What does the Blue Jays catching depth look like? It starts with Phil Clarke
Photo credit: Nati Harnik / AP
Gone are the days of the Blue Jays having one of the best catching duos in Major League Baseball.
When longtime stalwart Danny Jansen was traded to the Red Sox at last year's trading deadline, if left Alejandro Kirk as the Blue Jays undisputed number one catcher. Tyler Heineman was brought back as back-up.
But who do the Jays have beyond that?
There are currently no other catchers on the 40-man roster. That will change, but do the Blue Jays have anybody ready?
The team last Nick Raposo after DFA'ing him. He ultimately signed a deal with the Mariners. Shortly after, the Blue Jays signed Ali Sanchez to a minor league deal.
Sanchez, who has played a total of 38 career games, is the most logical choice for next man up. But the Blue Jays have somebody else who could be a more long-term solution: Phil Clarke.
The former Vanderbilt star was a 9th round pick back in 2019, and has slowly but steadily risen through the Blue Jays system, appearing in both New Hampshire and Buffalo each of the last two seasons.
While he doesn't hit for a ton of power, he did have a .307 avg and .422 OBP in Double-A. And even though there was a sharp decrease in both of those categories between Double-A and Triple-A, Clarke also increased his AA average by 46 points between 2023 and 2024.
For a catcher, Clarke has a high ability to get on base and a relatively low strikeout percentage. He will need to cut down on the amount of stolen bases allowed, and could use some extra pop, but he represents a solid backstop option in the Blue Jays system. And he is homegrown.
If he starts the year at Triple A and is able to improve his defensive metrics, it is conceivable that he could be a September call up.
Catchers are always at a premium. Phil Clarke could be the future
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 4 | 120 ANSWERS What does the Blue Jays catching depth look like? It starts with Phil Clarke Is Phil Clarke a good backup option? | ||
| Yes | 59 | 49.2 % |
| No | 51 | 42.5 % |
| He should be number one | 10 | 8.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
