The Show Notes #3: The Resurgence of Black Excellence Behind The Dish
Taking a quick look at the young Black catchers making noise in the various realms of professional baseball and what it means
One of the main things I looked forward to when the 2023 World Baseball Classic rosters were announced was watching all the young Black talent on teams such as Great Britain and Canada.
In my opinion, a primary incentive of baseball’s premier international tournament is seeing prospects from various levels of Minor League Baseball compete in high-stakes games with and against baseball players from the world’s best professional leagues such as MLB, CNS, NPB, and KBO as well as their peers in MiLB.
There are few things in baseball more extraordinary than watching a 20-year-old with two years of professional experience face off against a grizzled veteran with a professional baseball career that started before his opponent was alive. Watching Harry Ford and Bo Naylor perform for their respective countries during the 2023 WBC inspired me to write about the talented group of young Black catchers in MiLB and MLB.
There are guys with intriguing blends of speed and power. There’s a backstop that could be a super-utility player if he wanted to, being able to play multiple infield and outfield positions à la Ben Zobrist. Some catchers are bat-first guys who have to learn the idiosyncrasies of catching MiLB and MLB pitching. Let’s not forget the all-important depth guys that help the baseball world turn too.
In addition to the aforementioned Ford and Naylor, this article will feature sections on Paul McIntosh, Chuckie Robinson III, and Endy Rodríguez.
Chuckie Robinson III
28-year-old Chuckie Robinson III is a third-generation professional Black baseball player who plays for the Cincinnati Reds. His grandfather Chuckie Robinson I was signed by the Chicago White Sox during the 1960s and his father Chuckie Robinson II was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1991. Robinson I & Robinson II both spent parts of one season in the minors and both were catchers. ‘
Selected by the Houston Astros in the 21st round of the 2016 MLB Draft out of the University of Southern Mississippi, Robinson III spent parts of six seasons in the minors.
He joined the Reds organization after being selected by Cincinnati in the MiLB phase of the 2020 Rule 5 Draft. A glove-first catcher known for his ability to handle pitching staffs, he has hit .251/.317/.393 in over 1800 MiLB plate appearances.
He has played 25 games at the MLB level so far, accruing two doubles and two home runs out of his eight total hits. Robinson is currently the third catcher on the Reds 40-man roster, occupying one of the two catcher spots on the Triple-A squad for the 2023 season.
Endy Rodríguez
One of the top prospects in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system, 22-year-old Afro-Dominican catcher Endy Rodríguez is a true jack of all trades. Signed by the New York Mets during the 2018 J2 signing period at the age of 18 years old, the late bloomer accepted a signing bonus of 10,000 dollars. He was traded to the Pirates organization during the winter after the shortened 2020 season.
Rodríguez has elite contact skills, consistently posting batting averages well over .300 and strikeout rates below 20% in his MiLB career thus far. His ability to draw walks is well above average, sitting in the 11-13% range. A switch-hitter with a .303/.394/.533 slash line across four MiLB seasons, his splits versus left-handed and right-handed pitchers are extremely similar.
He has logged defensive innings at catcher, first base, second base, and all three outfield spots in his professional career. One of the more athletic backstop prospects in MiLB, his speed and powerful throwing arm are huge factors in why he is an average to above-average defender at the multitude of positions he can play. Currently assigned to the Pirates Triple-A team, Rodríguez will most likely make his MLB debut during the 2023 season.
Harry Ford
Drafted with the 12th overall pick of the 2021 MiLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners, Harry Ford has quickly blossomed into a rare speed-power threat that can don the tools of ignorance for 110+ games a year. The 20-year-old Atlanta native played 104 games at Low-A during the 2022 season, stealing 23 bases and hitting 11 home runs en route to a .274/.425/.439 slash line.
His 0.77 walk-to-strikeout ratio and 17% walk rate jump off the page even further when you look at the fact that 2022 was his first full season in professional baseball. He posts well above-average exit velocities as a teenager with plenty of room on his frame to add muscle as he develops into an adult.
