A Star In The Making?

Back in 2004, the Phillies used their 4th round pick (122nd overall) on a quarterback (yes, a QB) out of Coronado High School in Scottsdale, AZ named Lou Marson. Marson was immediately converted into a catcher and his trip throught the minor leagues began. Marson was assigned to the Gulf Coast League that season and immediately did well. He batted .257 in 38 games with the Gulf Coast League Phillies and demonstrated signs of what has become his trademark as a prospect: getting on base. He walked 13 times in 113 ABs giving him a .333 OBP. In 2005 he quickly progressed as a 19 year-old to Short Season Single-A Batavia where he continued to get on base and play above average defense for the MuckDogs. He batted a somewhat low .247 that season in 6o games, but he continued to get on base gathering 27 BBs in 220 ABs. In 2006 he moved up another level to Lakewood (A-) and his progress continued. He increased his BB/AB total for the 3rd straight season despite moving up a level each year and he continued to contribute plus defense behind the plate. The only major criticism of him at this point was his lack of power. While he had been getting on base, he was not hitting the ball over the fence nor was he batting above the .250 range. Despite this criticism, his other attributes assured his promotion to Clearwater in 2007. Marson's 2007 campaign was a wakeup call for both Marson and the Phillies Front Office. Before 2007, Marson was a nice prospect that projected as a utility catcher behind fellow prospect C Jason Jaramillo or as a decent backup in the Majors. After his 07 season, Marson started to look more and more like a star player in the making. He maintained his walk rate while adding 40 points to his batting average. In 111 games he posted a .288 AVG with a .373 OBP. He also kept his strike-out rate down, whiffing only 80 times in 393 ABs. All of a sudden, Marson was showing the potential to be an everyday player in the majors. He was succeeding as a 20 year-old catcher in High A ball. As a 21 year-old this year, he was slotted to be the everyday catcher at AA Reading where the Phillies had high hopes that he would build on his very successful 2007 campaign while jumping another level in the minors. The jump between A+ ball and AA ball is considered the most difficult transition a young prospect can make and it usually separates the wheat from the chaff when it comes to prospects. Marson, however, shot out of the gate in Reading. So far, it looks as though Marson has managed to put everything together this season and he is off to a torrid start.

His line through the first two months is as follows:

G: 43
AB: 148
R: 24
H: 51
2B: 10
HR: 2
RBI: 32
BB: 31
SO: 33
AVG: .345 (1st in the EL)
OBP: .458 (2nd in the EL)
OPS: .912 (7th in the EL)

He has continued to get on base, but his batting average is now in the stratosphere. He's up 60 points from last season despite making the hardest jump in the minors from A to AA. Combined with outstanding defense on his part (39% caught stealing) and you now have a great prospect who's only 21 going on 22. If he can keep up his production this season, he will be a very valuable piece to have in the organization. Considering the age of the current catchers in front of him (Coste is 35, Ruiz is 29) and his ability, he'll likely be in Philly sooner rather than later. Depending on what happens this off-season, Marson could easily have an invitation to camp next Spring followed by a mid-season call-up if he continues to show this much potential. One thing is for certain: C Lou Marson is now on the map.