Marlins NRI Bennett Hostetler talks catcher conversion, swing adjustments

[Kevin Barral]

Bennett Hostetler shares his excitement going into his first career big league camp.

JUPITER, FL —When pitchers and catchers reported last Thursday, one of the new faces in the Miami Marlins clubhouse was 26-year-old Bennett Hostetler. Drafted by the Marlins in 2021 as an infielder, Hostetler was quickly converted to a catcher the following offseason. He made it to the Double-A level this past year and slashed .249/.371/.481/.851 with 14 home runs, 42 RBIs and a 128 wRC+ in his 71 games there.

Although this is Hostetler's third spring training as a professional, this is his first with the major league team, which he is extremely honored to be a part of:

"It was really cool for me. You get a phone call when I was just expecting coming down to go to minor league spring training, but to have the opportunity to be a part of this clubhouse for however long I'm here is a cool experience. I'm excited for myself and hopefully I'm on my way to whatever spot I get."

 

 

After getting off to a great start at Low-A/High-A in 2021, Hostetler hit a wall in 2022. Playing all of his defensive innings behind the plate with High-A Beloit, he slashed .232/.316/.358/.674 with nine home runs, 53 RBIs and a 91 wRC+. His production was especially limited in home games (.232/.297/.316/.613 slash line).

In 2023, Hostetler slumped badly at the very start of the season, but he received the promotion to Double-A Pensacola anyway.

An overall better approach at the plate seems to have been what worked for the catcher/infielder. After only having a 2.9 BB% in Beloit, Hostetler increased that up to a 13.3 BB%. The K% went up just a tad bit. Along with showing more power, it seemed as though he finally found a good rhythm behind the plate as the backup to Will Banfield. By the end of the season, the Blue Wahoos used him as their primary first baseman to keep his bat in the lineup.

"Sometimes all it takes is getting to a new location," said Hostetler when we spoke to him last Thursday. "I changed a couple things with my swing, made a couple adjustments to give myself a better chance to be on time for pitches and to do some damage."

Hostetler has learned a lot going into his third spring camp as a pro, especially behind the plate.

"For starters, I think just how fast everyone throws," said Hostetler. "You see it when you're hitting, but it's a lot different when you're catching. For me, it was just being able to control the pitching staff, to learn how to call a game, the ins and outs of catching that I wouldn't have normally thought of when I was playing in the infield."

"I am happy with how far I've come catching-wise," added Hostetler, "but obviously there's still a long way to go."

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