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Cards won’t utilize Kelly as backup catcher
- Updated: December 6, 2016
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — General manager John Mozeliak said Monday the Cardinals are leaning toward having 22-year-old catcher Carson Kelly begin the 2017 season in the Minors, which means that the club will remain engaged in the catching market this offseason.
The Cardinlas’ decision to release Brayan Pena before the final year of his contract thrust Kelly to second on the Cardinals’ catching depth chart. He showed promise as a big-league catcher during a September cameo, but the Cardinals are concerned about the possibility of stunting Kelly’s development if he were to play sparingly as Yadier Molina’s backup.
“Clearly, he’s a talented young man and will eventually get his opportunity,” Mozeliak said Kelly, the organization’s11th-ranked prospect, according to MLBPipeline.com. “I think, in fairness, we’ve always erred on the continue-to-develop side.”
The Cardinals do still have Alberto Rosario within the organization, and he is considered a backup option. Rosario served as Molina’s backup throughout the second half of the 2016 season. But the Cardinals would like to enhance that depth.
Pitching pursuit?
Though the Cardinals still have some unsettled …
