11/11/26 : Annual Phillies Minor League Player Notes - Catchers - Part One
Written by Steve Potter
This Phillies off-season I continue the series “Annual Phillies Minor League Player Notes” with profiles presented in groupings by defensive positions for the players who were still part of the minor league player development program at season’s end. The notes will reflect statistics, my thoughts on each player and input from them and others as I have it. They are presented in order by position and then alphabet in groupings of five players per article. Here is part one - catchers - highlighting the following :
Anderson Araujo
Luis Caicuto
Rey Cruz
Luke Davis
Jordan Dissin
Anderson Araujo - 18 years old (19 on 4/8/27) - signed as an international free agent - 1/15/25 - Barquisimeto, VZ
2026 Stats : RH hitter - played in 34 games (142 plate appearances) with the FCL Phillies - .280/.401/.356 slash line and .757 OPS, 24 runs, 5 doubles, 2 triples, 11 RBIs and 42 total bases. Didn’t officially go on the IL but was sidelined in April with shoulder pain and in June with a quad strain. Threw out 6 of 19 base stealers (31 %).
2026 Notes : was a full year and a half younger than the average age of position players in the 2026 FCL - finished the season strong with a .309/.424/.364 slash line in 55 June AB’s before being sidelined the balance of the year. Was noted for a power bat with home run potential before signing, he hit seven HR’s in the DSL in 2025 - has shown a strong arm, good instincts and leadership behind the plate. Nagging injuries were cause for lost time this past season. Has tools to advance.
2027 Outlook : likely return to the FCL to begin the year with an upward projection.
Luis Caicuto - 23 years old (24 on 3/5/27) - acquired in minor league rule 5 draft - 12/6/23 - RH hitter
2026 Stats : RH hitter - spent the majority of the year at Jersey Shore - played in 52 games (205 PA’s) recording a .244/.363/.396 slash line and .759 OPS with 23 runs, 10 doubles, 5 home runs, 29 RBIs, 8 stokes bases, 32 walks and 30 strikeouts - 65 total bases. Promoted to Reading 7/31 - played in 11 games (37 plate appearances) - .273/.333/.455 slash line, .788 OPS, 3 doubles, 1 HR, 8 RBIs, 7 K’s, 3 BB, 15 total bases. Made a cursory game appearance with Lehigh Valley in September when they were short handed - went 2 for 4 with a stolen base. Overall numbers - 64 games (246 PA’s) - .254/.361/.408 slash line, .769 OPS, 31 runs, 51 hits, 13 doubles, 6 home runs, 37 RBIs, 35 BB, 38 K’s, 82 total bases. Defensively played in 49 games as a receiver - threw out 19 of 79 base stealers (24 %) - also played a couple games at 1B and 12 as a DH - filled in at 2B and LF (two innings each) when needed.
2026 Notes : Luis was originally signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks on 7/2/19 from Lecheria, Venezuela. He’s a spark plug with good defensive skills and loves the game of baseball. He previously told me “It’s the sport I love and enjoy it from the beginning of the day until it ends, sharing with my teammates, learning new things every day is the most fun of all this.” Every occasion I’ve had to speak with him he’s always been upbeat. When given chances to play he has performed well. He’s a young man who has the leadership qualities required to play the catching position. Was part of Reading’s championship run, had some key hits and played solid defense in his time there - even returned for the championship series after spending a week filling in at Lehigh Valley. Just a really good person to have on a squad who’s team oriented plus has skills to play as well. Is playing for Team Venezuela in the WBC Under-23 tournament.
2027 Outlook : was eligible for free agency but instead re-signed with the Phillies. Likely heads back to Reading as part of the catching corps.
Rey Cruz - 18 years old (19 on 2/3/27) - signed as an international free agent 5/16/25 - Cuba
2026 Stats : Switch Hitter - spent the majority of the season on the IL - came stateside on 4/1 - went on 60 day IL 5/1 with an elbow issue. Was activated on 7/2 - played in six games in the FCL - 18 plate appearances - 5 runs, 5 hits, 1 double, 3 RBIs, 5 walks, 3 strikeouts, 6 total bases - .385/.556/.462 slash line and 1.018 OPS. Defensively threw out 2 of 15 base stealers (13 %). Only his second year as a pro - had a solid first year playing in the DSL - .273/.394/.291 slash line in 132 PA’s with a .685 OPS.
2026 Notes : he’s a line drive gap to gap type hitter - smaller in stature than others - plays with energy, takes charge.
2027 Outlook : likely returns to the FCL for a full season.
Luke Davis - 23 years old (24 on 1/9/27) - signed un-drafted free agent - 7/23/24 - Long Beach CC, California
2026 Stats : Switch Hitter - spent the majority of the season on the IL with a hamate injury missing the months of July and August. Played in 45 games with Jersey Shore (184 PA’s) posting a .205/.370/.342 slash line and .712 OPS, 14 runs, 30 hits, 4 home runs, 23 RBIs, 38 walks and 48 strikeouts, 50 total bases. Defensively at Jersey Shore threw out 8 of 39 base stealers (21%). Assigned to play in the Arizona Fall League to play for Scottsdale - to date has posted a .324/.537/.459 slash line and .996 OPS in 14 games (54 PA’s) with 12 hits, 12 runs scored, 2 doubles, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 17 walks and 10 strikeouts.
2026 Notes : he’s from Cypress, California and graduated from Cypress High School. He attended Santa Ana College, Orange Coast College and Long Beach City College before signing with the Phillies. Has pop from both sides of the plate. Is a very patient hitter, works the count and gets walked a lot - has a career .379 OBP in 475 PA’s. As a catcher he’s got a very strong throwing arm with a quick release. Has much more talent than his two year career batting average of .189 indicates - has the capability to blossom into a productive player on both offense and defense if can garner extended playing time.
2027 Outlook : could return to Jersey Shore else open with Reading.
Jordan Dissin - 24 years old (25 on 5/29/27) - drafted in 12th round of the 2022 draft from Saddleback JC, CA
2026 Stats : RH Hitter - played at both Reading and Lehigh Valley. In 37 games with Reading (125 PA’s) had a .184/.240/.263 slash line and .503 OPS, 21 hits, 11 runs, 6 doubles, 1 HR, 12 RBIs, 9 walks and 37 K’s. Transferred to Lehigh Valley 7/27 - played in 8 games - 30 PA’s - .172/.200/.172 with a .372 OPS as the team’s third receiver. Defensively threw out 11 of 39 base stealers (28 %).
2026 Notes : he’s from Malvern, PA and graduated from Malvern Prep HS. Originally attended the University of Richmond before transferring to Saddleback after one season. He’s a strong defensive catcher with a very good throwing arm and technique, quick pop times. Has struggled offensively the past three seasons, swing gets long and has been prone to strikeouts - plays with good energy and is well respected. The majority of his time this season was in a reserve catcher role.
2027 Outlook : needs to hit to garner more PA’s - likely assigned to either Reading or Lehigh Valley.
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