Towles, a catcher, has played in parts of five seasons in the majors and has posted a horrific .187/.267/.315 triple slash.
Towles, 29, is nothing more than minor-league depth, if you consider a catcher who can't hit depth. He has a career .284/.381/.453 line in the minors and had a .942 OPS in 19 games with the Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals Triple-A affiliate) this season. He played in the Twins' minor-league system in 2011.
With Tim Federowicz ripping up Triple-A pitching, he shouldn't be long for the Pacific Coast League. Matt Wallach is the Isotopes' backup catcher after the club cut ties with Jesus Flores earlier this month.
The fact the Dodgers signed Towles to any kind of deal shows the complete lack of catching depth in the organization. Perhaps that's an area the Dodgers will address in next week's MLB Draft and the subsequent international signing period.
In theory, Towles is going to Triple-A Albuquerque to replace Federowicz, who should be displacing Ramon Hernandez in Los Angeles. In actuality, Towles is going to replace Matt Wallach, who will be demoted to Double-A and will likely replace Jan Vazquez.
The Dodgers really need Gorman Erickson to regain his flash of goodness from 2011 or for Pratt Maynard to take off behind the plate. Guys like Eric Smith and Tyle Ogle aren't good bets for long-term production behind the plate, even though I like Smith as a potential sleeper going forward.
In theory, Towles is going to Triple-A Albuquerque to replace Federowicz, who should be displacing Ramon Hernandez in Los Angeles. In actuality, Towles is going to replace Matt Wallach, who will be demoted to Double-A and will likely replace Jan Vazquez.
The Dodgers really need Gorman Erickson to regain his flash of goodness from 2011 or for Pratt Maynard to take off behind the plate. Guys like Eric Smith and Tyle Ogle aren't good bets for long-term production behind the plate, even though I like Smith as a potential sleeper going forward.
Photo credit: SBoyd, Flickr
