Forget Tony Two-Bags, or T-Dubs.
You want a nickname that truly gets to the heart of who Tony Wolters is as a player, and the grinding behind his all-star-caliber season?
Tony Papers.
It’s a moniker the Rockies catcher earned from teammates as a rookie in 2016 for his tendency to carry around a fat stack of highlighted, marked-up scouting reports. And it’s one that, during Wolters’ breakout season, epitomizes the maturation of a former top prospect into a bonafide, everyday major-leaguer.
“He’s improved in lots of different ways, and it all goes back to his preparation and his work ethic,” Rockies catching coach Mike Redmond said. “The way he blocks (the ball) to save runs, the way he receives, the way he’s continued to improve each year whether statistically, it shows it or not. The impact he has on our team is huge, because he’s been a difference-maker in the way he plays defense and the way he controls our (pitching) staff.”
His bat has suddenly clicked, too.
Wolters, who hit a team-low .170 last year, is hitting .305 with one home run, 23 RBIs and a .376 on-base percentage heading into the weekend. After serving primarily in a back-up role the past several seasons, Wolters’ surge enabled him to overtake opening day starter Chris Iannetta for the No. 1 catching spot early this season.
“This is who he is, and I believed this is who he was last year and the years before that while playing against him,” Iannetta said. “Offensively, he struggled last year, but anybody who’s played the game has struggled … So I don’t see his performance this season as a jump, I see it as a return to who he is.”
A 27-year-old former third-round draft pick by the Indians in 2010 out of Rancho Buena Vista High (Vista, Calif.), Colorado claimed Wolters off waivers in February 2016 after Cleveland designated him for assignment. Since then, the converted infielder’s endeared himself to both the LoDo fanbase and the Colorado pitching staff with his plus-defense.
“His pitch-calling has grown very confident, and I know there’s a lot of studying behind that. There’s not too many times I find myself second-guessing what he’s putting down,” setup man Scott Oberg said. “That, in combination with the pitch-blocking ability and the fact he’s throwing a lot of guys out (at a 34 percent clip), he does all the things an all-star catcher does.”
While Wolters definitely didn’t get much love from fans in the all-star ballot — he finished seventh in the primary round, over 1.2 million votes behind first-place Willson Contreras of the Cubs — Rockies manager Bud Black believes the catcher’s profile is starting to rise around the game.
“I think he was underrated, for sure, in (all-star voting),” Black said. “Tony’s a little bit under the radar, but those coaches and managers I’ve talked to realize Tony’s growing on everybody … He’s starting to get recognized a little bit from people inside the game.”
That recognition — no doubt helped out by his notable game-winning hit in the 13th inning of Colorado’s wild-card win against the Cubs at Wrigley Field last October — has also been accelerated by Wolters’ refined offensive approach, which has led to his huge spike in average.
Specifically, Wolters made slight adjustments to his stance and hand positioning and coupled those technical tweaks with an all-fields, line-drive approach.
“I had an open stance, so I worked on getting to where I’m not open as much,” Wolters said. “I might be a tick open this year, but I’m more straight on, more on my legs and I’m trying to keep my head as still as possible. I’ve stayed with that approach, and I’ve been stubborn towards it, and that brought me a lot of confidence this year.”
Wolters has also emerged as an emotional cog for a Rockies team that has been on a roller-coaster.
Right-handed starter Jon Gray noted the catcher’s “body language has become a lot different. You can tell he believes he’s a leader out there, which he is.”
Iannetta said, “Beside from home runs, he’s out-performing almost everybody (for National League catchers). He deserves a nod, because he should be rewarded for the season he’s having. He’s having an all-star season.”
Whether Wolters can earn a spot at July 9th’s game at Progressive Field in Cleveland will depend on the player/coach ballot, which selects the reserves. Either way, Wolters said his attention remains on helping Colorado reach the playoffs for a third consecutive season.
“I’m blessed to call this beautiful game of baseball my job,” he said. “The team success is all I’m focused on. There’s also room for individual growth, and I feel like I’m taking the necessary actions to keep growing in my game. I’m planning on playing for a while.”
