White Sox: 5 under-the-radar players to watch this spring
Rob Brantly (C)
Jul 2, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Miami Marlins catcher Rob Brantly (19) fields a ground ball for an out in the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
When the White Sox signed catcher Geovany Soto to a minor league deal in January, he immediately was pegged as the favorite to claim the backup catcher’s spot. As a result Soto will get the most hype this spring because he’s a solid veteran who really only needs to show he’s healthy to earn a spot behind the plate.
Outside of Soto, most White Sox fans are probably focussed on veteran catcher George Kottaras, who was brought in via a minor league deal in December. Kottaras is intriguing because of the power he offers from the left-side, but his defense leaves much to be desired.
What a lot of people might forget is that before these aforementioned moves, the White Sox claimed catcher Rob Brantly off waivers from the Miami Marlins right at the start of the Winter Meetings.
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This move was lost in the subsequent frenzy that ensued, but Brantly would actually be a good option to back up Tyler Flowers in ’15 despite his sub par defense.
Brantly shined to a .290 average over 31 games with the Marlins in late 2012, but imploded to a .528 OPS over a 67 game stretch when he was given the chance to start with Miami in 2013. Brantly spent 2014 in the minors and didn’t perform much better.
Still, Brantly is just 25-years old, bats left-handed, and was once a top prospect in both the Marlins’ and Detroit Tigers’ farm systems before he made it to the big leagues.
With a hot spring by Brantly and a injury-riddled spring by Soto, Brantly could easily find his way to the South Side in ’15.
Next: Under the Radar: Dan Black