Between Stallings and Fortes, Miami Marlins could have stability at catcher
With the Miami Marlins’ 2022 season in the books, it’s time to start taking stock on where the organization stands, where improvements need to be made and how that can be done. Over the course of this week, the Miami Herald will break down the team by position groups. First up is the catchers.
When Jacob Stallings was presented with his Gold Glove Award in mid-July for his work behind the plate last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he was quick to admit that he hadn’t lived up to his own expectations to that point in his first season with the Marlins.
While Stallings continued to work on his individual craft, his overarching goal for the rest of the season focused on three primary topics: Helping Sandy Alcantara win a Cy Young Award, maneuvering Pablo Lopez through a career season, and helping his counterpart Nick Fortes through his first full season in the big leagues.
On that front, consider Stallings’ mission accomplished — and consider the catching position among the Marlins’ most stable groups at the big-league level heading into the offseason.
Stallings and Fortes became a more-than-serviceable one-two punch behind the plate this year. Over the final 120 games of the season, once Fortes was called up on May 27, the catching duties were split 60-40, with Stallings behind the plate for 72 games and Fortes starting 48 at catcher.
Stallings caught all 32 of Alcantara’s starts and 31 of Lopez’s career-high 32 starts. Both Alcantara and Lopez have praised Stallings throughout the season for making their job easier. He does most of the thinking and game planning, allowing the pitchers to focus solely on pitching. Stallings was also the main catcher for Trevor Rogers.
Fortes almost exclusively caught Braxton Garrett and Edward Cabrera — both of whom Fortes had experience with in the minor leagues — and the two mixed and matched with Jesus Luzardo.
According to Fangraphs, Fortes finished the season with five defensive runs saved, tied for 13th in MLB.
“Defensively, I think he’s improved a lot as a receiver and really in all aspects — receiving, blocking and throwing — since I’ve been around him this year,” Stallings said. “The growth in game calling, that just comes with experience. Ever since he got up here, he’s been asking questions about what I see and that kind of stuff and what I watch for. He’s done a really good job.”
Offensively, Stallings put together a strong second half of the season. He had a .281 batting average with a .742 on-base-plus-slugging mark, eight doubles and two home runs over his 42 games following the All-Star Break after hitting just .184 with a .476 OPS through his first 71 games.
Fortes, meanwhile, hit nine home runs with 24 RBI, 41 runs scored and a .696 OPS in 72 games over his first full big-league season.
“Overall, it was a success,” Fortes said of his season individually. “I had a lot of good moments and a lot of bad moments, but the thing that I’m proud of is I’ve been able to learn from those bad moments and have put myself in a really good position for next year.”
Both Stallings and Fortes remain under team control for next season. Stallings enters his second of three arbitration years, while Fortes doesn’t enter arbitration until after the 2024 season.
Other catchers in Miami’s system
▪ Payton Henry: Acquired at the trade deadline in 2021 from the Milwaukee Brewers for reliever John Curtiss, Henry made the Marlins’ Opening Day roster in 2022 as the backup catcher but was optioned to Triple A Jacksonville in favor of Fortes and then dealt with a right thumb injury that ultimately required surgery. He played in just 44 total games this season (15 with the Marlins, 21 with Triple A Jacksonville and eight on minor-league rehab assignment).
▪ Will Banfield: Selected with the No. 69 overall pick in the 2018 draft, Banfield at one point was considered the Marlins catcher of the future. But despite being solid defensively, he has struggled to hit. The 22-year-old finally began to find some success at the plate after being promoted to Double A Pensacola in late July, hitting .267 with a .302 on-base percentage and .405 slugging mark, nine extra-base hits (five doubles, one triple, three home runs) and 16 RBI in 31 games.
▪ Joe Mack: The ninth-ranked prospect in Miami’s system according to MLB Pipeline and No. 31 overall pick in the 2021 draft, the 19-year-old Mack has a smooth left-handed swing and shows promise behind the plate defensively. He missed time early this season with a hamstring injury and is currently playing in the Arizona Fall League.
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