Indians Top 50: #18 Lou Marson

Lou Marson - Catcher
Born: 06/26/1986 - Height: 6'1" - Weight: 200 - Bats: Right - Throws: Right

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	Avg	OBP	SLG	OPS
2004	18	GCL Phillies	R	38	113	18	29	3	0	4	8	13	18	4	.257	.333	.389	.722
2005	19	Batavia	A-	60	220	25	54	11	3	5	25	27	52	0	.245	.329	.391	.720
2006	20	Lakewood	A	104	350	44	85	16	5	4	39	49	82	4	.243	.343	.351	.694
2007	21	Clearwater	A+	111	393	68	113	24	1	7	63	52	80	3	.288	.373	.407	.780
2008	22	Reading	AA	94	322	55	101	18	0	5	46	68	70	3	.314	.433	.416	.849
2008	22	Philadelphia	MLB	1	4	2	2	0	0	1	2	0	2	0	.500	.500	1.250	1.750
2009	23	Philadelphia	MLB	7	17	3	4	1	0	0	0	3	7	0	.235	.350	.294	.644
2009	23	Lehigh Valley	AAA	63	211	32	62	13	0	1	24	30	40	3	.294	.382	.370	.752
2009	23	Columbus	AAA	28	103	10	25	5	1	1	9	10	19	1	.243	.319	.340	.659
2009	23	Cleveland	MLB	14	44	6	11	6	0	0	4	7	14	0	.250	.346	.386	.732
		MiLB Totals		498	1712	252	469	90	10	27	214	249	361	18	.274	.369	.386	.754
		MLB Totals		22	65	11	17	7	0	1	6	10	23	0	.262	.355	.415	.771

History:  Marson was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 4^th round of the 2004 Draft out of Coronado High School (AZ).  The Indians acquired him from the Phillies as part of a package of four players they received for Cliff Lee in July of 2009.  He played in the Futures Game at Yankee Stadium in 2008, and also played for Team USA in the Summer Olympics in Beijing in August of 2008.

Strengths & Opportunities:  Marson won't hit a lot of home runs, but he is a good hitting catcher with a very polished approach who has the ability to hit for average and put the bat on the ball consistently.  He does not have a lot of power, and while some more power may still come he is not going to develop much more as it is just not in his swing since his offensive game is centered around an approach to get on-base with singles and walks.  He has plenty of bat-to-ball ability, controls the strike zone well, and uses the entire field and sprays a lot of line drives.  When he came to the Indians he went right into the Triple-A Columbus and big league clubhouse in Cleveland and established his presence immediately and showed his exceptional leadership skills.  During his one month with the big league club last September he quietly put together a solid showing by hitting hit .250 with a .733 OPS in 14 games, his first extended playing stint in the big leagues.

While Marson's bat may just be ordinary or nothing special, his true value as a prospect lies in his defensive abilities and all the intangibles he possesses that come with maintaining and leading a pitching staff.  He is a solid-average defender, and while he does not have a laser of an arm, his very quick exchange and transfer of the ball and accurate throws allow him to get the ball down to second base in about 1.9 seconds which is major league average.  After being acquired from the Phillies in late July, he threw out 10 of 24 (41.7%) runners attempting to steal at Triple-A Columbus and then with the big league team in Cleveland threw out 8 of 17 (47.1%) of attempted base-stealers.  His ability to catch and throw may just be a little above average because of his consistency, but it project to get even better because of his age, work ethic, and makeup.

Marson's value is in the way he handles a pitching staff, provides more than solid defense behind the plate, shows outstanding leadership skills, and displays a good throwing arm.  He is very poised, handles a pitching staff well, and knows how to execute a game plan effectively.  He is extremely athletic for a catcher, which helps with his agility behind the plate and also how he does a good job of blocking balls.  He also takes a lot of time to get to know all of the pitchers on his staff not only with what their strengths and weaknesses are on the field, but who they are as individuals.  He is widely viewed by many in the game as a solid major league starting catcher in the making.

Marson looks to be on the verge of a solid major league career. He has the mentality for the game, now it is a matter of his skills showing themselves. His biggest drawback is clearly his lack for much punch with his bat, and really there is not much room for improvement in this area.  His swing path is not conducive to much power because he swings down on the ball which results in a lot of groundballs.  Also, while he is only 23 years old, the general feeling is that he has pretty much reached his ceiling as a player, and while that is not bad, he simply is what he is as a player.

Outlook:  For many teams, having a good hitting catcher is a luxury, something Indians fans were spoiled to have with Victor Martinez in Cleveland the past six years. Finding an elite hitting catcher is a rarity, which is why the Indians and so many fans are so excited to eventually see uber-catching prospect Carlos Santana. In the meantime, however, Marson should prove to be more than capable as the team's field general for most of this year doing all the dirty work behind the plate, handling the pitching staff, and being a leader.  The Indians are already on record as saying that they will not rush Santana and instead let him open the season as the starting catcher in Triple-A Columbus. With that in mind, Marson is set to be the everyday starting catcher to open the 2010 season in Cleveland.  When Santana finally does arrive, Marson should move to a backup role.  He would make for one of the best backup catchers in the league, so may become a trade chip to use at some point down the road.

Photo courtesy of Ken Carr

Lou Marson MinorLeagueSplits.com page

Lou Marson Baseball-Reference page

Lou Marson MinorLeagueSplits.com page

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