2013 White Sox Spring Training: Catchers

Tyler Flowers gets his first opportunity to be an every day player. (ESPN.com)

I continue my spring training previews with the catcher position (check out the outfield preview here).  The White Sox will enter a season with a player not named A.J. Pierzynski starting at catcher for the first time since 2004.  Below are previews and profiles of all the catchers that will be with the White Sox in Arizona in a couple of weeks.

40-man roster:

Tyler Flowers - Well, Flowers got his wish as he'll be the everyday starter after A.J. Pierzynski signed with the Rangers.  We know who Flowers is, so no more time on him.

Hector Gimenez - Gimenez is the favorite entering spring training to win the backup job.  The 30-year old Venezuelan was signed by the White Sox last year and appeared in 5 games with the Sox where he totaled 5 hits and a RBI.  Besides those games, Gimenez spent his year with AAA Charlotte.  In 99 games, he batted .259/.324/.440/.764 with 14 HRs and 57 RBIs.  Having only 11 games in the majors since 2006, this will likely be Gimenez's first time that he will get some actual meaningful playing time.

Josh Phegley - Phegley enters the 2013 season as the top catcher prospect in the organization.  Phegley seems to be a low-ceiling, high floor type of prospect.  He had average numbers (.266/.306 /.373/.680) last year in his first full year with Charlotte.  He has a pretty good arm that threw out 46% of runners which helped him earn a MiLB Gold Glove award.

Non-roster invites:

Bryan Anderson - This will be Anderson's first year with the Sox after they signed him in November.  Anderson will provide the biggest competition for Gimenez for the backup catcher position. The 26-year old had a chance last year to win the backup catcher spot with the Cardinals, but ended up in AAA for most of the year (did have a few bats with St. Louis).  Anderson has been well-seasoned with 170+ PAs in AAA Memphis in every season since 2008.  2012 was a tough year for Anderson, batting .225/.302/.317 and posting a 22.7 K%.  But, he is left-handed which the White Sox value.

Michael Blanke - Blanke spent 2012 with Winston-Salem where he was average offensively (.240/.303/.399/.702).  However, he did show a little pop with 10 HRs.  His CS% was down a little from 2011 (37%) to 31% in 2012.  Baseball Prospect Nation did list him on their 2012 All-Prospect Team for the Carolina League.

Kevan Smith - In my top catcher prospects list, I ranked Smith second and I just did a scouting report/profile on him.  He threw out 33% runners last year and was also named a South Atlantic League All-Star.  I'm a little higher on Kevan Smith than most.  Yes, I do know that Smith is a older (24) for A+ ball and people have to remember that, but his past as a BCS-level QB (athleticism) and his production (1.073 and .772 OPS in his first two years) make him an interesting prospect to watch.

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Scouting Report: Kevan Smith

Kevan Smith (MiLB.com)

Position:  C

Height/Weight:  6'4/240

Bats/Throws:  Right/Right

Birthday:  June 28th, 1988

Hometown/School:  Harmony, PA - University of Pittsburgh

STATS

Smith was drafted out of the University of Pittsburgh in the 7th round in 2011.  He was originally recruited by Pitt to play quarterback and he did.  He started three games for the Panthers and then decided to switch to baseball.  In the three years at Pitt, he batted over .360 each year.  In his first year with the White Sox (2011), he batted .355/.448/.626 and slugged over 1.000 with Great Falls and Bristol.  Last year, he came back down to Earth with promotions to Kannapolis and Winston-Salem.  Still, he combined to hit .281/.338/.434 and had an OPS of .772 along with 10 HRs.  Those numbers earned him a spot on the South Atlantic League All-Star roster.  While he has been hot in his first two years in the minors, remember that he did go to college and is 24-years old.

