Unfortunately, you can have only so many catchers. If Jarrod Saltalamacchia played for probably half of the teams in the league, he’d be vying for a starting spot this year. Instead, he’s buried behind Brian McCann, who had an excellent season behind the plate last year.
To prove this point, Baseball Prospectus has Saltalamacchia as the second best catching prospect in baseball, at least as far as their peak-adjusted PECOTA upside score. Even his weighted mean average has him at a very nice .261/.343/.443 with 17 homeruns. His defense isn’t great, but he should be able to rake. He’ll just be doing it at Triple A.
