Marlins' catching plan coming into focus
MIAMI -- From 2015-18, there wasn’t much mystery as to who would be behind the plate for the Marlins. Catching duties were almost exclusively reserved for J.T. Realmuto, who regularly was in the lineup during that span. But Realmuto is now with the Phillies, and the Marlins plan on giving a majority of the work to Jorge Alfaro, with Chad Wallach backing him up.
Alfaro, a centerpiece -- along with Sixto Sanchez and Will Stewart -- of the Realmuto trade, appeared in 108 games for the Phillies last year, his first full season in the big leagues.
Manager Don Mattingly gave Alfaro the night off on Wednesday for the series finale against the Mets, with Wallach getting the nod. The Marlins have a scheduled day off on Thursday before opening a three-game set at the Braves on Friday, so Alfaro will get the benefit of two straight days off from the grind of starting.
Alfaro may not be getting 140 starts, but 125-130 is realistic.
“I don't know if we know that yet,” Mattingly said. “But physically, he's a strong kid. He's young. I think it's just a matter of trying to protect him at different times, if he's healthy. Obviously, he can't catch every day.”
Alfaro missed most of Spring Training with a bruised right knee. He started five of the seven games in the opening homestand, and he will start two of the three games in Atlanta.
The Marlins embark on their first road trip on Friday, with three games apiece in Atlanta and Cincinnati.
“Once we get through Cincinnati, we feel like he should really be in a good rhythm, and then we can start maybe pushing on him a little bit, depending on the situation,” Mattingly said.
Alfaro is more of an offensive threat than Wallach, who grades well defensively, as well as handling pitchers and framing.
“I get to see a lot of the pitchers through their bullpens,” Wallach said. “Then I watch video to see how I'm catching the pitch, what their pitches are doing. To make sure they're doing what I'm seeing.”
To stay sharp, Wallach will work with catching coach Brian Schneider in the cages once or twice a week. Wallach will receive pitches off the machine, and Schneider will simulate throws in the dirt that have to be blocked.
"I'm always very comfortable with the defensive side of it," Mattingly said. "The game calling, he's got a real feel for that. What's going on with the pitcher, he's creative behind the plate on how to use a guy's mix. All that is really good. I think the growth this year is offensively; he's looked better. He's got a better rhythm with the swing. We're starting to see more fluidity there."
Both Alfaro and Wallach do well in framing metrics. Last year, Alfaro ranked 11th among all catchers getting strike calls on pitches on the corners according to Statcast, getting 50.6 percent of those pitches called strikes.
Realmuto, in comparison, was 48.3 percent, and Wallach 48.2.
This year, with a small sample size, Alfaro’s strike percentage of pitches on the corners is 48.4 percent, with Wallach at 50 percent.
“It's a big part of my game,” Wallach said of his overall defense. “I don't want to lose that. Kind of keeping it sharp for when I do get in there.”