SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — When he was still too teeny to tip the turnstiles, Tony Wolters watched the Padres in San Diego with a spotlight in his head, always focusing his big-league dream on a different player, one at a time.
Tony Gwynn. Ryan Klesko. Khalil Greene and Mark Loretta. Wolters wanted to be all of them, he wanted to play everywhere.
“As a kid, you don’t care where you play. You just want to play baseball with your buds,” Wolters said.
He’s about to get his chance.
Wolters was a longshot for the big leagues even last week — but his unlikely rise through spring training netted the young catcher a Rockies opening-day roster spot.
Colorado manager Walt Weiss on Tuesday decided Wolters, a 23-year-old who has never played above Double-A, will be the club’s backup catcher when the season opens next week. The Rockies decided on Wolters because of his versatility — they can move him from catcher to middle infielder.
“It’s kind of cool how this is all turning out for me,” Wolters said. “It’s turning into more of a kids game. ‘Oh, you’re going to play second. All right, shortstop. Now go catch.’ That’s all you can do. Take the game for what it is — it’s a kids game. Do your best. I just want to play.”
The Rockies optioned presumptive backup catcher Dustin Garneau to Triple-A. As recently as last week, it seemed Garneau had locked up the spot playing behind starting catcher Nick Hundley.
But Wolters became indispensable because of his versatility. The Rockies will use him primarily as a backup catcher, but in extra-inning games, and in emergencies, he could play middle infield, Weiss said.
“It’s quite a story,” Weiss said of Wolters. “We didn’t know the kid until spring training started. Over the course of six weeks, he won a lot of people over. That’s hard to do in this game.”
Wolters barely made it to spring training. Cleveland designated him for assignment Feb. 12, right before camp started. The Rockies claimed him off waivers six days later. And he wasn’t even a catcher until two years ago, when Cleveland manager Terry Francona asked him to switch.
“He’s done a really nice job behind the plate, as far as his receiving and his throwing,” said Weiss. “And his ability to think along with the pitcher and the game.”
Weiss said the Rockies, when looking for a catcher, focus primarily on his defense. He called Wolters’ ability to throw out runners as “elite.” But Wolters impressed at the plate too. He’s hitting .429 in spring, although in about half as many at-bats at Garneau.
“As a kid, I grew up dreaming of playing on a big-league field,” Wolters said. “And now I get to. I talked to my dad today — it was very emotional. Now it’s time to get my emotions straight because it’s time to work even harder.”
Wolters will likely start about two times a week, to spell Hundley. Against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday, Wolters doubled and walked twice. He’s hitting 6-of-8 with four doubles in the past four days.
“I’m very honored to play behind Nick Hundley,” Wolters said at his locker Tuesday morning. Just then, Hundley walked up behind him.
“With,” Hundley said. “With me.”
Nick Groke: ngroke@denverpost.com or @nickgroke
