CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The more people talk about Phillies prospect Logan O'Hoppe, the more Carlos Ruiz comes to mind.

It is an easy connection to make.

O’Hoppe and Ruiz are catchers, of course. O’Hoppe is one of the Phillies’ top prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. Ruiz caught for the Phils from 2006-16. But the pair has more in common than a position. Folks talk about them in similar glowing terms. Teammates loved Chooch because of his gregariousness and his ability in the clubhouse to befriend anybody from any background. Pitchers loved him. They knew if he went 0-for-4 and they pitched well and won, he was happy. They knew if he went 3-for-4 and they pitched poorly and lost, he felt like he failed them. O’Hoppe shares that sentiment.

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“At the end of the day, if you’re playing music in the clubhouse after the game, that means we won and good things happened,” O'Hoppe said last week at Carpenter Complex.

That matters to pitchers. They want to know that their catcher is just as invested in their performance as they are.

“You feel really strongly that he’s working back there for you,” left-hander Zach Warren said. “He’ll tell you that, too. Any pitcher will tell you that the energy their catcher has behind the plate transfers directly to the mound, even bullpens and stuff. It’s huge.”

“He buys into you,” left-hander Brian Marconi said. “He’s got skin in the game.”

Warren recalled a game on the road last August against Double-A Portland. He entered with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning. Reading held a three-run lead.

O’Hoppe pumped up Warren as soon as he reached the mound.

“Don’t be afraid to throw your nasty stuff down in the zone,” he said. “I’m going to be working hard back there for you.”

Warren struck out the batter looking on a 2-2 cutter to end the game.

Marconi shared a similar story about O’Hoppe, albeit under different circumstances. Marconi struggled at times in 2019 in his first year as a pro with Class A Short-Season Williamsport. After one rough performance, a few teammates went to dinner. Marconi was dejected. O’Hoppe noticed.

“Hey, man, it’s your first year,” O’Hoppe said. “We’re all in this together. We’re all learning together.”

Marconi was 22 at the time. O’Hoppe was 19.

“You can’t say enough about a guy who lives and dies with a pitcher like that,” Warren said.

“I tell every guy the first time I catch them, and if they forget, I tell them again,” O’Hoppe said. “My No. 1 priority is making sure they’re comfortable and they’re OK with what they’re doing. I’m there to help them as much as I can. My greatest joy is seeing a guy that may not have his best stuff the first few outings of the year and not see him again because he got promoted to a higher level. Seeing guys progress is one of my favorite things to see.”

O’Hoppe is progressing, too. The Phillies selected him in the 23rd round of the 2018 Draft out of St. John the Baptist High School on Long Island. He got invited to Philadelphia’s summer camp in '20, then had a breakout year in '21. He slashed a combined .270/.331/.458 with 17 home runs and 58 RBIs over 438 plate appearances last season with High-A Jersey Shore, Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He hit .299/.440/.520 with three homers and 18 RBIs in 100 plate appearances in the Arizona Fall League.

People noticed O’Hoppe in the AFL, and not only for his on-field performance. He earned the Dernell Stenson Sportsmanship Award, which is presented annually to the player that best exemplifies unselfishness, hard work and leadership.

“He’s the first guy in and he’s the hardest worker I’ve probably ever been around,” said Bryson Stott, who played with O’Hoppe in Arizona. “He obviously takes it to the field. Great kid, great family. Obviously you can see that if you talk to him. He loves to win and he loves to be out here.”

O’Hoppe beats everybody to the ballpark because he believes in preparation -- both for himself and for others. If he finishes his work before the pitchers arrive to the ballpark, he can be available for them whenever they need him.

O’Hoppe carries a pair of notebooks with him throughout the season to help in that regard, too. The first contains his thoughts on his performance. The second contains his thoughts on his pitchers. So, going back to Warren’s big strikeout in Portland, O’Hoppe might write in the first notebook about how he controlled his emotions in that moment. He then might write in the second notebook about how Warren’s cutter is looking and progressing since the beginning of the season.

“Chief is the word that comes to mind when I think about O’Hoppe behind the plate,” Warren said. “He commands the game and he takes control of it. He’s awesome. He’s a chief.”