George Kottaras

As the backup to a healthy Salvador Perez, Kottaras saw very little work during the 2013 season. He appeared in just 46 games, saw 126 plate appearances and contributed very little, batting just .180 with a 33.3% strikeout rate. He did show some decent power, hitting five home runs and posting a .190 ISO while also maintaining a .349 on-base percentage thanks to a 19 percent walk rate, but all in all, his skill set doesn't exactly give promise to much more than that. The Royals allowed him to walk via free agency and he was picked up by the Cubs, signing a one-year deal for just over a million dollars to back up incumbent Welington Castillo. Given Castillo's lack of power, Kottaras stands the chance to see a bit more playing time, but not enough to use him as anything but a part-time replacement.

The A's dealt for Kottaras in August to strengthen their catcher position and add a left-handed bat to the lineup to share time with the right-handed Derek Norris. Kottaras did not do much in his stint with the A's, but managed to hit six homers in only 85 at-bats. With Oakland trading for John Jaso, Kottaras may spend much of the season at Triple-A. Kottaras has shown the ability to hit for power and draw walks over the course of his career, which could be enough to land him a backup job elsewhere.

Kottaras hit .252/.311/.459 in a backup catcher role in 2011. He'll likely have that same role for the Brewers in 2012 and likely will work as the personal catcher for left-hander Randy Wolf after sewing up that gig last season. The limited playing time makes Kottaras a bottom-tier filler for those in very deep NL-only leagues that require two catchers.

Kottaras was signed to back up Gregg Zaun in 2010, but was forced into more action when Zaun's season ended in May due to an injury. Kottaras hit .203/.305/.396 in 2010, showing good patience and power, but was not good defensively behind the plate. He'll try to win a backup catching spot in spring training, but the more defensively sound Wil Nieves seems like the better bet to work as the No. 2 backstop behind Jonathan Lucroy.

Kottaras served as Boston's backup catcher until the club acquired Victor Martinez at the trade deadline, dropping him to third string. The Red Sox released him after the season and he hooked on with Milwaukee. The Brewers also added Gregg Zaun, presumably to start, after choosing not to offer arbitration to Jason Kendall. Kottaras, who has some pop from the left side of the plate, will serve as Zaun's backup until prospects Jonathan Lucroy or Angel Salome are ready for the big leagues.

Kottaras belted a career-high 22 homers for Triple-A Pawtucket, showing he has a bat, but his defensive skills are lagging. Even with so much uncertainty surrounding Boston's catching situation, Kottaras still is not viewed as an option. He's out of options and will need to clear waivers for the organization to get him back to Pawtucket. He tops out as a backup major league catcher, but the defense will limit his opportunities.

Kottaras did little to distinguish himself for Triple-A Pawtucket in 2007, but enters the 2008 season with a real chance of being Boston's backup catcher. He's not the best catching prospect in the organization, but he's the closest to the majors in the system. His experience at catching a knuckler helps if Tim Wakefield remains in the starting rotation.

Kottaras was the booty the Red Sox scored from San Diego in the David Wells deal. The Padres' No. 2 prospect rated by Baseball America began the season at Double-A Mobile and was promoted to Triple-A Portland in the PCL, where he struggled at the plate. It wasn’t surprising, since the catcher had to focus on learning a new group of pitchers. He's got some pop and excellent plate discipline, though you wouldn't be able to tell that from his stint in Portland. For Boston, an organization bereft of catching prospects, Kottaras will probably begin the season at Triple-A Pawtucket. He's got experience catching a knuckler (Steve Sparks), so he could be an option to back up Jason Varitek at the major league level and catch Tim Wakefield if need be.

Kottaras did well in his first Double-A exposure, solidifying his status as one of the top catching prospects around. He drew strong words of praise from the Padres brass during spring training, including favorable comparisons to Jason Kendall. Expect to see Kottaras in the majors late in 2006.

A 20th round pick in 2002, the young Canadian has a long ways to go, not playing much in the way of serious ball before going to junior college He's considered a serious defensive catching prospect and managed to post a solid .310/.415/.461 performance in low Single-A last season. The organization has some quality defensive receivers already and his bat may get him some attention if it continues to develop at high Single-A Lake Elsinore in 2005