Detroit catcher prospect hungry to get into the competition
LAKELAND, FLA. >> It’s a scene that’s played out a couple of times already this spring.
Manager AJ Hinch in a meeting with pitching prospect Jackson Jobe, explaining the importance of holding runners and controlling the running game. Invariably the conversation will turn to catcher Dillion Dingler. As in, “When Dillon got there, everything was fine with the running game.”
Or, Hinch talking to Brant Hurter or Ty Madden about pitch usage and sequencing and they’d say, “We just do what Dillon tells us to do.”
“He gets immediate trust,” Hinch said. “That is very helpful.”
The organizational respect for Dingler remains as high as it was the day in 2020 when he was drafted in the second round out of Ohio State.
And yet, while a bunch of the pitchers he caught in the minor leagues are now important pieces of the bigleague puzzle, Dingler’s own ascent has been slowed by injuries and offensive performance lags. He finally got to Triple-A Toledo for 26 games last season.
“I fully understand the patience level that comes with it all,” he said. “I just try to get better every single day. I have to control what I have to control, especially with what’s been going on pre-spring training and everything.”
This is Dingler’s third big-league camp and for a number of reasons, his action has mostly come on the back fields. He got just eight spring plate appearances in 2021, five in 2022 and four last year.
“I told Dillon, like, I’ve not been able to get him the at-bats he’d hope to get, for one reason or another,” Hinch said. “Maybe it was the competition behind the plate. Maybe it was an injury or two that he had. I’d really like get him up and in the mix and in the rhythm of playing every other day to every day to when we ultimately have to make a decision on what we’re going to do with him.”
Once again, though, Dingler hasn’t been able to fully compete yet in this camp. He had arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow before camp. He’s been able to hit and catch bullpens and is expected to be cleared for full baseball activity relatively soon.
“We’re getting close,” Dingler said. “I’ve been completing the throwing progression and throwing to bases and stuff.”
The issue with his elbow came up in early January and turned out to be a little more severe than he thought.
“They went in to take out loose bodies in the elbow and there ended
up being a pretty good amount,” he said. “So from that aspect, it was pretty freaky. Obviously nobody wants to get surgery on the elbow and nobody wants to be down for the first part of spring.
“But for what it could’ve been (like a ligament tear), I was happy with the news and just moving forward.”
The projection is for Dingler to start the season at Triple-A Toledo with veteran non-roster invitee Anthony Bemboom and Donny Sands. How soon he starts making himself a viable option in Detroit will depend mostly on his bat. His defense and ability to handle a pitching staff is big-league ready.
Last season, over three minor-league levels, he slashed .256/.361/.478 with an .839 OPS, 16 home runs and 58 RBI. The downside, though, is the swing and miss. He struck out 105 times in 381 plate appearances.
He’s 25. So many of the teammates he came up with are either already established in the big leagues or are about to break in. Although the organization remains fully committed to him as part of their future, he knows it’s time for him to make a move.
“Patience is a big thing but I’m still trying to take it one day at a time and do my best to get up there,” Dingler said. “I appreciate the (organization’s) support every day. But I do believe it’s time for me to show them.”