Less prominent than flashy trade acquisitions like Yuu Suzuki and Sakutaro Kawano but equally important in San Fernando's early season success has been 24 year-old catcher Augusto Annis. Through two months of play Annis boasts the third highest WAR for any catcher in the Frick. He's slashing .302/.309/.591 with 26 XBHs while maintaining his stellar reputation as a pitch framer. The Bears have slowly moved him up in the batting order to where today he's regularly batting 6th and helping to drive-in the top half of their potent lineup.
Annis was a first round pick out of high school by Rocky Mountain way back in 2054. He was traded to San Fernando midseason two years later in exchange for Pepe Espinosa. After coming to SFB hIs minor league production didn't immediately stand out, but beginning with his promotion to AA in 2057 he started to figure into the big league team's plans. Since debuting in 2059 as a 22 year-old, Annis has done most of the talking with his glove while hitting for a decent batting average. Long averse to taking a walk, the newfound power in his game gives him a chance to join the upper echelon at his position.
Catcher is a crowded position the Frick Pacific. It includes such prominent names as Sacramento's John Kinsella, Portland's Allan Uecker, Bikini's Pedro Jimenez, and Long Beach's Rhys Atticus. In fact, Hawaii's Jeff Appleton is the only primary catcher in the division who doesn't have at least a 10 catcher ability rating and he has 1.6 WAR! Only Des Moines's Masakado Matsunaga offers any real competition for a spot at catcher on the Frick League all-star roster.
