After eight seasons as an Oriole, catcher Matt Wieters is set to be one of the MLB’s top free agents this winter. With the O’s unlikely to bring him back to Baltimore, a major hole emerges at backstop for the squad that ended last season with a tough loss to Toronto in the AL wild card game. Here’s a few options for attempting to replace the four-time all-star catcher:
- Caleb Joseph: In 2015, Joseph looked like the most likely candidate to fill the position after Wieters’ departure. In 320 at-bats, Joseph hit .249, with 11 home runs and 49 rbi’s just two season ago. Behind the plate, he is very solid, certainly above average. However, after injuries derailed his 2016 season, Joseph struggled to rebound, finishing the year with an average of .174, and no rbi’s. With that being said, it’s hard to see Dan Duquette and the O’s organization heading into 2017 with Joseph at the top of the depth chart.
- Chance Sisco: The 21-year-old catcher is one of the O’s top prospects, and was a starter in last season’s futures game during the all-star break. A .323 hitter through four seasons in the minors, Sisco is the probably the club’s best option from within the organization.
- Nick Hundley: Hundley played 50 games for the O’s back in 2014, and is the catcher whom they’ve been most linked to in free agency thus far. At 33, he’s a solid option, as he’s had success in the league in recent years, hitting over .280 with 18 home runs over his past two years combined with the Rockies.
- Jason Castro: Coming off a down year in which he hit just .211, Castro is the top choice of a number of teams looking to free agency for a new catcher. The reason for this is that at 29, Castro has already made one all star game, and is still regarded as a top tier defender. The O’s, however, have openly regarded Hundley as the more the intriguing option this offseason, while at least five teams have already targeted Castro, so this one seems a stretch.
Birds of Baltimore 