Padres roster review: Victor Caratini

Sizing up the Padres’ 40-man roster heading into the 2021 season: A bat-first prospect, Victor Caratini’s production fell off in 2020 but his real value was as Yu Darvish’s personal catcher

Jan. 5, 2021 6 AM PT

Position(s): Catcher
2021 opening day age: 27
Bats / Throws: Both / Right
Height / Weight: 6-foot-1 / 215 pounds
How acquired: Trade with the Chicago Cubs in December 2020.
Contract status: Arbitration-eligible for the first time in 2021; will not be a free agent until 2023.
Key 2020 stats: .241 avg., .333 OBP, .328 SLG, 1 HR, 16 RBIs, 10 runs, 0 steals, 12 walks, 31 strikeouts (44 games, 132 plate appearances).

.597 – Caratini’s OPS in 102 plate appearances against right-handed pitching in 2020, more than 200 points below the switch-hitter’s OPS against righties during a career year in 2019.

Idle – The Braves’ second-round pick in 2013 out of Miami-Dade College (Kendall Campus), Caratini was moved to the Cubs the following July for Emilio Bonifacio, James Russell and cash. Baseball America ranked Caratini as high as No. 4 in the Cubs system after he hit .342/.393/.558 with 10 homers in 83 games at Triple-A Iowa in 2017. He debuted that year and had a .620 OPS through his first two seasons in the majors (107 games) until hitting himself in a large role in 2019, when he hit .266/.348/.447 with 11 homers and 34 RBIs. Perhaps the bigger contribution as the No. 2 catcher behind Willson Contreras was Caratini’s success catching Yu Darvish. The Cubs’ high-priced ace had a 3.29 ERA in 19 games with Caratini that year, nearly half his ERA when working with Contreras (6.00). Darvish worked exclusively with Caratini in 2020, posting a 2.01 ERA and finishing second in NL Cy Young voting. That production – Caratini was in the 98^th percentile in pitch framing in 2020, according to Statcast – certainly made it easier to stomach an off year at the plate and was the primary reason the Padres (or Darvish, according to … Darvish) made sure to include him in last month’s trade (Darvish, Caratini and cash for Zach Davies, Reginald Preciado, Owen Caissie, Ismael Mena and Yeison Santana).

Why mess with a good thing? A bat-first prospect who began his pro career at third base, Caratini figures to again be at least Darvish’s personal catcher in San Diego. But while Austin Nola is the starter, the Padres figure to give Caratini plenty of opportunities behind the plate as Nola, a former shortstop, can bounce all over the field. Caratini, too, can also provide depth on the infield corners.