Tony Wolters Rockies New Backup Catcher

Tony Wolters has impressed the Rockies brass enough this spring to make the team as the backup catcher.  In order to make room on the roster for Wolters, catcher Dustin Garneau was optioned down to AAA Albuquerque.  Never playing above AA in his career, Wolters strong spring training both behind the plate and with his bat, which forced Colorado to put him on the big league roster.

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Growing up in California, Wolters was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 2010.  After playing in the Indians minor league system for a few years, Tony ended up hurting his knee in 2015 and was invited to the Rockies spring training camp this year.  Not only was Wolters able to handle the Rockies pitching staff with veteran poise, he’s also batting .429 average in spring training.

The Rockies are in desperate need of a quality catcher who can spell Nick Hundley a few times a week, manage the pitching staff, and handle a bat.  With Dustin Garneau batting .154 this spring the choice was clear.  Plus, the fact that Wolters can play some middle infield in a pinch had to influence those making roster decisions.

The common theme with Rockies bench players this season seems to be versatility, meaning no one just plays one position.  This is key in both pitching match ups and allowing everyday players to get more rest.  Walt Weiss should be able to rest players on a more regular basis hopefully limiting the amount of injuries that have plagued the Colorado Rockies in the past.

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