Rangers’ Trevino Heeds Call To Play Catcher

ARLINGTON—For more than five years, Rangers fans waited for the day when Jorge Alfaro would become the franchise’s best catcher since Ivan Rodriguez.


That day isn’t coming, at least not any time soon. Texas used Alfaro as trade bait last July for Cole Hamels, and the title of Rangers’ top catching prospect was vacated.

Jose Trevino, who played shortstop in his final season at Oral Roberts, appears to have claimed it.

He finished 2015 in the Arizona Fall League after an impressive season at low Class A Hickory in which he showed enough with the bat and the glove to establish himself as the organization’s best catcher.

While Trevino is fully aware that Alfaro is now with the Phillies, he isn’t taking his path to the majors for granted.

“I learned my first year not to worry about anything like that,” Trevino said. “The door’s open, but you’ve still got to step through it . . .

You’ve got to keep going.”

The main thing big league manager Jeff Banister wants his catchers to worry about is getting pitchers through their innings, and Trevino takes that duty personally. The native Texan stresses working with pitchers and recognizes that he owes quality game-calling to them.

“You catch first and then you hit,” said Trevino, a sixth-round pick in 2014. “If you think about your offense while you’re catching, it’s just being selfish toward the guy on the mound.”

Regardless, Trevino swatted 14 homers and hit .262/.291/.415 in 112 games last season, 87 of them behind the plate.

Another advantage the 23-year-old holds over other catchers in the organization is his versatility. He played four positions in 2014 at short-season Spokane, and the Rangers like his defense at first base.

“He’s has real aptitude and work ethic, and the pitchers know that he’s out there doing everything in their power to get them through their outings,” farm director Mike Daly said.

RANGERS ROUNDUP

• In seeking to boost their catching depth, the Rangers signed Bobby Wilson and Michael McKenry to minor league contracts with invitations to big league camp. The Rangers claimed Wilson on waivers last July, and McKenry knows Banister from their days together with the Pirates.

• The Rangers traded for White Sox Double-A righthander Myles Jaye on the final day of the Winter Meetings, and they already consider him to be part of their rotation depth for the big league club. He is set to begin at Triple-A Round Rock.

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