The Guardians announced Thursday that they’ve signed catcher Zack Collins to a minor league deal and invited him to big league camp this spring. Cleveland also confirmed its previously reported minor league deals/non-roster invites with lefty Phillip Diehl and righty Dusten Knight.
Collins was the tenth overall pick by the White Sox back in the 2016 draft. As with most players who have that type of draft pedigree, he once ranked among the sport’s consensus top-100 prospects, though he’s yet to establish himself as a viable big leaguer on either side of the ball.
The 28-year-old Collins has logged big league action in each of the past four seasons, batting a combined .185/.295/.327 with an impressive 12.9% walk rate but a troubling 33.6% strikeout rate through 459 plate appearances. He split the 2022 campaign between Toronto and Pittsburgh, slashing .155/.231/.320 in 108 trips to the plate. He’s notched a much more impressive .248/.377/.495 output in 570 plate appearances at the Triple-A level, but strikeouts have been an issue there as well (26.9%).
Defensively, Collins has graded out poorly in the Majors, recording negative framing marks and being dinged for -23 Defensive Runs Saved in just 608 career innings behind the plate. He’s also thrown out a below-average 18% of base thieves at the MLB level, though his 32% caught-stealing rate in the minors is far better and comes in a much larger sample. Each of the White Sox, Blue Jays and Pirates have given Collins some time at first base in the Majors, and he’s tallied another 304 innings there in the minors, so there’s a bit of versatility in his skill set.
Mike Zunino, signed to a one-year, $6MM deal earlier in the offseason, is slated to shoulder the bulk of the Guardians’ workload behind the plate in 2023, at least in the season’s early stages. His backup, however, remains something of an open question. Top catching prospect Bo Naylor is viewed as the organization’s catcher of the future, but the team may prefer that he heads to Triple-A and logs regular playing time early in the year. Bryan Lavastida is the only other catcher on the 40-man roster, though minor league veterans like Cam Gallagher and Meibrys Viloria will join Collins in camp as non-roster invitees.
That gives Cleveland as many as four catchers who could open the season in Triple-A Columbus, although Collins’ ability to mix in at first base could help them carry at least three backstops on the Triple-A roster. Still, it seems likely that at least one of the NRIs in camp could be cut loose at some point. For now, there’ll be some healthy competition to determine who opens the year as Zunino’s backup.
Bad first round draft pick for Sox.
Yes, I assume Kenny wanted him
Can’t hit or catch. Doesn’t bode well for MLB playing time.
Zach don’t let the door hit you on the way out
They should try him out in the outfield and see if he gets rave reviews there.
I remember all the hype surrounding Collins when he was drafted. I hope he finds his footing somewhere, but clearly a bust for the White Sox.
Sure he’s a lousy catcher but he’s a mediocre power forward/center for the Spurs!
That 2016 draft…woof.
He was appallingly bad for the Pirates. I was interested to see what he had, and it wasn’t much.
David Fry is technically an option behind the plate and he’ll be in camp, but he’s probably more of an occasional catcher than a full-time one because he plays a few other positions too
Also will be bringing in Tom Collins !!
I have had my eye on Collins for two or three years now. I was hoping that the Blue Jays would re-sign Collins after trading Moreno and needing a third catching option to compliment Kirk/Jansen.. A powerful LH bat especially behind the plate is a very valuable asset. This is a very smart pick-up for Cleveland. Zack Collins is one of my picks for breakout player of the year in 2023. Collins will be the starting catcher for the Guardians game 1 of the playoffs.
Well one, he isn’t overtaking Bo Naylor or Mike Zunino on the depth chart, or even Cam Gallagher because at least he’s a good defensive catcher. Two, until he stops striking out over a third of the time, he isn’t going to play in the playoffs for anyone. Three, I don’t think I’d call a guy with a slugging percentage below .350 a ‘powerful LH bat’.
Perhaps you should get that eye checked…Collins is awful. Most Sox fans wanted him traded before he was at the MLB level and the rest of the league saw what a bust he was.
He is not a good baseball player. He is very average all the way round and has gotten worse year over year.
Well there’s a name I’d forgotten for a Catcher who was supposed to be lights out teams missed on on draft night. Catchers are like punters for NFL you shouldn’t waste a draft pick on them. Til maybe 6th round. just so rare that a 1sr rd pick sticks with being a catcher that’s even productive.
Kudos to Steve Adams for using the term base thieves with no sighting of would-be.