The Chicago Cubs are off to a hot start this spring, having started 6-0 in Cactus League play. While wins and losses in these games are near meaningless, the experience and rapport that players develop is important and carries over into the regular season. This is even more true for new players, in which manager Craig Counsell recently spoke highly of one veteran player and called him “in the prime of his career.”
Craig Counsell says veteran catcher Carson Kelly is “in the prime of his career”
This off-season, the Cubs signed 30 year old catcher Carson Kelly to a two year, $11.5 million contract with a $7.5 million mutual option for a third season. Kelly joined Chicago with nine years of big league experience, having played on three different teams over the past two seasons. He is well known for his defensive abilities behind the dish.
So far, Counsell has been impressed with Kelly’s ability to learn, ask questions, and be a part of the team. He told the media that “I think Carson’s a catcher kind of in the prime of his career, frankly. I think he’s also really eager to just be a teammate and be a part of the team and do his job for the team, whatever that may be. That’s noticeable right away.”
Carson Kelly is capable of handling a larger workload for the Chicago Cubs, if needed
While Miguel Amaya is top catcher on the Cubs depth chart, Kelly is capable of handling a larger workload for the Cubs, if needed. He spent 672 innings behind the dish last year, 379 innings in 2023, and over 700 innings in both 2022 and 2021. Offensively, he has a career .224/.307/.373 slash line with an 86 OPS+.
At this time, Kelly is a perfect player to pair with a younger catcher like Amaya. Kelly has been around the block, can help guide Amaya as to what is required to be a MLB catcher, but also can shoulder the load if needed.
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