Sisco, Kelly Catch On To Their Adopted Positions

SAN DIEGO—Few knew what to expect from Carson Kelly and Chance Sisco coming out of high school.

Both were second-round draft picks—Kelly in 2012 and Sisco in 2013—but they were men without positions in a sense, drafted to be developed as catchers despite little experience behind the plate.

Could they catch at the professional level, and how long would it take for them to master the game’s most demanding position? Those were questions teams could guess about, but none could answer definitively.

That is what made the duo’s presence at the Futures Game on Sunday all the more impressive. Not only that Kelly and Sisco were there, but that they were there as the only two catchers selected to represent the United States in baseball’s premier prospect showcase.

“It definitely is pretty amazing being selected for the Futures Game,” Sisco said. “Looking around at the talent in the locker room right now, it’s pretty exciting.”

That they are a part of that talent as catchers was never a given.

Kelly was a standout shortstop and pitcher at of Portland’s Westview High and drafted No. 86 overall by the Cardinals in 2012. St. Louis officially drafted him as a third baseman, but put him behind the plate as soon as he reported to the instructional league.

The last time Kelly had caught, he was in the eighth grade.

“They liked me at third but they were like ‘Hey, this catching thing may be good for you,’” Kelly said. “I’m pretty sure they might’ve thought of me as a catcher before I got drafted.”

Sisco did catch in high school, unlike Kelly, but only for his senior year. He was a shortstop at Corona (Calif.) Santiago High as a junior before moving to catcher for his final year. He got by on his athleticism, but the fundamentals of catching were new and he was admittedly unpolished when the Orioles drafted him No. 60 overall.

“Receiving, footowork, throwing, I had to learn it,” Sisco said. “I look back and it’s kind of crazy to think where I started at.”

Despite starting from the same unfamiliar base, both have largely developed successfully—albeit differently—in their professional careers.

Kelly, who measures 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, entered the Futures Game with a subpar .245/.303/.365 career slash line but has been a standout defensively, with a .994 fielding percentage and 33 percent caught-stealing rate this season at Double-A Springfield.

“The biggest thing has been learning to get down and catch for an extended period of time,” Kelly said. “That as much as anything physical.”

Sisco, who is 6-2, 195 pounds, has excelled offensively at every level and boasts a .322/.401/.427 career line, but remains a work in progress defensively with a career .986 fielding percentage and 23 percent caught-stealing rate.

That was on display in the Futures Game, when he hit an opposite-field home run to left-center at cavernous Petco Park, but also had a throwing error into center field on a stolen base attempt.

“I do feel like I’m getting better each year,” Sisco said. “All the instructors to the major league guys like Matt Wieters, everyone in the Orioles organization has done something to help.”

Both are now 21 and at Double-A. Most encouragingly, both are improving their previous weaknesses. Kelly is in the midst of the his best offensive season with a .287 average and .740 OPS, while Sisco is on pace for his fewest passed balls and best fielding percentage and caught-stealing rate.

It’s all been part of the transition for the two prospects, who have gone from question marks to donning the catchers gear for their country in the Futures Game.

“You start from the beginning and you figure it out from there,” Kelly said. “So far, it’s working.”