One of the few pleasant surprises for the Indians in their disappointing season was that they learned they have more catching depth than they expected. An injury to starter Victor Martinez resulted in backup catcher Kelly Shoppach getting far more playing time than expected.
In a career high 352 at-bats, Shoppach hit 21 home runs, the most of any catcher in the American League. That's the kind of power the Indians had been getting from Martinez. Shoppach hit so well while replacing Martinez that speculation has already started that Shoppach will likely get more than just a backup catcher's ration of at-bats in the 2009 season. It's likely Shoppach will get more starts behind the plate, with Martinez moving to first base.
In the midst of Shoppach's breakout season, the Indians also acquired catcher Carlos Santana from the Dodgers as part of the Casey Blake trade. Santana was one of the top hitters in all the minor leagues last season, batting .326 with 21 home runs, 117 RBIs and 125 runs.
Santana was one of five players added to the Indians' major league roster. He is expected to start the 2009 season at Class AA Akron. However, the acquisition of Santana coupled with the emergence of Shoppach gives Cleveland sudden depth at the catching position.
That depth could allow the team to trade one of its catchers this offseason in order to fill one of the holes in the roster. Shoppach would be the most likely candidate to be traded if the Indians do deal a catcher. But they would probably have to be blown away by a trade offer for Shoppach, given the magnitude of his breakout season.
