A small acquisition like the Paul Bako signing might not make one wonder, but suddenly, the Phillies have – once again – four major league-ready catchers on their roster. Intriguing, sure.
But why four catchers again? Why are the Phillies so determined to keep four catchers when the infield and outfield depth charts remain shallow past the majors?
It seems it’s possible Chris Coste is being looked upon as a right-handed bench bat, not just a backup catcher. History proves this isn’t a totally bad move (.265 AVG, .695 OPS as pinch hitter), but could be better. Of course, Coste has always been able to rake left-handed pitching (.313 AVG, .863 OPS), so there’s potential yet.
At some point the Phillies will have to make wholesale adjustments to the bench, but for now, small moves like Bako can mean big upgrades elsewhere.
Tim MalcolmTim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.
