Former Dodgers catcher Tony Wolters signed a minor-league deal to provide minor-league depth for the Minnesota Twins.
Tony Wolters’ time with the Dodgers was as short as it was unmemorable. Wolters got four plate appearances with L.A. in 2022, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts across two games. His four ABs did come at three different defensive positions, which is kind of memorable.
Wolters had 341 plate appearances across parts of two seasons with Triple-A Oklahoma City, and he hit about the way you’d expect a backup Triple-A catcher to hit. His role at this point in his career is to provide catching depth in the minors and occasionally get called up when a team needs a backup catcher for a week or two, knowing he’ll be designated for assignment as soon as the emergency passes.
The role seems to work for him, and he’ll carry on in a new organization this year.
The role Wolters fills will exist as long as there are catchers like Wolters to fill it. Rocky Gale filled the same role for Los Angeles a few years ago, and it looks like David Freitas might be the new guy this year.
Wolters has made over $5 million in his big-league career, so he can probably afford to keep living out his dream as a very occasional big-league catcher. He might even catch lightning in a bottle and get to spend a few months on an MLB roster at some point. And he’ll almost surely parlay this role into a coaching position in the future, if that’s what he wants to do.
It’s a weird way to make a living, but we can think of worse ways.
