Kansas City Royals catching prospect Matt Tupman, by his own admission, had a lot to learn when he began his professional career in short season Spokane in 2002.
“Looking back, I thought I knew everything back then,” Tupman said. “Early in my career, I was always concerned about offense. Now, offense is second to calling a good game.”
Since 2002, Tupman’s development has been very traditional as he has progressed through each level since starting in short season class A ball.
In 2003 with Burlington, his offensive numbers were nothing impressive, batting .223, with 12 doubles, 2 homeruns, and 38 RBIs in his second professional season.
“I think I’m hitting my stride offensively and my numbers are a little better,” Tupman said. “At the upper levels, you have to have a good mental approach. The season is a marathon. You have to know that you are going to struggle and really stick with it.”
The 2004 season was significant for Tupman, who had a breakout offensive year playing for the Wilmington Blue Rocks in the Carolina League by batting .301, with 24 doubles, 3 home runs, and 34 RBIs.
He earned a promotion in 2005 to the Texas League, playing for the class AA Wichita Wranglers, where he batted .263, with 16 doubles, 2 homers, and 32 RBIs, got him an invitation to the Arizona Fall League in 2005.
“I felt I did well. That was a really good experience for me, playing against the best-of-the-best of the minor leagues at that point,” Tupman said. “I did well. It was a really big confidence builder for me, given that I am not a really high draft pick and was able to hold my own against that caliber of player.”
In the last three seasons, Tupman has been invited to the Kansas City Royals’ spring training and has gained valuable experiences that have helped him in 2006. Tupman is currently batting .301, with a homerun, and 31 RBIs in a repeat season in the AA Texas League.
“I’ve learned that, as a catcher, my value is to the pitching staff,” Tupman said. “Being a catcher, you aren’t going to get a lot of notoriety but a pitching staff knows a good catcher.”
If Tupman can continue over the .300 mark in Double-A, we expect him to have the potential to advance to the next level by the beginning of 2007. If he has some sort of breakout year, or there are a lot of injuries, a major league stint would not be out of the question. He debuts on the MLN FAB50 Baseball 2006 rankings at 47.
