Stephen Vogt Pushing Toward Tampa

If there’s one organization that has a pattern of succeeding with unheralded catchers, it’s the Rays. Dioner Navarro once overcame terrible early-career struggles to become an All-Star with Tampa Bay, they got a big year from John Jaso last year, and currently start 27-year-old rookie Robinson Chirinos behind the plate.

Stephen Vogt might be next in line.

Like Jaso and Chirinos, Vogt has been plagued by two things: always being old for his level and nobody being sure he could catch. He was drafted just four months before turning 23, so he couldn’t help the first part, and he was mainly a left fielder early in his career, so he couldn’t really help the second part, either.

And yet, even as he nears his 27th birthday, Vogt remains an interesting player.

Drafted in the twelfth round by Tampa Bay in 2007, Vogt had a decent pro debut that year, hitting .300/.371/.383. He played almost exclusively in left field, and since he’s just an average defender there, the .083 ISO certainly wasn’t going to cut it for the future.

A .291/.368/.408 performance in Low-A in 2008 kept Vogt around, and he caught 17 games that year. A torn rotator cuff knocked him out of the vast majority of the 2009 season, though, so he entered 2010 as a 25 1/2-year-old who had yet to do much of anything in even High-A.

But Vogt did what any 25-year-old in High-A has to do–he tore the cover off the ball. He paced the FSL in batting average and slugging last year, raking at a .345/.399/.511 clip.

This year, he was moved up to Double-A, and Vogt showed more power in the more neutral environment, slugging 13 homers in 97 games and hitting .301/.344/.487. That performance prompted a move to Triple-A earlier this week.

Vogt still plays in left field a fair amount, but he’s good enough behind the plate that he should be able to handle catching in the big leagues. In 44 games behind the plate this season, he allowed just two passed balls and cut down 30% of basestealers. He’s also an average defender in first base and left field, so he brings a left-handed bat with defensive flexibility.

That’s a rare asset to have, because Vogt’s presence on a roster can basically allow a team to carry an extra pitcher–he can serve as a backup catcher and fifth outfielder at the same time. The Rays, a forward-thinking organization, most likely understand this, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they make good use of Vogt, provided that he continues swinging a hot bat in Triple-A. He’s never been considered much of a prospect, but there are surprisingly few gripes–scouting or statistical–about him, other than his age relative to level, which becomes moot once he proves himself at the highest level of the minors.

Given that Jaso’s hit poorly this year and Chirinos has yet to establish himself as the starter, Vogt could be an interesting September callup who could get a real look as a valuable member of the Rays roster in 2012.

For more on the Rays, be sure to check out Rays Colored Glasses