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Chicago Cubs: Victor Caratini raking as he defends his spot on the roster
After struggling last season as the backup to Willson Contreras, Chicago Cubs catcher Victor Caratini is looking to take a big step forward in 2019.
I’ll be the first to admit – I headed into the offseason with ‘backup catcher’ near the top of my wish list when it comes to the Chicago Cubs. After Willson Contreras struggled badly on both sides of the ball in 2018, I felt that a quality backup to share the load with could help him get back on track.
In recent years, Chicago relied heavily upon veteran catchers to split the load with Contreras – a trend that dates back to his making his big league debut back in 2016. Then, it was David Ross and Miguel Montero. Then, that shifted to Montero, Alex Avila and Rene Rivera last year. In 2018, though, the Cubs tapped young Victor Caratini as the club’s primary backup.
And to say that plan didn’t go quite as anticipated is fair. Contreras put up some of the worst numbers of his career – both defensively and offensively – and Caratini put up a -0.1 WAR in 181 at-bats.
But playing in the Puerto Rican Winter League, Caratini seems to have found his stroke at the dish. Can his success carry over into 2019 at the big league level or is he destined for the label of a AAAA player?
Chicago Cubs: Caratini playing well this winter
So far this offseason, Caratini has been tearing up opposing pitching in the Puerto Rican Winter League to the tune (roughly) of a .371/.549/.571 slash line with a pair of long balls in 51 at-bats.
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When you put that side-by-side with his career big league numbers (.238/.303/.317), you have to like what you’re seeing from the former second-round pick – right?
The answer isn’t as clear-cut as you’d expect it would be. Yes, it’s tremendous to see him performing at such a high level after a pretty lackluster showing in 2018.
But he’s done this before. Maybe not in winter ball, but Caratini is a career .334/.397/.536 hitter at the Triple-A level. In the highest levels of the minors, this kid has torched opponents. We’re just yet to that type of success translate to the Major League level.
With his strong showing this winter, I have little doubt he’ll have the chance to earn his job back next spring. But with an apparent lack of veteran leadership on the Cubs’ big league roster, could these veterans make more sense for Chicago?
Chicago Cubs: Keep an eye on these veteran backstops
We’ve talked quite a bit about some names to keep an eye on this offseason when it comes to catchers. A.J. Ellis could make a lot of sense, especially on a one-year deal given his age, former Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy would be a nice add for the team – but he’ll likely have a deeper market than someone like Ellis.
Former Cubs backstop Rene Rivera is still looking for a new home, as well. We know about Epstein’s penchant for going with guys he knows – so I wouldn’t be particularly shocked to see Rivera back on a one-year pact, either.
The real question is simple. Do you trust Victor Caratini to lighten the load on Willson Contreras? Because if you don’t, the team has to go out and add someone they feel can mentor Contreras and allow him to focus on getting back to what made him an All-Star early this year.
Next. How does the pen project without additions?. dark
Time will tell – but the backup catcher market will definitely be something to keep an eye on as we approach another year of Chicago Cubs baseball with pitchers and catchers reporting to Mesa in just about a month and a half.