The following article was first published by Baseball Digest Daily on August 6. I thought of it, because
a January 2 Baseball America blog post points out that Matt Wieters allowed the second fewest passed balls per 120 games in the minors during the past season.
A December 16 Baseball America report also had good things to say about Wieters’ ability to control an opponents running game.
It appears my article is no longer part of the BBD archive, so I thought I’d repost it hear.
A Confidence Game: Orioles Prospect Matt Wieters’ value at and behind the plate
By Paul Bugala
Any doubt that Matt Wieters can hit is disappearing quickly. The Baltimore Orioles’ 2007 first-round draft pick’s 1.041 OPS through 342 professional at bats has also gone a long way toward validating his $6 million signing bonus. Still, what will determine the Goose Creek, South Carolina native’s value to his success-starved organization is his ability to stick and excel at catcher.
Baseball Digest Daily’s minor league correspondent Paul Bugala spent some time with Wieters, his teammates and coaches recently to determine if he was catching on as quickly behind the plate as he was at it.
On April 4, Matt Wieters set the tone for his debut season with a two for three opening night that featured an opposite field homerun and another towering shot that cleared Harry Grove Stadium’s 28-foot left field wall.
Through 229 at bats in the High-A Carolina League, Wieters posted a 1.024 OPS and a .341 EqA. The mid-season all-star game starter slugged at a .828 rate in 64 at bats against left-handers and put up a 1.073 OPS when he was catching.
Then Wieters made the transition to Double-A with relative ease. In June, he hit .214 through his first 14 at bats with Bowie, but followed that with a 1.164 OPS in 90 at bats in July. That Wieters has come so far as a hitter so quickly has impressed his teammates.
“Wieters is unbelievable,” fellow Bowie catcher Brian Peterson said. “He was in college a year ago. It’s amazing how some guys adjust from aluminum to wood.”
At Bowie, Wieters generally hits fifth behind Eastern League Triple Crown candidate Luis Montanez and Nolan Reimold. Watching his teammates’ at bats helps Wieters size-up opposing pitchers, which has made his transition easier.
“What makes Double-A pitching a little different is when you get to 2 and 0 or 2 and 1, which is a fastball count in High-A, it’s now a breaking ball count,” Wieters said. “Because guys can throw their off-speed stuff a lot better. That’s something I’ve learned from Montie (Montanez) and Nolan (Reimold), is that the breaking ball is a pitch you can hit out and you can get hits on even if its 2 and 0 or 2 and 1.”
Wieters impresses teammates and coaches with this sort of attentiveness at the plate. However, expectations being what they are, he is not going to be able to get by on his hitting skills alone.
“As highly a touted and ranked player as he is, you don’t draft a guy in the first round who can do one thing,” Peterson said. “They didn’t draft him just because he could hit.”
Wieters began proving he could catch at High-A Frederick. The former Georgia Tech closer gunned down 25 of 55 would-be base stealers in 49 games behind the plate in the Carolina League. He also caught a staff that featured top Orioles pitching prospects Jake Arrieta, Brandon Erbe, Brad Bergesen, and Pedro Beato.
In what is often an individual game, no two teammates rely on one another more than a pitcher and his catcher. When Wieters made the jump to Double-A, he had to not only prove himself at the plate, but also behind it. The first step was gaining the trust of his pitching staff.
“When you get a new catcher, he’s got to learn what (his pitchers) do,” Bowie pitching coach Mike Griffin said. “It’s going to take him a few times through your rotation for your starters. And it’s going to take him a couple of relief outings for your relievers. He has to get familiar with what their strengths are. I can tell him what their strengths are, but he has to learn first-hand.”
The Bowie pitching staff one of the key reasons Orioles organization is optimistic about its future. The Baysox pitchers lead the Eastern League in strikeouts and shutouts and include the key piece of last year’s Erik Bedard trade Chris Tillman, fellow strikeout artist David Hernandez, league wins leader Brad Bergesen, and Wieters’ former Atlantic Coast Conference opponent Jason Berken.
“You could put the worst catcher in the world back there with that staff,” Peterson said. “They are probably going to do well, but not as well. When you’re a catcher you have to have some type of approach. You’re leading the team.”
