PHILADELPHIA – With Phillies pitchers and catchers due to report to Clearwater, Florida, in just 26 days, some of the acquisitions made by new Phillies general manager Matt Klentak this offseason will soon be able to showcase their abilities and talents in spring training.
One name to pay close attention to this spring is catcher J.P. Arencibia.
"I think [Carlos] Ruiz and [Cameron] Rupp and the incumbents," said Klentak in a interview with MLB.com. "I think those are the two to beat. Obviously, we have some kids pushing them, but J.P. Arencibia is a guy that has been on and off big-league rosters for a number of years now. He's got some power. He has some experience and we felt like bringing in a little bit of competition into camp would be a good thing for all parties. We are happy to have him. You can never have enough catching, especially in spring training and early in the season. We'll see where it takes us."
Arencibia, 30, signed to a minor league deal with the Phillies on Dec. 14, along with right-handers Greg Burke, Ernesto Frieri, Gregory Infante and infielder Angelys Nina. The Miami, Florida, native has shown power from the very first-pitch he saw in the Major Leagues on Aug. 7, 2010, as he went yard while facing right-hander James Shields and the Tampa Bay Rays.
In 467 career games, Arencibia has 151 extra-base hits and 245 runs-batted-in. In a Phillies offense that lacked power last season, ranking 28th in home runs (130) and runs-batted-in (586), Arencibia could be a valuable asset given he proves this spring training to still have retained some form of that power.
Only three catchers are currently on the Phillies' 40-man roster: 2008 World Series Champion Carlos Ruiz, Cameron Rupp and prospect Jorge Alfaro.
Alfaro, 22, was recently ranked as the third-best catching prospect throughout Major League Baseball by MLB.com, trailing the Chicago Cubs' Willson Contreras and the New York Yankees' Gary Sanchez. He was one of the six players the Phillies received in return for southpaws Cole Hamels and Jake Diekman last July.
Participating in the Venezuelan Winter League this winter with the Tiburones de La Guaira, Alfaro was teammates with Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera. In 13 games and 42 at-bats, Alfaro hit .262/.262/.357 with one double, one home run, three runs-batted-in and 16 strikeouts.
The Colombia native is unlikely to make the Opening Day roster. Although he is capable to play first base, the presence and excepted platoon of Darin Ruf and 2006 National League Most Valuable Player Ryan Howard would not provide Alfaro enough playing time at the position. The Phillies also likely would not want to rush Alfaro in his development behind the plate, however he will still be invited to major league camp this spring.
Alfaro played in just three games with the Phillies' Gulf Coast League team last season, having recovered from an ankle injury suffered back in mid-June with the Texas Rangers' Double-A Frisco RoughRiders.
Arencibia is among three other non-roster invitee catchers that will compete for a role on the Opening Day roster: Andrew Knapp, Gabriel Lino and Logan Moore.
Knapp, 24, hit 35 doubles, five triples, 13 home runs and 84 runs-batted-in last season in 118 combined games with the Clearwater Threshers and Reading Fightin Phils. On Sept. 24, he was named as the co-recipient of the 2015 Paul Owens Award, which recognizes the organization's top minor league position player and pitcher of the year.
Lino, 22, hit .234/.277/.329 in 85 combined games with the Reading Fightin Phils and Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Moore, 25, followed a similar path in the Phillies' minor league system last season, batting .253/.312/.349 over 69 combined games. Both Lino and Moore had just three home runs and produced 30 and 25 runs-batted-in, respectively.
Rupp, 27, is expected to be named the starting catcher. Last season in 81 games and 299 plate appearances, he hit .233/.301/.374 with nine doubles, one triple, nine home runs and 28 runs-batted-in.
The idea that Ruiz's role on the 2016 roster is not guaranteed first came this offseason on Dec. 6, when a MLBTradeRumors.com report linked the Phillies to having interest in catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who went on to sign a one-year deal with the Detroit Tigers for the Major League Baseball minimum salary.
Knapp and Arencibia will be the likely contenders to compete with Ruiz for the backup catching role this spring.
Given new leadership within the organization, Ruiz not returning for his 11th season in red pinstripes is not out of the question. The 37-year-old catcher is owed $8.5 million in 2016 and has a $500K buyout for 2017.
Matt Rappa (@mattrappasports) is managing editor of Philliedelphia.com.
