Jake (Philadelphia): With Andrew Knapp's good season, and Jorge Alfaro coming over in the Hamels trade, who do you think the catcher of the future is for the Phillies?
Al Skorupa: Well, I think there's a strong chance it's neither guy, but they both have a shot. Dealing with Knapp first, I don't know he does enough with the glove or bat to profile as an everyday player. He's solid on both ends and he'll play in the bigs, but he's a below average defender who doesn't throw well (though I saw better from his as an amateur, pre-TJ). He's got some pop, but for me he's kind of straddling that line of offensive minded backup catcher... and that's a tough nut to crack. Alfaro I really don't have a lot of history with, but I've encountered more and more people who don't think he will catch. If so, he might just be a solid RF type. I like to phrase things in the context of how I would do things rather than what I think teams will do... I'd want a better defender for my everyday catcher of the future.