Posted on Sat, Jul. 12, 2008
READING - Lou Marson is about as disciplined as a quarterback-turned-baseball-player can be.
The catcher leads the Eastern League with a .447 on-base percentage. The next closest, entering last night's games, trailed by 18 points.
Marson can't explain it.
"I don't know," he said. "I'm just trying to have good at-bats and see the ball.
"And have fun."
Marson, who turned 22 on June 26, is having plenty of fun in what is becoming a breakout season. Entering last night, he led the league in walks, with 60. He was tied for fourth with a .323 batting average.
Reading will send Marson and three teammates to New York for tomorrow's All-Star Futures Game at Yankee Stadium. Pitcher Carlos Carrasco, shortstop Jason Donald, and outfielder Greg Golson also were selected.
Marson may be the biggest surprise. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native was a quarterback in high school, recruited by Utah and Boise State, among others, until he suffered a broken collarbone during his senior year. Baseball merely filled the time between football seasons.
The Phillies saw plenty of upside and selected Marson in the fourth round of the 2004 draft. He spent full seasons in the Gulf Coast League and with Batavia, Lakewood and Clearwater with modest success. Not once before this season did he have an on-base percentage above .373.
Steve Noworyta, the Phillies' director of minor leagues, said Marson's progress at the plate this season was a sign of maturation.
"It's things the scouts had projected when they signed him," Noworyta said. "It was just a matter of time with him."
Noworyta said the plan was to keep Marson at double-A Reading for the rest of the season, even with the platoon of Carlos Ruiz and Chris Coste struggling at the major-league level. If any catcher is added as a September call-up, it could be Jason Jaramillo, who is hitting .255 at triple-A Lehigh Valley. Jaramillo also is on the 40-man roster.
The Phillies want to see Marson's improved bat for a full season. He knows that.
"I plan on being here [with Reading] all year," he said. "If I'm not, great."
Front-office personnel from Toronto, among other teams, have recently scouted Reading. Noworyta acknowledged the interest in Marson as part of a possible deadline deal.
"Oh, yeah," he said. "Any time you have someone, especially at the premium position of catcher, you're always going to have interest."
But the Phillies will think twice about including him in any deal, considering the future depth at catcher. Noworyta said there's no doubt the team would like to keep him, as he has potential.
He started catching only in his junior year of high school, but since being drafted he has handled some of the team's top pitching prospects with success. He has thrown out nearly 40 percent of would-be base stealers. Not bad for a guy who went from the glamorous position of quarterback to the gritty role of catcher.
"The pitchers love throwing to him," Noworyta said. "Defensively, we're very happy with what he calls. Right now, he's really starting to become a total player."
Phillies' Finest on the Farm
These are the Phillies' top 10 prospects as rated by Baseball America:
1. Carlos Carrasco, RHP
2. Adrian Cardenas, 2B
3. Joe Savery, LHP
4. Josh Outman, LHP
5. Kyle Drabek, RHP
6. Dominic Brown, OF
7. Greg Golson, OF
8. Lou Marson, C
9. Drew Carpenter, RHP
10. Jason Jaramillo, C
Contact staff writer Matt Gelb
at 215-854-4550 or mgelb@phillynews.com.
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