The Case for Erik Kratz to be Royals’ Backup Catcher

Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

The Royals need a backup catcher they can rely on. Everyone around baseball knows the Royals need to give Salvador Perez more days off in 2015, and Ned Yost has mentioned that he may assign the backup catcher to a specific starter, which would cut Perez’s workload down to 130 or so games. It seems like a good idea, so the question now becomes who that backup catcher should be. I suppose there is also a question of who the pitcher will be, but that’s a less important question, so we’ll leave it alone for now.

This past weekend, David wrote about why he thinks Francisco Pena should get the backup job, and Pena certainly has some positives. Having seen his defensive prowess in person in Omaha last season, I feel confident that he wouldn’t hurt the team defense at all in his weekly start.

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He’s thrown out 32% of baserunners in his minor league career, including 40% in 2014. Pena isn’t the quickest player, but at 230 pounds, he has enough agility to block most pitches. His defense shouldn’t be an issue.

His offense, however, likely will be. I realize he had 27 home runs last season, but that is so much more offense than he’s ever shown before – he hit 28 dingers in the previous three seasons combined – so I’m skeptical he’ll be able to translate that to the next level. Pena is a fly ball hitter, and in the Pacific Coast League, fly ball hitters are home run hitters. That may not be the case in the major leagues.

I do think Pena has a future with the Royals, so it might be in his best interest to remain in Omaha, where he can play every day. He could stand to work on his plate discipline, and if he continues to develop that offense, Pena could easily become the backup catcher by next year.

The Royals’ biggest weakness this season appears to be their offense, particularly in regards to a lack of power. They also may enter the season with a three-man bench consisting of Christian Colon, Jarrod Dyson, and a backup catcher. It would be nice if one of those players could provide a bit of offense, and I don’t think Pena is there yet.

If the Royals don’t plan on trading for a catcher like Dioner Navarro, Welington Castillo, or Wilin Rosario – all of whom would be more than capable of bringing some punch to the plate – they would do well to start the season with Erik Kratz.

Kratz only played in 13 games for the Royals last season due to the team’s (over)use of Perez, but he still made an impact offensively. He entered a game after Perez left with an injury in the seventh inning, then proceeded to hit two home runs. There isn’t much else Kratz does offensively (career 80 wRC+), but he can hit some dingers.

In 532 career plate appearances, the 34-year old has 23 home runs. In fact, Kratz has hit more home runs than doubles (21). His career isolated slugging percentage is .184, which is better than every other current Royal. He strikes out more than you like, with fewer walks than are preferred, but Kratz has proven he can bring some pop to a big league bench.

He also has a reverse platoon split in his career – small sample size caveats may apply – meaning it wouldn’t hurt to give Perez a few more days off against right-handed pitching. Kratz could even pinch hit on occasion, if Yost were a manager who uses pinch hitters, that is. The bat of Kratz could be a valuable asset, even in a limited role.

And while his defensive reputation isn’t exactly sterling, he has thrown out would-be base stealers at a 32% clip in his career, and he’s only allowed 6 passed balls in more than 1,130 innings. There will be a step down defensively, but Kratz should be more than adequate as a backup playing once a week or so.

As far as I can tell, Kratz is out of minor league options, meaning if he doesn’t win the job, the Royals could only retain him if he clears waivers. That could happen, but considering it would be easier for another team to acquire him than make a trade for one of the guys above, I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets picked up. If that happens, the Royals would be left with only two catchers on the 40-man roster, and no suitable backup waiting in Omaha.

A team doesn’t have to have their Triple-A catcher on the 40-man, but if that player is needed, it’s much easier to not have to worry about making a roster move. The Royals love to maintain that “inventory,” so unless they acquire another catcher, Kratz seems like the best choice for the backup job.

Backup catchers aren’t usually thought of as the most important spot on the roster, and that’s the case here, as well. Even if the Royals use the backup once every five days, that still isn’t likely to have a massive effect on the team’s overall record. But, if the division ends up as hotly-contested as it appears, the Royals will need every advantage they can get. While Pena might be able to contribute in the major leagues, Kratz has already proven he can do so.

Next: Gordon Unsure About His Option

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