Current short-season Single-A Auburn manager Patrick Anderson says the Nationals need a lot of catchers at their lower levels so they can build stamina at that spot in the lineup. Catching is a position that can administer wear and tear on bodies over the course of a season, especially for teenagers just getting their first taste of playing pro ball. "That position beats them up," Anderson said. "They are not used to 140 games at the low Single-A level. Those guys can get hurt sometimes....

Taking a deep dive into catching prospects in the Nationals system, I reached out to catching coordinator Michael Barrett, who has been coaching for the organization since 2013 and caught in the majors for 12 seasons. Barrett told me of the sheer numbers he has to work with: The Nats had five catchers in short-season Single-A Auburn last year and as many as 17 catchers from low Single-A Hagerstown on down in the system. The highest rated of the group is Israel Pineda, at No. 14 on the current...

Here is a list of the catchers who attended Nats instructional league: Adalberto Carrillo, Tyler Cropley, Geraldi Diaz, Alex Dunlap, Alejandro Flores, Israel Pineda, Wilmer Perez, Jakson Reetz and Onix Vega. Reetz played 69 games for high Single-A Potomac this past season, hitting .224 with a .324 on-base percentage. He smacked eight doubles and five homers with 27 RBIs. Cropley, an eighth-round selection out of Iowa, split time between the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and short-season...