Battling Bucs : Minors Review - Catchers

With not much happening in the baseball world especially pertaining to the Pirates I've decided to take a closer look at the minor league system. I have a fairly busy schedule so I'm not sure how frequently these will come but I'm going to try to take a look at each position. Today we start with the catchers.
Top 5 Prospects
1. Reese McGuire: The Pirates selected McGuire with the 14th overall pick in the most recent draft. He is a polished defensive catcher who has been calling his own games since the age of ten. Unlike most high school catchers there is very little doubt that McGuire will be able to stick at the catcher position. The questions surrounding McGuire are all about his offense and whether he will ultimately hit well enough to be a plus starting catcher in the majors. Last season is pro career got off to a great start down in rookie ball but by the end of the season he cooled off and wasn't hitting for much power. McGuire will begin the 2014 season as the primary catcher for the West Virginia Power in A ball.
2. Tony Sanchez: Sanchez was the 4th overall pick by the Pirates in the 2009 draft. Like McGuire his defense was highly praised but his offense was questioned. Going into last season it was beginning to look like Sanchez was a bust but he put up some strong offensive numbers in AAA and got himself back on the map as a potential catcher of the future. Sanchez has the upside of an above average starting catcher in the major leagues and he could be asked to take that role as early as next season. Headed into this offseason Sanchez looked like a good bet to start the year in the majors as Russell Martin's backup but with the acquisition of Chris Stewart, Sanchez will likely once again serve as the starting catcher in AAA. Should Martin land on the DL at any point in 2014 the expectation is that Sanchez would be given the chance to start over Stewart.
3. Jin-De Jhang: The Pirates signed Jhang out of Taiwan in 2011 and at the time the signing wasn't thought to be of much significance. Jhang's build is not that of a typical catcher and some scouts believed he wouldn't stick at the position. At the time of his signing he had very little experience catching so he had quite a few mechanical issues to work through but he did possess a few good tools such as a good throwing arm and a pretty good bat. In his two seasons in the Pirates system Jhang has shown considerable progress defensively and has posted solid offensive numbers. Jhang still has a long way to go but there have been nothing but positive signs thus far. Ideally Jhang would start the 2014 season at West Virginia but the Pirates are facing a bit of a roster crunch with catchers there so Jhang may have to be either aggressively pushed to A+ or be held back in short season ball. He could begin the season as the backup catcher to McGuire and occasional DH but then the Pirates would have to decide what to do with the next guy on the list.
4. Wyatt Mathisen: Mathisen is the third member of the catcher roster crunch at the A ball level the Pirates are experiencing. He was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2012 draft and was considered the best prep catcher in the draft. Mathisen is very athletic and due to his athleticism spent very little time behind the dish in high school instead spending most of his playing time at shortstop. Long term he projects best as a catcher though and that is how the Pirates drafted him. Mathisen began last season in A ball but struggled mightily facing both problems with performance and injury. The Pirates actually demoted him during the year and he would be best served to repeat the level in 2014 but depending on what they decide to do with Jhang, Mathisen may have to be pushed up to A+ or held back in short season. Another option which appears unlikely at this point would be to have Mathisen move to another position and he probably has the physical ability to handle a position like 2B or 3B. For now though a position switch seems unlikely and the Pirates will likely try to push him or Jhang up a level.
5. Carlos Paulino: The Pirates have a handful of catchers I have ranked lower with more upside than Paulino but Paulino is easily the safest prospect left on the board. Laying it out there now Carlos Paulino is not really all that good at hitting a baseball but he is quite possibly the best defensive catcher the Pirates have in their entire system. Paulino is talented and if forced to the Pirates could do a lot worse than him as an all defense backup catcher. He does have one good season with the bat in 2011 but that came in a hitter's park and he has been unable to produce any numbers anywhere close to that good since then. Paulino pretty much is what he is and he'll likely be the Pirates fifth option at catcher heading into the season and with the acquisition of Stewart will likely be forced back to AA.
Upper Level Depth
Nevin Ashley: Ashley was once a solid prospect in the Rays system but his hitting never developed as expected and for the last few seasons he has served as upper level catcher depth. Ashely is considered a solid defensive catcher and at the plate he shows good plate discipline but he doesn't show a lot of power and strikes out a bit much for his type of hitter. The Pirates signed him as a minor league free agent and he will likely serve as Tony Sanchez's backup in AAA and be the team's fourth catcher.
Jacob Stallings: Jacob Stallings is a lot like Nevin Ashely but without the upper level experience and he never was considered a solid prospect. Stallings was drafted by the Pirates in the 7th round of the 2012 draft but only went that high because of the Pirates trying to save pool money for Appel. Stallings set the NCAA record for throwing out base runners his junior season so he obviously has a very good arm. The last two seasons Stallings has shown modest power, great defensive skills and the ability to draw some walks but on the downside he strikes out too much and often makes poor contact. If he can improve his hitting some Stallings could be a viable major league backup catcher but more likely he'll top out in a Nevin Ashley type role. Stallings will probably catch in AA backing up Paulino but the domino effect of the Stewart acquisition could push him back to A+.
Elias Diaz: The Pirates signed Diaz as an international free agent way back in 2008. He is an athletic catcher with solid defensive skills and who projected to potentially develop into a solid hitter. His defensive skills have been solid throughout his pro career but until last year he never really showed much with the bat with the exception of a very good debut season in the VSL. Last year in limited playing time serving as Stallings backup Diaz put up a .279/.382/.399 line in 183 at bats. Diaz appeared to be a candidate to move up to AA but the ripple effect will likely hold back in A+ rather than Stallings meaning he'll likely split time with whoever gets pushed up from the catcher log jam down in A ball.
Low Level Projects
Danny Arribas: Arribas was signed by the Pirates out of the Netherlands in 2011. Arribas spent two seasons in the DSL playing both corner infield spots and catcher but the Pirates seem to view him as primarily a catching prospect. Arribas had a strong second season at the plate in the DSL which earned him a promotion to the states last year. Arribas started the 2013 season as the primary catcher in rookie ball but was quickly displaced by Reese McGuire and spent most the season getting the occasional start at catcher and playing some first base. Arribas hit quite well though and played a decent catcher in his limited time there. He is still a project at this point but he does have some real upside. Arribas will likely play 2014 at short season ball in Jamestown but if the Pirates opt to send one of A ball logjam catchers back instead of forward he could be pushed to new Bristol affiliate.
Yoel Gonzalez: The Pirates signed Gonzalez in 2012 and gave him a fairly significant bonus amount of 350,000 dollars. Gonzalez is said to have the ability to turn into a good defensive catcher but he isn't there yet and still needs some polish to his game. His 2013 numbers with the bat were not good but he did show some improvement as the year went along. Gonzalez will only be 17 next year and is still quite raw but the potential is there. The Pirates could opt to bring Gonzalez to the states for 2014 but I think it’s more likely he spend another season in the DSL.