Indians Top 100 Prospects: #51 Wyatt Toregas

51. Wyatt Toregas - Catcher
Born: 12/02/1982 - Height: 5'11" - Weight: 200 - Bats: Right - Throws: Right

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2004	21	Mahoning Vy	A-	59	214	38	63	18	1	7	48	11	26	1	.294	.338	.486	.824
2005	22	Lake County	A	104	411	57	95	22	0	5	42	37	76	0	.231	.302	.321	.623
2006	23	Kinston	A+	44	146	25	49	14	0	4	23	20	28	0	.336	.418	.514	.932
		Akron	AA	48	163	21	42	10	0	4	29	14	33	1	.258	.319	.393	.712
2007	24	Akron	AA	86	284	36	71	16	0	6	39	27	45	3	.250	.317	.370	.687
2008	25	Akron	AA	47	162	22	48	9	0	12	35	17	20	0	.296	.371	.574	.945
	25	Buffalo	AAA	50	155	15	34	8	0	2	25	15	32	2	.219	.301	.310	.611
		Career		438	1535	214	402	97	1	40	241	141	260	7	.262	.330	.405	.735

History: Toregas was selected by the Indians in the 24th round of the 2004 Draft out of Virginia Tech. He struggled through an injury riddled season in 2007 with back and elbow problems, but was put on the 40-man roster after the season anyway. The decision to roster him looked questionable in the early going at Triple-A Buffalo last year where he struggled offensively, so he was sent down to Double-A Akron in June and took the demotion in stride and instead of sulking he came out on a mission and smacked the ball over the place and put up the best offensive showing in his career. Coming into last season, he had 26 career minor league home runs and a .395 slugging percentage in 341 career games, but upon being sent to Akron he hit 12 home runs in 47 games and mashed with a .574 slugging percentage which was almost 200 points above his career average.

Strengths & Opportunities: Toregas is an excellent defensive catcher that can control a running game. He consistently averages 1.85 seconds on throws to second base, which is much better than the major league average of 2.0 seconds. He is the best defensive catcher in the Indians system, and he has been ranked as the best defensive catcher in the league he played in the last three years. He has a natural knack for calling a game, is a natural leader, loves to take charge of the pitching staff, and has a lot of pride as a catcher. He moves well behind the plate, and he gives maximum effort and everything he has.

When you can catch and throw like Toregas does it allows the Indians to give his offense more time to develop. He has the potential to be an adequate hitter, which to go along with his outstanding defense that has Indians officials excited, makes him very valuable. He has some pop, especially pull side. Toward the end of the 2007 he learned to hit the ball to right field and made strides in using the whole field, and he became a better situational hitter moving runners.

Right now, the key for Toregas is to get more consistent with his bat. When he was sent down to Akron the Indians noticed his setup in his stance was a little different and causing him some problems, so they worked with him to get him to spread out more and use the whole field. He spread out with a wider stance, and started to shorten up his bat path without sacrificing his power and actually ended up with more power. He has shown the ability to hit left-handed pitching well, but has really struggled at times with right-handers so he will need to shore up his approach against them in order to be considered as more than a backup defensive-minded catcher.

Outlook: The Indians know Toregas has the ability to hit and the ability to compete at the major league level, and feel that if the bat comes along it is just a bonus. His offensive performance late in the season solidified the Indians conviction that he is a major league player and is ready for a backup job on the 25-man roster if needed. He has some competition on the 40-man roster with fellow minor league catchers Chris Gimenez and Carlos Santana being added to it this offseason. Because of this, it pushes his value a lot further down the order because while he is the best short term solution as a backup to Victor Martinez in Cleveland, after this season his time and opportunity may have passed in the organization. He should open the 2009 season at Triple-A Columbus and be the first catcher the Indians bring up if an injury befalls Martinez or Kelly Shoppach.

Photo courtesy of Ken Carr

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