A catcher that can excel defensively is an asset, but a catcher that can do that and produce at the plate is a luxury.
Former Gamecock Grayson Greiner could do both those things over the course of his career at South Carolina, and his departure leaves a big question mark for head coach Chad Holbrook’s team: Who will man the plate in 2015?
There isn’t a clear answer at this point, but Holbrook doesn’t think that the position will be a weakness this season for the Gamecocks.
“I’m not the smartest guy in the world, but I also don’t think I’m the dumbest guy," Holbrook said. "I think our catchers are solid.”
Depth certainly isn’t an issue for South Carolina. The Gamecocks carry four catchers on their roster, but Holbrook’s team does lack experience at the position.
Entering this weekend’s season opening series against College of Charleston, sophomore Logan Koch is the only South Carolina catcher that has Division I baseball experience. At this point, the race for the starting job appears to be between Koch and freshman catcher Hunter Taylor.
“Those two guys (Logan and Hunter) they’re leading the way,” Holbrook said.
Last season Koch served as Greiner’s backup as a true freshman and did a serviceable job behind the 2014 SEC all-defensive team selection. Playing in 20 games with six starts, Koch batted .286 while working well with South Carolina’s pitchers.
Holbrook raved about Koch’s ability on defense and the way that the sophomore catcher can communicate during the course of a game.
“Logan Koch has a great rapport with coach Meyers and the way that he calls the game,” Holbrook said. “He’s got great baseball savvy. I think he can do a good job.”
But Taylor, an Onley, Virginia, native, brings a lot to the table as well. Ranked as the No. 169 high school prospect in the country by Perfect Game USA, Taylor batted .554 with 12 home runs during his senior year of high school.
Holbrook noted that Taylor possesses impressive power at the plate and that the freshman has great potential.
“I love Hunter Taylor, a freshman from Virginia. He’s got great makeup,” Holbrook said. “He’s a strong as an ox. He can hit, and he’s going to be a great player for us. I don’t know if he’s going to be a great player as a freshman. He may be, but he has the talent to be a special one.”
Regardless of who earns the starting job, both Koch and Taylor are expected to play a lot, which means the Gamecock pitching staff will have to get accustomed to throwing to both guys.
For South Carolina junior pitcher Jack Wynkoop, not having Greiner around will be an adjustment, but he thinks that he can help out Koch, Taylor and the rest of the Gamecock catchers.
“It was nice throwing to an older guy, you know,” Wynkoop said. “Grayson helped me ever since my freshman year, but now that I’m a little older it will be easier to help some of those new catchers in there. We’ve got four talented catchers; it’s pretty exciting.”
Adding depth behind Koch and Taylor are junior Jared Martin and sophomore Thatcher Coleman, both junior college transfers.
Martin spent the past two seasons at Chattahoochee Valley Community College in Phenix City, Alabama, where he hit .359 last year. Coleman, a Hartsville, South Carolina, native, comes to the Gamecock program having played his freshman year at Spartanburg Methodist College.
No matter who gets the bulk of the playing time, whether it be Koch or Taylor, Holbrook remains confident in his catchers.
“Everybody says your biggest concern is what’s going behind the plate, who’s going to replace Grayson Greiner? And yeah, that’s an important position, but we feel good about those guys,” Holbrook said.