Bethancourt to rep for country, kin at Classic

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Christian Bethancourt has worn a lot of hats in his career -- top catching prospect, Minor League journeyman, pitcher, infielder, outfielder -- while playing for six organizations as well as in Korea. And as a result, he has worn a lot of numbers: No. 14 with the Rays, No. 23 with the A’s, No. 27 with the Braves, countless others in the Minors.

But none is as significant to the Rays catcher than the 22 he’ll wear for Team Panama in this year’s World Baseball Classic. Originally opting to wear 27, Bethancourt switched to 22 for next month's tournament to honor his paternal grandfather, Faustino, who died in early January. The choice is a nod to Faustino’s date of birth, and an homage to a man who played a central role in Bethancourt’s life.

“It's about playing for my country -- to me, that’s what it’s all about, and I’m sure all the other guys playing for their countries feel the same way,” Bethancourt said this week at Rays camp at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex. “I switched my number for the WBC for his date of birth, so it has a little bit more meaning for me.”

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The Rays are well-represented in the Classic, with eight rostered players and 12 total participating, representing eight countries. With Francisco Mejía suiting up for the Dominican Republic, both of Tampa Bay’s regular catchers are WBC-bound. It is one of only four Major League teams sending two backstops to the tournament.

Their absence from camp during the tournament will create a unique dynamic, and it’s part of the reason the Rays sport a whopping 80-man roster this spring. Eight of those players are catchers, another unusually high number designed to weather the workload in Bethancourt and Mejia’s absence. Tampa Bay is confident both players’ familiarity with the pitching staff -- and with each other, having played winter ball together for years -- will make up for the time they spend away from camp.

“It's unique that we're losing both of them, but just the other day we were talking about how many people are returning and having only two new faces [in camp]," manager Kevin Cash said. “Our catchers have a pretty good understanding of who's going to be contributing come Opening Day.”

What, then, can the Rays expect from their catchers in 2023?

Acquired from the A’s via trade last July, the 31-year-old Bethancourt looks like the starter. The switch-hitting Mejía projects as Bethancourt’s backup/platoon partner, and René Pinto as the primary depth option behind them.

“We’ve got three really good defensive options back there,” Cash said.

It’s a unit that might be in line for some offensive improvement as well. Catching is a thin position around baseball these days, with most teams splitting duties between two regulars and prioritizing defense while offense remains at a premium. Using a comparative metric like wRC+, for example, only eight teams received at least league-average offensive production from their catching in 2022. That number hasn’t reached double-digits in a 162-game season since 2017.

The Rays did not fall into that category in ’22, the result of Mike Zunino’s lost year and Mejía’s numbers nosediving in the second half, particularly against right-handed pitching. Mejia’s struggles were at least somewhat vision-related; to that end, he underwent laser surgery this winter with an eye toward correcting the issue.

Bethancourt, meanwhile, did enough (seven homers, .701 OPS in 45 games) to finally cement himself as an everyday big league catcher -- nine years after debuting as a hotshot catching prospect with the Braves in 2013. The years in between saw Bethancourt attempt to reinvent himself over and over -- as a pitcher, at other positions and overseas. But these days, where Tampa Bay and Team Panama both want him is behind the plate.

“We could not have been more impressed or happier with the way Bethancourt progressed throughout the year,” Cash said. “We acquired him, being totally transparent, as more of a bat and less of a defender. He worked his butt off to become a really good defender.”