able to throw anyone out with the new rules however, catching just one of 28 base stealers last year.
Gary Sanchez was released by the Giants and then put on waivers by the Mets before getting picked up by the Padres mid season. He caught over 500 innings over the second half for San Diego posting +7 defensive runs saved in the process. He smacked 19 homers in 267 plate appearances, but hit just .217 with a .288 OBP for the year. He made just $1.5 million last year. Whether the D-backs would see him as a good clubhouse fit is another matter.
If the D-backs don't want to look for a bat-first option, then they could end up signing any one of an aging, defense first catcher to a minor league deal in a break glass on in the event of an emergency type situation.
In a best case scenario Del Castillo shows he's ready to take the role by the middle or late next year. Behind him there are a couple of names to know that are in the pipeline and may be ready in a couple of years. J.J. D'Orazio pounded the ball in High-A Hillsboro and made it to Double-A last year. He has probably a mid-late 2025 ETA at the earliest. Another year behind him is Christian Cerda who played at A level Visalia and High-A Hillsboro in 2023.
