With Matt Wieters potentially landing on the disabled list (though hopefully not!) the Orioles have catcher Caleb Joseph waiting in the wings. The 27-year-old can probably run for mayor in Bowie at this point in his career, logging over 1700 plate appearance for the Baysox from 2010-2013.
Joseph has always shown some ability to hit with a career .268/.327/.427 batting line in the minors. Not bad for a catcher, right?
Of course, we all know that a catcher has a multitude of responsibilities in the game of baseball, often making it one of the toughest positions for a player to perform – and stick long term. Not only does a catcher need to show some life in the bat, but they need to handle the every day responsibilities of the pitching staff. This factor is huge and overlooked far too often. There is a reason guys stick around the game hitting under the Mendoza line. Luckily for Joseph, he has 80-grade makeup and I have always thought he handled pitching staffs well. One of my favorite memories since I have started watching minor league baseball involves Butch Davis and Caleb Joseph talking about everything and nothing for 30 minutes during batting practice. It’s been a long seven seasons toiling in the minors, but Caleb Joseph might finally get a chance.
Below is a traditional scouting report on Joseph using the 20-80 scouting scale:
Note: This report is from eyewitness looks in 2013 and Spring Training 2014. I have not seen him in AAA-Norfolk
See the rest of Joseph’s Scouting Report at Orioles Nation…
photo: Craig Landefeld