He’s an average defender behind the dish with a slightly above-average arm. His secondary position is center field. He’s a plus runner and will retain his mobility as he gains muscle.
He was the starting catcher for Great Britain’s team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, going .308/.400/.846 with two home runs and one double in 13 at-bats across four games. Ford should begin the year with Seattle’s High-A affiliate and there is a very tangible chance he may finish the season with Seattle’s Double-A or Triple-A affiliate.
Paul McIntosh
Another talented Black catcher from the Metro Atlanta area, Paul McIntosh is a prospect in the Miami Marlins organization. Signed out of the MLB Draft League by the Marlins organization in 2021, McIntosh played college baseball at Motlow State Community College and West Virginia University. His slash line in three years at WVU was .259/.339/.477 with 21 doubles and 21 home runs.
The 24-year-old has played two years in MiLB, playing 90 games at Double-A during the 2022 season. He went .258/.379/.465 in 383 plate appearances with 25 doubles and 13 home runs, good for a 125 wRC+. He has posted walk rates above 14% in his time in MiLB, indicative of an above-average eye at the plate and/or a sound approach. He has drastic reverse splits, being the rare right-handed batter that thrives versus same-handed pitchers but struggles against lefties.
Scouting reports say that he is a bit rough around the edges defensively, so it will be interesting to see if he stays behind the plate and maintains the offense production in Triple-A this upcoming season. His main weakness is throwing runners out, and to delve even further he has issues with transferring the ball from the glove to the throwing hand. His receiving skills need a lot of work as well.
He will most likely start the season in Triple-A but there’s a possibility he may play a couple of weeks at Double-A before an early promotion. He has an outside shot of making his MLB debut in 2023, but will probably get his first cup of coffee in 2024. I am looking forward to watching McIntosh during the 2023 season to see how he fares.
Bo Naylor
The middle child of three boys in a Jamaican-Canadian baseball family, 23-year-old Bo Naylor is another catcher with the rare speed-power combination in his toolbox. A sweet-swinging lefty, he bounced back from an awful 2021 season to put up 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases during 2022.
He played for Canada in the 2023 World Baseball Classic as their starting catcher, hitting a solo home run versus Mexico.
He made his MLB debut during the 2022 season, joining his older brother and Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor on the infield. He became the first Black Canadian catcher to wear an MLB uniform since 2019 when Russell Martin was still active.
Drafted by Cleveland in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft directly out of high school, he was put on the fast track in a Cleveland Guardians organization that places high prioritization on catcher defense and development.
Naylor was in full season A-Ball at 19 in his second pro season, lost his age 20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic canceling the 2020 MiLB season, played his entire age 21 season at Double-A, and made his MLB debut at 22 years old.
He features a pull-oriented swing that produces a lot of flyballs, which allows him to accrue extra-base hits very easily. He has an advanced approach at the plate and a good awareness of the strike zone, posting walk rates well above average throughout his professional career. His base running and base stealing acumen is superb, accruing 42 stolen bases in his MiLB career while only being caught 10 times in his career so far.
He is an above-average defender who uses his athleticism to enhance his pitch blocking. His receiving gets great marks and veterans on MLB and MiLB teams rave about him. He controls the running game well, using his strong arm to gun down base runners.
Conclusion
The catcher position is one of the most complicated and grueling roles in modern organized team sports. It is also one of the most iconic and unique. The Black catchers above have made large amounts of progress and many of them are just scratching the surface.
The African diaspora’s relationship with baseball will not thrive until Black catchers from throughout the globe are a common sight in the world’s best leagues, especially African-American catchers.
There’s a trope in baseball about catchers becoming managers, coaches, and/or scouts for a reason. More Black catchers at all levels of baseball will lead to more Black managers, coaches, and scouts in the various realms of baseball.