Kern: Rupp's upside better than expected for Phillies

In any season, there are going to be surprises, both ways. So why should the Phillies' 2016 ride be an exception? Since there weren't any expectations to begin with, I try to focus on the good ones. Which means you hope that Aaron Nola's troubles after a promising start are mostly a blip on the old radar screen moving forward. But it's a funny thing with top prospects. Some turn out to be Maikel Franco, while others become Domonic Brown.

This year, who figured that Jeanmar Gomez was going to be in the mid-30s in saves with a month to go? Or that Cesar Hernandez would be leading the team in hitting at almost .300? Hey, you've got to take them whenever and wherever you uncover them.

Which brings me to the case for Cameron Rupp.

The 27-year-old catcher never excited me much. And apparently I was hardly alone in that sentiment. Don't get me wrong -- I didn't dislike him; I just felt there were certain limitations on his upside. I didn't see him as someone who could start for you maybe like 100 or so times, if not more, and pretty much hold his own. I saw him more as a guy you'd probably like to have on your team, but mainly as a defensive-first kind of backup who could help you out here and there. And you need those kind of guys on a 25-man roster. Yet that was about it. He could have a role, but it would be relatively minor.

I might have to re-think my assessment. And so might the Phillies. And there's nothing bad about that.

Even though it's still a small sample size, Rupp has shown he could have more to give than the consensus originally projected. And best of all, he just seems like one of those real professional types who are always worth having around anyway regardless of production. Now the numbers are turning out to be a very welcome plus.

It's one thing to be a steady receiver with a strong arm who's probably a valued locker-room presence. It's another to bring some pop into the equation, especially at a position that doesn't necessarily demand it.

Yes, he struggled at the plate in April and May. Since then, not so much. He's batting .267, with 14 home runs and 43 RBI. Not shabby, particularly in this lineup. He has played in 83 games, about the same number as all of last season, when he finished with 9 HRs and 28 RBI. That's something. And of course, he's still throwing out base-stealers at close to a 40 percent clip.

The Phils have two catching prospects in their farm system in Andrew Knapp and Jorge Alfaro (who's even considered a Top 100 minor-leaguer), who could be their No. 1 guy at some point. Maybe even soon. But instead of being just a bridge to that future, Rupp has at least given everyone something to think about it. And that's a nice problem to have, because you can never have enough.

I don't know how this is all going to play out over the next year or so. And possibly, neither do the Phils. That's how it is with these scenarios sometimes. But if the worst that happens is Rupp is still getting the bulk of the time behind the plate, well that doesn't sound as such a pedestrian proposition as it once might have sounded.

Good for him. And good for them. It's one surprise we call can live with. Because there's always something to be said for outkicking the coverage.

@mikekerndn