BSN Exclusive: Wolters and Iannetta discuss becoming among the best backstops in the NL

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DENVER – During the first three weeks of the season, much deliberation was made over the disappointing performances by Colorado’s catching tandem of Chris Iannetta and Tony Wolters.

With a 3-12 record to start the season that included stints on the injury list from Daniel Murphy, Ryan McMahon and David Dahl, a lot of negative attention was directed towards the club’s backstops.

Through April 13th, Iannetta and Wolters contributed to the National League’s third worst batting average (.214), on-base percentage (.279) and strikeout percentage (27.9); the slugging percentage was a bit more promising at league average.

A veteran of 14 major league seasons, the 36-year-old Iannetta simply wasn’t concerned by the relative lack of offensive production from behind the plate or from any other position. “If you look around and you see Nolan not hitting and Story not hitting and Charlie not hitting and everybody not hitting, it’s really hard to imagine everybody, especially those 3 guys, going the whole season without getting hits,” Iannetta shared.

On April 14th, the fate of the Rockies season would officially change course as German Márquez threw a complete game shutout against the Giants in San Francisco to snap the eight-game losing skid. Wolters quietly went 0-for-3, but something happened that no box score can illuminate. Something changed for the Colorado catchers.

Wolters stopped changing.

Bud Black noted throughout the offseason and workouts at Salt River Fields that the 27-year-old had been making too many adjustments in the batter’s box over the previous seasons. “He’s not flip flopping in any sort of mechanics which he’s done the last couple years, tinkering a little bit too much.” Black continued, “This year he’s staying consistent with what the hitting guys and Tony have come up with from Spring Training. He’s carried that through the first two plus months in every at bat.”

Entering with an even .200 batting average on April 16, Wolters went 2-for-4 with a pair of his trademark two-baggers. The next game, it was the first three-hit performance of his career.

“I’m trying to see the ball. I’m just trying to keep my head still, trying to swing at the right pitches,” Wolters responded after his big game. He went on to say about his confidence level at the plate, “With (Dave Magadan) and (Jeff Salazar) helping me find the areas to keep my eyes at, it’s helping me a lot and keeping my approach where I need it to be.”

Another interesting factor for the change: Iannetta was placed on the IL with a right lat strain on April 15.  During the 15 games the vet was away from the field, Wolters hit .361 with 6 RBI and the Rockies went 9-3 during his starts.

By May 11, Wolters’ batting average would jump a hundred points and he’d get his first taste at batting .300 on the season. And though he’s hovered around this mark over the past few weeks, he’s been getting the glut of starts between the two backstops and is doing most of the heavy lifting even after Iannetta’s return. He’s not only leading the pair with a .319 batting average in 116 at bats since April 14, but he’s tops among all NL catchers in hitting efficiency.

“I’m learning from a lot of these guys, a lot of these great hitters on this team,” he’d say of his growth with the bat. “It’s all about approach. Keeping your approach and not changing it or going back and forth. Sticking to your approach and being simple about it. There’s nothing to it. You’re finding an area and keeping your area there. That’s your hit zone. I think it might feel weird being that simple, but it’s that simple.”

Iannetta is one of those hitters who has aided in this improvement of mindset during Wolters’ fourth big league season, especially when it comes to the generally small sample size of a single at bat.

“I know I’ve constantly reminded him not to get frustrated. I haven’t seen him get frustrated, but I’m still going to remind him,” Iannetta explained. “He’s 0-for-2 or -3 going into his last at-bat, it’s like, ‘Hey, keep going. You hit three balls hard. Don’t worry about it. It’s all you can do.’ But he’s mature. He’s not a kid anymore. He’s turning into a veteran, so it’s fun to watch him play.”

The pitchers are also noticing these contributions from their batterymates. “I really like seeing that, because I know the potential is there,” Jon Gray said of the added offense. “I see both putting their best on display. Tony’s a good hitter, he’s a good athlete, and it’s showing up right now. He’s hitting over 300. Chris is a guy you can’t serve meatballs to because he’ll hit it a mile if he’s doing that.”

The pair have complimented each other well: the veteran right-handed hitter with power for days and the young left-handed hitting with a penchant for doubles.

Consider that other pairings or platoons are selected based upon the handedness of the opposing starting pitcher as we’ve seen at second base with Ryan McMahon and Brendan Rodgers, not to mention the outfield rotation between Ian Desmond and Raimel Tapia, but that’s of zero consideration for most catching tandems who start based upon their own team’s starting pitcher.

Entering the series on Monday, Colorado’s catchers have been batting .297 since April 14, highest in the majors during that span; the next closest NL club trailing behind the purples are the Phillies and their prized catcher, J.T. Realmuto, with a .272 batting average.

Not to be outdone, Wolters and Iannetta lead all backstop duos in on-base percentage (.364), and trail only Brewers’ catchers for tops in the Senior Circuit in slugging percentage (.467). Their .831 OPS over this span bests the other 14 teams in the league.

And, yes, Iannetta has chipped in with his own offensive output. When you consider the landscape of backup catchers, he’s been no slouch as the club’s new number two.

When he returned on May 3rd with a single and a run batted in, he notched a double and a homer in the next game, then a double in his following two starts for immediate impact. He’s hit four home runs in his fourteen games since returning, good for a homer once every 12 at bats. His hard hit percentage of 44.4 places him in the top quarter of all NL catchers during this span.

If it’s not enough to look at his full body of work since returning, the Providence native has had some big individual games, too. Iannetta hit a game-deciding home run late against the DBacks on May 28 for Colorado’s third straight win and walloped one in the Blue Jays series on June 2 for an estimated 476 ft homer that secured their eighth straight victory and a franchise best 9-1 homestand.

Even during Tuesday’s 10-3 victory over the Cubs, Iannetta found himself in the middle of the onslaught, contributing with three runs, putting him at .286 since coming off the IL.

The beauty in the relationship for the pair is that each man aims to raise the bar for one another. “We just talked early in Spring and said, ‘You know what, we just want to be the best tandem in baseball.’ That’s our goal.” Iannetta went on to add, “We just try to be the best tandem, combine numbers and everything, be one of the best, and see what happens.”

While the counting stats for the duo aren’t nearly as flattering when compared to the rest of the league, the duo has still been impressive. Since the turnaround in mid-April, Rockies catchers are tied for 3rd in runs (33) and tied for 13th in RBI (30), and when you consider this duo typically bats eighth and has had just 211 plate appearance – good for 24th most – Wolters and Iannetta are making the most of their opportunities.

The strikeout rate has reduced drastically over this stretch as well, down to 19.0%, second lowest in the NL.

Undoubtedly, the offensive output by these two hitters has been special so far. Even folks outside of Coors Field’s friendly confines have seemed to take notice of Wolters in particular. After the first update in All-Star voting, the former Cleveland farmhand is in 7th place, putting him ahead of Buster Posey. Not bad for a guy who entered the season with just six career home runs.

Simply put, the formula between the pair has been fantastic. It’s been nothing short of magnificent in 2019, according to Gray.

“They’re totally two different hitters lately, but they’re both doing it man. It’s awesome.”