Tim Federowicz

The decision to send Federowicz down at the end of camp and keep Drew Butera as the backup essentially came down to Federowicz having options remaining while Butera did not, but it all became moot a week into the season, when starter A.J. Ellis went down with a knee injury. Federowicz was recalled to replace Ellis on the active roster, and he saw the lion's share of the starts over Butera throughout April. He flopped in his extended audition, going just 5-for-46 (.109 average) with two extra-base hits (both doubles) and one RBI in April, ultimately losing his regular job to Miguel Olivo in less than a month's time. Between a few other short stints with the major league club in the months that followed, Federowicz hit .328/.383/.555 with 14 homers in 78 games with Triple-A Albuquerque, adding to his strong track record at that level. However, he logged just 10 at-bats with the big club upon his return in September and is not expected to push for a starting role in 2015 even after being traded to San Diego in December.

In part-time duty for the Dodgers, Federowicz batted just .231/.275/.356. He's had some solid Triple-A seasons, but at this point, Federowicz looks to be a career backup. His solid glove should allow him to log several big league seasons in this role, but it's tough to see him breaking through as a starting catcher any time soon. Federowicz is likely in position to compete with Drew Butera to serve in the backup spot behind A.J. Ellis to begin the year.

Federowicz established himself as a potential future starter in 2012, batting a solid .294/.371/.461 for Triple-A Albuquerque while showing solid defensive skills. He has the ability to be an average offensive catcher given the opportunity, but for now, his best-case scenario is opening with the big club as A.J. Ellis' backup.

The key component for the Dodgers in the trade involving Trayvon Robinson, Federowicz batted .287/.357/.450 across the two highest minor league levels last year, also posting a 1.058 OPS and six home runs in 83 Triple-A at-bats after joining the Dodgers' organization. The 24-year-old should get a chance to compete for a big league spot this spring, but he's more likely to open in Triple-A and join the team sometime during the year. There's some upside here for Federowicz to be a solid No. 2 fantasy catcher.

Federowicz continues to refine the defensive aspects of catching, which are more developed than his bat. He's highly regarded as a handler of pitchers and a game caller, with work still needed on the finer points of blocking balls and receiving. He did show some improved selectivity and patience at the plate in 2010, but still needs to work on this aspect so that he can make consistently good contact on all pitches. He also needs to improve on pitches away, as he remains very much a pull hitter. Federowicz's improvement on offense will determine whether he's everyday starting catcher in MLB.

Federowicz is adavanced defensively with only fine tuning needed in that part of his game. Offensively, he'll need to show more discipline at the plate, laying off tough pitches early in counts and putting himself in better hitting counts. Along with improved plate awareness should come an ability to draw more walks (just 20 BB in 413 at-bats 2009).