Going into the 2017 season the White Sox weakest position is undoubtedly catcher. The team will have one of Geovany Soto, Omar Narvaez or Kevan Smith as the Opening Day backstop.
Soto, who was signed to a minor league deal earlier this offseason, is the leader in the clubhouse according to Roster Resource. Soto has appeared in 784 games over his 12 year career. He holds a .246 batting average with 105 home runs and 352 RBIs. Soto has thrown out 27% of all base-runners for his career.
Narvaez got his first taste of major league action in 2016, appearing in 34 games at the MLB level. He hit .267 with one home run and 10 RBIs. Over his 459 game minor league career, Narvaez hit .277 with seven home runs and 170 RBIs. He threw out just 8% of base-runners at the major league level, but Narvaez held a massive 42% clip in the minors.
Smith appeared in seven games at the major league level last season, hitting .125 with no other counting stats. In 519 minor league games, Smith hit .282 with 56 home runs and 314 RBIs. Smith threw out 33% of base-runners at the major league level and 31% at the minor league level.
Out of all of the three catchers, Soto likely offers the highest potential. His veteran leadership could help develop the White Sox young pitching staff.
However all three are more place holders than anything else. Top prospect Zack Collins needs more seasoning in the minors before he is ready for the rigors of the MLB. Soto, Narvaez and Smith offer the Sox stopgap options before calling Collins up.
Realistically, the White Sox could sign a more talented catcher in the free agent market. One MLB Insider thinks a former All Star could be a perfect fit on the South Side.