Even this early in his tenure as Bowie’s primary catcher, Wieters has shown he can make a good pitching staff better. Baysox pitchers, especially starters, have bested league averages in most significant rate stats with Wieters behind the plate (Table 1).
And, while the difference is not huge and the sample size is small, Wieters is holding his own relative to how Bowie’s other catchers Peterson and Steve Torrealba handled the staff during the same timeframe (Table 2).
Table 1
Bowie 2008 pitching statistics while Matt Wieters was catching (June 28 to August 4)
|
IP
|
H
|
R
|
ER
|
BB
|
SO
|
HR
|
WHIP
|
Total
|
224.3 |
206 |
93 |
79 |
80 |
216 |
23 |
1.27 |
Per 9 Innings
|
|
8.26
|
3.73
|
3.17
|
3.21
|
8.67
|
0.92
|
|
League Avg.
|
NA
|
9.16
|
4.81
|
4.24
|
3.69
|
6.84
|
0.82
|
1.43 |
Starters
|
141.7 |
123.0 |
53.0 |
42.0 |
50.0 |
125.0 |
16.0 |
1.22 |
Per 9 Innings
|
|
7.81
|
3.37
|
2.67
|
3.18
|
7.94
|
1.02
|
|
Relievers
|
82.7 |
83.0 |
40.0 |
37.0 |
30.0 |
91.0 |
7.0 |
1.37 |
Per 9 Innings
|
|
9.04
|
4.35
|
4.03
|
3.27
|
9.91
|
0.76
|
|
(Note: Bowie was 16-9 in games Wieters caught)
Table 2
Bowie 2008 pitching statistics when Matt Wieters was not catching (June 28 to August 4)
|
IP
|
H
|
R
|
ER
|
BB
|
SO
|
HR
|
WHIP
|
Total
|
100 |
94 |
44 |
36 |
40 |
94 |
8 |
1.34 |
Per 9 Innings
|
|
8.46
|
3.96
|
3.24
|
3.6
|
8.46
|
0.72
|
|
Starters
|
54 |
57 |
29 |
24 |
26 |
54 |
4 |
1.54 |
Per 9 Innings
|
|
9.5
|
4.83
|
4
|
4.33
|
9
|
0.67
|
|
Relievers
|
46 |
37 |
15 |
12 |
14 |
40 |
4 |
1.11 |
Per 9 Innings
|
|
7.24
|
2.93
|
2.35
|
2.74
|
7.83
|
0.78
|
|
(Note: Bowie is 7-5 in game not caught by Wieters since he joined the team on June 28)
Bowie starters Brad Bergesen and Jason Berken have faired particularly well in the games that Wieters has called. Bergesen has a 1.93 ERA and two shutouts in the five games with the new Baysox catcher. And Berken has a 2.43 ERA in the 37 innings his former rival has caught.
“He’s caught me a few times and it seemed like right off the bat we were on the same page,” Berken said. “He’s really aggressive with fastballs and working the inner half. I know the starters are really happy with him in terms of his game calling and his recognition of swings. He’s very advanced for a guy coming out of college.”
All of Bergesen’s or Berken’s success cannot be attributed to Wieters, but the Baysox catcher’s perceptiveness is an asset. For example, when they squared off in college Wieters picked up on something that helps him optimize his Berken’s performance.
“I remember facing (Berken) in college when he was at Clemson.” Wieters said. “And I remember it was always his tempo that would decide if it was a really good outing for him or not. That’s the thing I try to keep in my mind with him. I remember from college that if he’s comfortable with his tempo, then he can be successful.”
These little details help a catcher build the confidence of his staff, which is an important job at Double-A. Wieters’ coaches mention his attention to detail and personal approach to the Baysox staff when asked about his strengths.
“The most impressive thing about Matt so far is the way he picks up things individual pitchers do and then applies that to suit their strengths,” Bowie pitching coach Griffin said. “It’s unique. I’m not saying he’s the only one who can do that, but Matt has a unique way of applying it.”
In the end, it is impossible to determine whether Wieters will fulfill his promise as a catcher. However, having his staff’s confidence will certainly make a difference and Wieters seems to have a knack for put his pitchers at ease.
“He’s got a big body, a soft glove, and throws well” veteran teammate Peterson said. “He doesn’t get shook off a lot, so he’s putting down the right fingers. All it takes is to give your pitchers confidence.”
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