Thaiss was a catcher in college, but the Angels moved him to different positions for a few years. Now, he’s finally back behind the plate, and he’s succeeding defensively and offensively.
ANAHEIM — It has been a seven-year journey for Matt Thaiss to find himself where, perhaps, he always should have been.
Thaiss, 28, is hitting .269 with a .761 OPS, which is well above the major league average of .688 for a catcher. Defensively, he rates as above average in framing pitches and throwing and he’s average at blocking, according to StatCast. Nevin was also a first-round pick – No. 1 overall, in fact – who took a few years to find his footing in the big leagues, so he can identify with the path that Thaiss took.
The thinking at the time was that Thaiss did not have a strong enough arm to be a major league catcher. Also, the Angels liked his bat so much that they figured he could reach the majors more quickly without worrying about the demands of catching.Mostly playing first base, Thaiss advanced quickly, reaching Double-A in his first full season, in 2017, and getting to the big leagues in 2019. He bounced between the majors and Triple-A for a few years, never really hitting his stride at the plate.
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