Ed Easley

WTM’S PIRATE PLAYER PROFILES

2007
A-:  250/319/419, 124 AB, 1 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 9 BB, 30 K, 1-1 SB

Easley debuted in short season ball, dividing his time between catcher and DH.  He showed good power but not such good plate discipline.  Baseball America rated him the Diamondbacks’ 19th best prospect after the season.

2008
A+:  247/313/336, 453 AB, 20 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 42 BB, 106 K, 1-2 SB

The Diamondbacks moved Easley up to the California League and, in spite of the high-offense environment, he didn’t hit much.  He spent most of his time catching and threw out 28% of base stealers, but he also played a dozen games at first.  He had trouble with passed balls, committing 23.  BA ranked him 29th in the Arizona system.

2009
A+:  228/324/304, 378 AB, 18 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 48 BB, 86 K, 0-1 SB

Arizona sent Easley back to high A, where he struggled even more at the plate apart from improved plate discipline.  He caught only 53 games–with a 36% CS rate–appearing in 23 at first and 11 at third.

2010
AA:  259/335/315, 162 AB, 6 2B, 1 HR, 19 BB, 36 K, 5-7 SB
AAA:  188/235/250, 48 AB, 3 2B, 3 BB, 14 K

Easley moved up to AA, where he served as the backup catcher and played a few games at first and third.  He continued to struggle at the plate.  Arizona moved him up to AAA for the season’s last month.

2011
AA:  273/352/370, 289 AB, 16 2B, 4 HR, 32 BB, 53 K, 1-3 SB

The D’backs sent Easley back to AA, where he caught about half the time and threw out 32%.  He improved significantly at the plate, including very solid plate discipline.

2012
AA:  265/356/328, 204 AB, 7 2B, 2 HR, 31 BB, 30 K, 1-2 SB

Easley spent another season sharing the catching duties in AA.  He hit about the same as the previous year, but with little power.

2013
AAA:  334/394/478, 293 AB, 22 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 28 BB, 50 K, 2-4 SB

Easley moved up to AAA, catching a little over half the time and throwing out 36%.  He broke out at the plate, some but not all of it probably due to the good hitting environment in the Pacific Coast League.  He became a free agent after the season and signed with the Cardinals.

2014
AAA:  296/359/473, 277 AB, 17 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 22 BB, 46 K, 0-4 SB

Easley continued to hit well and also threw out 42% of base stealers.  The Cardinals were impressed enough to add him to their 40-man roster after the season.

2015
AAA:  251/345/337, 279 AB, 12 2B, 4 HR, 39 BB, 44 K, 1-3 SB
MLB:  000/000/000, 6 AB, 1 K

Easley spent most of the season in AAA, where his hitting tailed off, although he continued to show excellent plate discipline.  His throwing also wasn’t as good as previously, as he caught only 15% of base stealers.  He got several callups and appeared in four games with St. Louis, including one start.  The Cardinals removed him from their 40-man roster after the season and he became a free agent.

Easley most likely will serve in a backup role at Indianapolis, although it’s not clear how much playing time he’ll get.  The Pirates expect to have Elias Diaz and Jacob Stallings in AAA, although the Diaz will open the season on the disabled list.  They also should have Reese McGuire and Jin-De Jhang in AA, so there shouldn’t be much playing time there.