Steady hands: Rockies rookie catcher Tony Wolters a whiz at pitch-framing

12:11 PM ET

When you’re the Colorado Rockies and you’ve tried virtually everything to keep your pitchers’ ERAs down and their confidence up when they pitch at Coors Field, you have to consider any new approach with an open mind.

“You have to dream, think outside the box and be creative,” said Rockies assistant general manager Jon Weil.

This year, part of the dream is a 23-year-old catcher who hit .209 with a .570 OPS at Double-A Akron last year, and, 26 games into his major league career, is hitting .187. But rookie backstop Tony Wolters has skills worth savoring. The Rockies are 12-9 when Wolters starts behind the plate (they’re 9-14 when he doesn’t). Their staff ERA is 3.89 in those games, compared to 5.81 when others catch. Wolters has already caught three of the team’s four shutouts.

Who is Tony Wolters?* 24-year-old rookie catcher for Rockies* 3rd-round pick by Indians in 2010* Converted infielder* Among best pitch-framers in MLB

That Wolters is on a major-league team at all is remarkable, and a credit to his defensive talent. Wolters was rehabbing a torn meniscus in his left knee in spring training when he learned the Indians had designated him for assignment. While taking batting practice a couple days later, he was told he’d been claimed by the Rockies.

“We had followed him for three years since he moved [from middle infield] to catcher,” Weil said. “He was a product of multiple looks from three scouts — Ty Coslow, Joe Housey and Mark Germann. I watched a ton of video on him and was in agreement with our scouts. He had some of the best hands we’ve ever seen with regard to reception and pitch-framing.”

The Rockies didn’t expect Wolters to play his way onto the 2016 team. He was considered a prospect, ripe for further development in the minors.

“I didn’t know anything about him,” said Rockies manager Walt Weiss.

But Weiss learned a few things about Wolters within a couple of days. He heard about conversations Wolters had with pitchers about their game plans, and how he told them his job was to make them better (as Wolters said: “It’s about showing them that you care”).

Weiss watched Wolters, who was drafted in 2010 by Cleveland as a middle infielder, take ground balls and turn double plays with a smoothness that made him think Wolters could play second base or shortstop right away. He heard from the front office about Wolters’ character and grit in coming back from injury. And he heard from Wolters himself about his conversion to catcher in an Indians organization stacked with middle-infield depth.

About six weeks later, Weiss and Wolters had another conversation —- this one to tell Wolters he had made the team.

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