Wolters has established himself as Colorado’s catcher of the future

Heading into 2020 the Rockies have so many question marks about their roster it could make a fan dizzy just thinking about it. But there should be no doubt about who will be Colorado’s catcher.

Over the course of a wildly disappointing season, 27-yearold Tony Wolters has been Colorado’s most pleasant surprise. As it turns out, Wolters’ game-winning hit in the wild-card game last fall was an omen of things to come.

After hitting a team-low .170 last year, Wolters needed to improve with the bat to cement a spot on the roster. He did just that, raising his average to .270 and taking over as the Rockies’ No. 1 catcher. He ranks fourth in the National League in average among starting catchers.

But it’s his defense that is his calling card, with Wolters among the National League’s best behind the plate.

“Don’t dash on the ‘stash” has become a favorite saying around Coors Field this year as the mustachioed Wolters is throwing out runners at a 36% clip, secondbest in the league behind the Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto (47%).

To put his defensive prowess into perspective, Wolters’ .999 fielding percentage is tied with two others for first among major league catchers. He didn’t commit his first error until Aug. 19. For the season he’s had the one error and four passed balls in 857 M innings played while also proving himself as a seasoned in-game pitch caller.

Under club control through 2022, the Rockies will surely take the trade-off of his stellar defense for his lack of power. His one home run in the year of the “juiced” ball underscores his role as a singles and doubles guy near the bottom of the order who can be a tough out, but not a power threat.

Nicknamed “Papers” for his tendency to carry around fat stacks of scouting reports in the clubhouse, Wolters’ enormous growth this year indicates he’s far from having reached his peak.