Hours before the 2012 non-waiver trade deadline, the Phillies opted to part ways with Hunter Pence, sending him to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Seth Rosin, Nate Schierholtz and Tommy Joseph. Joseph was the prized piece in that trade for the Phils, but injuries have kept him from giving fans any hopes of him being the catcher of the future. Most recently, Joseph ended his 2014 season early due to wrist surgery, but the 23-year-old backstop is at spring training ready to go.
Coming back from season-ending wrist surgery, #Phillies catcher Tommy Joseph said he doesn't have any restrictions & is 100 percent.
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) February 24, 2015
After being acquired from the Giants, Joseph played in 28 games in 2012 for Double-A Reading, posting a .250 average. In 2013, due to concussion issues, Joseph played just 45 games and hit .181, seeing some time at Triple-A in the process. He only played 21 games with Reading in 2014 before getting hurt, hitting .282 (22-for-78) with five homers, four doubles, a triple and 19 RBIs. He attempted to rehab the injury and played in some games in the Gulf Coast League in July before shutting things down for the year.
Joseph was selected by the Giants in the second round of the 2009 draft. While his development has hit a wall, he is still just 23 years old and enters 2015 with a clean bill of health.
