St. Louis Cardinals: Carson Kelly or Eric Fryer in 2017?

Nov 5, 2016; Surprise, AZ, USA; West catcher Carson Kelly of the St Louis Cardinals during the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars game at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 5, 2016; Surprise, AZ, USA; West catcher Carson Kelly of the St Louis Cardinals during the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars game at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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The St. Louis Cardinals have been rumored to have floated their young catcher in rumored deals and have also been rumored to have kicked the tires of a former backup catcher.

The St. Louis Cardinals, despite how it appeared to fans, were apparently very busy during the Winter Meetings.  We have now learned that GM Mozeliak spoke with many, many teams and kicked many, many tires.  We also know Mo is perfectly tight-lipped as is evidenced by the Dexter Fowler deal that was completed on Wednesday but announced on Friday.

Enter then the discussions (some would say rumors) that the St. Louis Cardinals have been asked for and about Carson Kelly in potential deals.  While this doesn’t necessarily surprise me- Kelly is a young up-and-comer in the organization- I worried initially since Yadier Molina definitely needs a backup catcher.

Serving as the backup catcher might not be the best option for Kelly’s advancement and athletic progression.  This in mind, shopping Kelly might make sense.  Sending Kelly to another team where he could be used immediately might make good sense if the return to the Cardinals is good enough.  Right?

Okay then, let’s assume that sending Kelly away is the best option (we will look at this shortly), then what?  Who should the St. Louis Cardinals use to serve as backup to Yadi?

Eric Fryer played for the Cardinals- if only briefly- in 2016 and I, for one, was very disappointed in the decision to release him in the midst of the campaign.  I liked Fryer and found him to be a great backup who provided decent defensive threat from behind the plate and certainly was no push-over at the plate.

Let’s take a look at these two and see if a Kelly departure and a Fryer reunion would make sense.  First up, let’s examine the offensive production of each.  A note: we will not necessarily be comparing apples to apples here since Kelly has such limited MLB experience.  In that regard, we will be comparing Kelly’s minor league stats to Fryer’s major league stats so take the comparison with a grain of salt.

First up, Kelly’s offensive numbers:

YearAgeLgGABRH2B3BHRRBISBCSBBSOBAOBPSLGOPS
201217Rk562132448100925001033.225.263.399.662
201318A-,A11341753107221645103356.257.322.357.679
201419A983634190174649103754.248.326.366.692
201520A+1083893085181851002264.219.263.332.594
201621AA,AAA963294395170632012563.289.343.395.738
201621NL10131210010002.154.214.231.445
1 Yr10131210010002.154.214.231.445
162 Game Avg.162211163216001600032.154.214.231.445

Next up, Fryer’s offensive numbers:

YearAgeTmGABRH2B3BHRRBISBCSBBSOBAOBPSLGOPS
201125PIT10265700001137.269.345.269.614
201226PIT640100000011.250.400.250.650
201327MIN6132510140033.385.500.6921.192
201428MIN28751116401510515.213.272.307.578
201529MIN152225200200511.227.370.318.689
201630TOT60116193141013031325.267.336.319.655
201630STL243871420050137.368.415.421.836
201630PIT367812172108021018.218.300.269.569
6 Yrs1252563965111224243062.254.332.328.660
162 Game Avg.1623325184141331353980.254.332.328.660

If we pull the 2016 data off both charts, then we are comparing Kelly’s slash line of .289/.343/.395 (AAA) to Fryer’s slash line of .267/.336/.319 (MLB).  In this regard, Kelly presents better.  At this point, I would beg that Mozeliak NOT shop Kelly even though I am a huge Fryer fan.

Let’s look at defense and see if these sentiments from me hold true.  First up, Kelly’s defensive numbers:

YearAgeTmLevGGSInnChPOAEFld%RF/9RF/GPBWPSBCSCS%
201217Johnson CityRk3B4847412.0100236512.8801.921.83
2013182 TeamsA–A3B9695832.22196613815.9322.202.13
201318State CollegeA-3B6565578.2156471009.9422.292.26
201318PeoriaA3B3130254.06319386.9052.021.84
201419PeoriaAC7979682.0706624739.9879.208.8213753733%
201520Palm BeachA+C104920.1821751673.9968.007.876
2016212 TeamsAA-AAAC9290784.2777717573.9968.888.416602731%
201621SpringfieldAAC6058515.1500454433.9948.688.285422133%
201621MemphisAAAC3232269.12772631401.0009.268.66118625%
201621STLMLBC10236.03230201.0008.003.20000
Minors (2 seasons)Minors3B1441421244.23198920327.9152.112.03
Minors (3 seasons)MinorsC2751692387.02304209219715.9938.638.32251356432%
All Levels (2 Seasons)3B1441421244.23198920327.9152.112.03
All Levels (3 Seasons)C2851712423.02336212219915.9948.628.14251356432%

And here’s a look at Fryer’s defensive numbers:

YearAgePosGGSInnChPOAEFld%RF/9RF/GPBWPSBCSCS%
201125C8761.2484251.9796.865.88027330%
201226OF201.200000.000.00
201226LF101.000000.000.00
201226RF100.200000.000.00
201327C5440.03028201.0006.756.00013240%
201327DH10
201428C2422190.115915261.9947.476.58181616%
201428DH30
201529C15769.0535201.9816.783.4705200%
201630C5431306.1296274193.9908.615.4331521725%
201630C22885.17263901.0007.593.27012467%
201630C3223221.0224211103.9879.006.9131419314%
5 SeasonsC10671667.1586548326.9907.825.47431491321%
2 SeasonsDH40
1 SeasonOF201.200000.000.00
1 SeasonRF100.200000.000.00
1 SeasonLF101.000000.000.00
6 SeasonsTOT10871669.0586548326.9907.805.37431491321%

Okay, I see now that Kelly is a better catcher too.  In his career, Kelly owns a thirty-two percent caught-stealing rate where Fryer owns only a twenty-one percent.  What about Yadi, you ask?  Molina owns a forty-two percent caught-stealing rate.  If we go off this stat alone, then Kelly is the keeper.

More from St Louis Cardinals News

Speaking of Molina, 2017 is his final year on his current contract with 2018 being a team option worth $15M and a $2M buyout.  This means that the St. Louis Cardinals are seeking a backup for 2017 and either a backup beyond or for someone to assume the duties should Molina (God forbid) go elsewhere.

In this regard, which of the two- Kelly or Fryer- will serve as the better backup? The data seems to suggest that Kelly is indeed the rising catcher of tomorrow but is a backup role the best option for him?  Is Fryer a better option to backup Yadi?

Here’s what I would LOVE to see happen: I would love to see Mozeliak sign Fryer to serve as backup and allow Kelly to play every day in Memphis for the first half of the season at least.  It isn’t like we haven’t cut Fryer mid-season once before…

Next: Diagnosing Wong

If Mozeliak doesn’t sign Fryer, I don’t think we are out anything.  I see the value, equally, of having Kelly serve the year under Molina’s wing directly.  I believe in Mozeliak and know that he will do the right thing for Kelly and that is what should matter for the future of the Cardinals.