SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The clubhouse lockers belonging to Zack Collins and Seby Zavala are located next to each other in the White Sox's Camelback Ranch complex. The pair of Top 30 White Sox prospects per MLB Pipeline are targeted to be catchers for the Triple-A Charlotte squad at the outset of 2019.
But when the White Sox reach their targeted window of championship contention, will the catchers of the future be thought of as the catchers of the present? Collins and Zavala certainly believe in their respective abilities.
“That’s definitely a thought in the back of my head,” Zavala said. “You don’t really think about it day to day because you take away from what you are doing every day. You are not going to be as successful as you can.”
“Obviously it’s a business, and we see the deals that they’ve signed older guys to,” Collins said. “They [Welington Castillo and James McCann] are both in their last year now, and we look to be the future. Hopefully we can prove we are ready this year and move on from there.”
Collins was the team’s top pick in the 2016 Draft and is coming off of a 2018 season with Double-A Birmingham where he hit .234/.382/.404 with 158 strikeouts, 101 walks, 15 home runs and 68 RBIs. Zavala, the 12th-round selection in the 2015 MLB Draft, hit .257/.316/.417 with 13 homers and 51 RBIs between stops at Birmingham and Charlotte.
General manger Rick Hahn mentioned Zavala could survive in the Majors right now from a defensive, catch-and-throw standpoint. Hahn also pointed out Collins’ game-planning, using the information provided to him to bring out the best in the starters and his catching and throwing took a nice step forward in the second half of last season.
All of that praise and analysis still doesn’t classify either catcher as a finished product.
“We think they are both capable of playing roles on championship teams if their development continues to advance,” Hahn said. “We remain bullish on both of them.
“It doesn’t mean at some point in the future we don’t make an adjustment and add another receiver. We are not necessarily locked in that these have to be the two catchers on the next White Sox championship club. We are going to remain flexible and see how things unfold over the coming years.”
During the first half of Spring Training, Collins already has put in some work at first base. Zavala, currently nursing a left quad strain, also played first and left field during his San Diego State days.
Both catchers opening on the same Charlotte roster means other positions will be needed to keep each one regularly in the lineup. That versatility also could carve a quicker path to the Majors. Collins, who caught 74 games in ’18, believes he can catch more as he advances but understands the need to move around.
“I’ve never had any knee issues. Never felt tired late in the season,” Collins said. “Obviously I want to stay fresh for as long as possible and stay healthy and first base/DH is part of it. It’s a way for me to get in the lineup and for me to get more opportunities. But I feel 100 percent confident that I would have no issue catching in the big leagues.”
“You’ve seen it more and more over the last couple of years with managers being able to exploit the flexibility on their bench to help play matchups,” Hahn said. “The more players that we have that are capable of doing that defensively, the more options [White Sox manager] Ricky [Renteria] is going to have.”