When the Phillies added catcher Tommy Joseph in a trade with the San Francisco Giants for outfielder Hunter Pence, the Phillies thought they were getting the club's next long-term catcher. Had things panned out for Joseph, he may have started as early as last season and the team may not have felt forced to give a three-year contract to Carlos Ruiz, which the Phillies are finding is too long. After battling concussions, Joseph will not catch at all.
Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly reports that enough is finally enough:
After suffering several concussions behind the plate, Tommy Joseph is officially being converted from catcher to first base. He began working out at the position on Saturday.
“He’s not going to catch going forward,” said Joe Jordan, the team’s director of player development. “We’re not going to expose him to that type of risk.
“Tommy is very excited about the move and anxious to get back on the field playing again.”
While I thought heading into Spring Training that Joseph should have hung up his mask, he gave it one more shot. Even in May when Joseph went down once again, I begged the Phillies to give up, for Joseph's health.
Joseph spent some time in first base while in the Giants organization, then blocked by a catcher named Buster Posey. Since Joseph has been regularly concussed, his bat suffered greatly. When healthy, Joseph's bat was very promising. With no clear first base successor for Ryan Howard, Joseph hopes he can become a right-handed hitting option for the Phillies at first base in the future.