Obviously, Smith is very athletic having played QB on a BCS-level team.  Defensively, Smith allowed 11 passed balls last year and posted a .993 Fld%.  With Smith's background as a college QB, Smith possesses a strong arm which threw out 33% of base runners.  While Kevan Smith is older for the level he is playing at (A and A+ last year), Smith's production makes him an intriguing prospect.

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Analyzing FanGraphs' Top 15 White Sox Prospect List

Earlier today, FanGraphs released their top 15 White Sox Prospect list which can be found here.  Although I have yet to release my rankings (which I hope to have done within the month), below are some comments and analysis on this particular list.

- To nobody's surprise, Courtney Hawkins tops the list.  He seems to be the consensus pick for the top Sox prospect and I have yet to see a list without Hawkins at the top.

- OF Trayce Thompson, OF Courtney Hawkins, 2B Carlos Sanchez, and RHP Erik Johnson have been in the top four so far in the three big lists that have been released so far (FanGraphs, Baseball America, and John Sickels).

- I think many fans who follow the farm system are surprised to see RHP Simon Castro off the list and Jacob Petricka on it.  John Sickels didn't even have Jacob Petricka in his top 25 while Castro was 11th (and that might have been to low).

- Two other surprises on this list to me are 1B Andy Wilkins and C Sammy Ayala.  In my top 5 catchers list, I had Ayala 3rd behind Josh Phegley and Kevan Smith.  Ayala, while he may very well end up being better than the other two in the future, he hasn't done anything yet.  Wilkins was left off of John Sickels' top 25 after he struggled last year hitting-wise.

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Top 5 White Sox Catcher Prospects

Josh Phegley (WhiteSox.com)

This list, only five players, took me hours to make.  Catcher may be the weakest/thinnest position in the entire White Sox system.  Only the top two have really proven anything in the minors and the third has barely played.  Agree or disagree?  Comment below.

1. Josh Phegley - Opinions seem to be unanimous that Phegley is the top catcher in the White Sox system.  The 24-year has spent four years in the minors after being drafted 38th overall in 2009 out of Indiana University.  Phegley improved on his 2011 campaign and batted .266/.306/.373 last year while driving in 48 RBIs in 102 games.  Another positive sign is Phegley has reduced his strikeout percentage through the years and different levels.  However, his BB% in 2012 was the lowest of his career.  Also, Phegley lacks power as he has only hit 8 homers in 124 games in his AAA career.

Phegley is pretty good defensively.  Last year, he had a CS% (caught stealing) of 46% which helped him earn a MiLB Gold Glove last year.

If Hahn and the White Sox don't sign A.J. Pierzynski or another catcher, Phegley could be the backup next year.

2. Kevan Smith - Also 24-years old, Smith was taken in the 7th round in 2011 out of Pitt.  In 2011, Smith absolutely dominated rookie ball, batting .355/.448/.626 combined with Great Falls and Bristol.  Last year, he came back down to Earth, but still batted .281/.338/.434 in A and A+ ball.  Defensively, Smith had a CS% of 33% last year.  He was named a South Atlantic League All-Star last year.  While those rookie league numbers are impressive, he was 23 years old at the time.  He is still somewhat old for A+ ball.

3. Sammy Ayala - There is really no reason besides faith to put Ayala here.  Despite being drafted in the 500s in 2012 by the White Sox, Baseball America listed him as a top 200 prospect.  Ayala, 18, is obviously very raw.  Hopefully, Baseball America is right and Ayala can become a solid prospect in the future.

4. Martin Medina - Medina plays a little bit of everything.  Last year, he played first, third, and DH, but spent most of his time (54 games) at catcher.  With Kanny last year, he batted .252/.318/.332 and had a CS% of 40%.  Medina had a high strikeout percentage in 2012 at 23.7%.

5. Miguel Gonzalez - This last spot was truly a toss up (was going to go with Michael Blake for awhile).  While Gonzalez has struggled recently batting, he has been named Baseball America's 

best defensive catcher for the past four years.  He is also three years younger than Blake which gives him the nod over him.

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