Is Clearwater Thresher Sebastian Valle the Phillies' Catcher of the Future?

The Philadelphia Phillies currently employ one of the finest catchers in Major League Baseball and though his offensive numbers have declined a bit in 2011, as the handler of the Phils' prized pitching staff Carlos Ruiz remains one of the linchpins of the Phillies' championship hopes.

Nevertheless, there will come a day when Ruiz is no longer the man behind the plate, and when that day comes, 20-year-old Sebastian Valle, currently of the Clearwater Threshers, may be the guy to replace him.

Valle is a lean machine at 6'1" and only 170 pounds, but in 2010, at the age of 19, Valle displayed some power potential for the first time. He hit 16 home runs and 28 doubles in 117 games at Single-A Lakewood in the South Atlantic League. He got on base at a disappointing .298 clip though, and struck out 101 times in only 485 plate appearances.

This season, though, Valle is off to a torrid start in the high-A Florida State League, hitting .357 with a .521 slugging percentage.

His numbers are a touch deceiving, however, as he has a hilarious 27 strikeouts to go with only two walks in 35 games. He made time to mature as a hitter, and appears to be headed in the wrong direction when it comes to plate patience.

Behind the plate, Valle has handled the majority of the load for a Clearwater pitching staff that currently ranks first in the Florida State League with 2.83 runs allowed per game, compared to a league average of 4.37 and has a 2.62 team ERA compared to a league ERA of 3.83.  

And this is no coincidence: Last season, he handled the majority of the innings for Lakewood when that team led the South Atlantic League in both team ERA and runs allowed per game as well!

His arm does leave a bit to be desired, however: In 2010, he allowed 111 stolen bases in 101 games while throwing out 33 percent of base stealers. This season, he is on pace for another staggering year, having already allowed 31 stolen bases in just 35 games.

Nevertheless, as long as Valle continues to handle pitchers well, continues to develop his power and works taking more than a base on balls per month, he could very well be behind the plate in Citizens Bank Park four years from now.