Today, we add a catcher and first baseman to the third annual Sports Bank Cubs’ minor league All-Star team. Yesterday we revealed the squad’s pitchers.
Selecting the starting catcher was probably our easiest decision in assembling the team.
1)Willson Contreras: Contreras was not only the most dominant catcher in the Cubs’ system, but he might be the frontrunner for organizational player of the year honors. The right-handed hitting 23-year-old Venezuelan, signed by the Cubs in December of 2009, won the AA Southern League batting title with a .333 average in 521 plate appearances and also produced the league’s second highest OPS (891).
His 34 doubles and 75 RBI also ranked second in the league and his 71 runs seventh. He added four triples, eight homers and 57 walks and finished with the league’s second best WRC+ (156). Scouts have also praised Contreras’ catching skills and throwing arm. Contreras appeared in 75 games at catcher among the 121 he played.
The Cubs must add the catcher to the 40-man roster in November to avoid losing him in free agency. Given the possibility of Cubs’ phenom Kyle Schwarber playing the outfield long term to prevent the premature physical attrition associated with catching, it is axiomatic that the Cubs add Contreras to the 40-man roster.
There are several catchers who deserve Honorable mention for their performance during this season.
2)Taylor Davis: Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cubs in 2011, Davis split his season between AA Tennessee and AAA Iowa. In 360 combined plate appearances, the right-handed hitting Davis, 25, batted .311 with an .845 OPS, 26 doubles, nine homers and 43 RBI.
Davis’ WRC+ for Tennessee was a robust 176 and for Iowa a solid 116. In the 104 games Davis logged this year, he made 59 appearances at catcher.
3)Taylor Teagarden: The right-handed hitting Teagarden, 31, was once considered an elite prospect in the Texas Rangers system after being selected in the third round of the 2005 draft. However, his struggles hitting major league pitching over parts of eight seasons for three organizations left him available to be signed by the Cubs as a minor league free agent before the 2015 season, of which he spent the bulk playing for Iowa.
In 229 plate appearances in 63 games, including 42 at catcher, Teagarden batted .305 with an .831 OPS and 129 WRC+. He added 12 doubles, five homes and 31 RBI.
Teagarden might be best remembered for what he did during a three-week stint as a member of the Cubs’ active roster. In the second game of a double-header at Cincinnati on July 22, Teagarden broke a 5-5 tie with a ninth-inning RBI single off nearly unhittable Reds’ closer Aroldis Chapman, helping secure a crucial victory for the Cubs.
Teagarden will almost certainly be a free agent again this offseason.
4) Victor Caratini: The left-handed hitting Caratini was acquired in a trade last season from the Atlanta Braves, who selected the catcher in the second round of the 2013 draft. Arguably the best defensive catcher in the Cubs’ system, Caratini, 22, spent the entire season playing for High A Myrtle Beach, for whom he appeared in 112 games, including 86 at catcher.
In 453 plate appearances, Caratini batted .257 with 31 doubles (second most in the Carolina League), four homers, 49 walks, 53 RBI, a WRC+ of 111 and an OPS of .714. After a sluggish start offensively, Caratini finished the regular season strong, batting .301 in his final 36 games and 148 plate appearances.
We are also adding a starting first baseman to the All-Star squad today.
1) Dan Vogelbach: The left-handed slugging second round pick in the 2011 draft fills the position for the second consecutive season. Vogelbach got off to a blazing start for Tennessee, but two stints on the disabled list and his several-week participation in the Pan-American Games limited Vogelbach to 76 games (74 at first base) and clearly affected his productivity.
In 313 plate appearances, the stout Vogelbach batted .272 with seven homers, 18 doubles, 39 RBI, and 41 runs scored. His 57 walks led to an exceptional walk rate of 18.2%, and he also produced solid OPS and WRC+ numbers of .828 and 140, respectively.
Vogelbach’s Achilles Heel continues to be left-handed pitchers, against whom he batted only .207.
Vogelbach, 22, is considered a one-position player defensively and is clearly blocked at the major league level by MVP candidate Anthony Rizzo. However, if the National League adopts the designated hitter rule for the 2017 season and Vogelbach is still in the Cubs’ organization, he would be an ideal candidate to fill that role.
2) Jacob Rogers: The left-handed hitting Rogers, a 40th round selection in the 2012 draft, is the only other first baseman in the Cubs’ system who merits Honorable mention.
Rogers, 26, spent the bulk of his season at Myrtle Beach, but he played a handful of games for Tennessee in Vogelbach’s stead. Overall, he played 129 games, including 105 at first base, and batted .249 in 524 plate appearances with 23 doubles, 13 homers, 82 RBI and 70 walks.
He tied for fourth in the Carolina League in homers and finished fourth in RBI and fifth in walks. He also produced solid OPS (.747) and WRC+ (122) figures for Myrtle Beach.
Vogelbach and Rogers are both eligible for this winter’s Rule 5 Draft. The only surefire way to protect them from being drafted out of the organization is to add the sluggers to the 40-man roster by November 20. While it is unlikely that Rogers would be drafted, it is almost certain that Vogelbach would be plucked away if he is not fully protected.
Check back Tuesday as we add a shortstop, second baseman and third baseman to our All-Star squad.