All-Decade Team (2010-19): Catcher

Leading into what would have been Opening Day of the 2020 season for the Charlotte Knights (April 9), the team's VP of Communications, Tommy Viola, will unveil the Charlotte Knights All-Decade Team (2010-19). Check back each weekday to see who made the team.

CATCHER: JOSH PHEGLEY
Nicknamed "Mr. Indiana" for his solid play in college while at Indiana University, Josh Phegley made his way to the Charlotte Knights in 2011 and hit two home runs in 22 games for the team that season. A year later, the Terre Haute, IN native was Charlotte’s starting catcher for the first of his three consecutive International League All-Star seasons (2012-2014).

In 2012, Phegley jumped out to a quick start with the Knights. In April, he batted .382 (29-76) with a home run and nine RBIs over 19 games. His solid first-half play earned him a spot on the IL All-Star Team. In August, he finished the season strong with .304 batting average, five home runs, and 15 RBIs over 18 games. In all, Phegley hit .266 with six home runs and 48 RBIs for the Knights in 2012 to help lead the team to an 83-win season and a spot in the Governors’ Cup Finals.

Phegley continued to excel with the Knights in 2013. Appearing in 61 games with the Knights, he hit .316 with 15 home runs and 41 RBIs. On July 5, he made his major league debut with the White Sox and drove in two runs against Tampa Bay that day. He went on to appear in 65 games with Chicago in 2013.

As the Knights moved into a new ballpark in Uptown Charlotte in 2014, Phegley was back with the club and ready to compete. In 105 games behind-the-plate that season, Phegley continued to play solid defense and broke-out with the bat. He hit .274 with career-highs in home runs (23) and RBIs (75), which were both second on the team behind only Andy Wilkins. Additionally, his 115 hits were good for third on the team and his 30 doubles and 69 runs scored were second.

AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Phegely was an International League All-Star for three consecutive seasons with the Knights (2012-2014). Additionally, he won both the inaugural Charlotte Knights Community Service Award and the MiLB Rawlings Gold Glove Award in 2012. A year later, he was named to the All Knights Stadium Team in 2013 – a compilation of the best players in Knights Stadium’s 24-year history (1990-2013).

KNIGHTS CAREER CATCHING LEADER
For his Charlotte Knights career, he is the all-time franchise leader for catchers in at-bats (1,123), hits (312), doubles (74), home runs (46), RBIs (170), walks (74), and runs scored (157).

WHERE IS HE NOW
Originally drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 1st round (38th pick) of the 2009 amateur draft, Phegley was traded by the team on December 9, 2014. He was dealt along with Rangel Ravelo, Chris Bassitt, and Marcus Semien to the Oakland Athletics for Jeff Samardzija and Michael Ynoa. In 300 games with the A’s from 2015-19, Phegley hit .233 (200-for-859) with 109 runs scored, 27 home runs and 131 RBIs. More recently, the Chicago Cubs signed Phegley to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training this past offseason.

CATCHING SURGE
In 2019, the Knights – and all of Triple-A Baseball – saw a surge in offensive production. The same could be said for the catching position for the Knights, which had three players excel behind the plate for the team – Zack Collins, Seby Zavala, and Yermín Mercedes. All three players put up tremendous offensive numbers. Collins hit .282 with 19 home runs and 74 RBIs in just 88 games. Zavala accumulated 20 home runs and 45 RBIs in 82 games. Mercedes, who appeared in just 53 games, hit .310 with 17 home runs and 62 RBIs.

OTHER CATCHERS OF THE DECADE
Tyler Flowers represented the Knights at the Triple-A All-Star Game in 2010 and hit 16 home runs with 53 RBIs for the club that season. In 2011, the Georgia native smashed 15 home runs with 32 RBIs in just 65 games. Kevan Smith had a four-year run with the Knights from 2015-18 and finished his Charlotte career with solid numbers. In 190 games, Smith finished with a .259 batting average, 173 hits, 81 runs scored, 18 home runs, and 91 RBIs.