Chattanooga Lookouts catcher Tyler Stephenson cuts up with teammates in the dugout before Thursday's game against the Montgomery Biscuits at AT&T Field.The nucleus of this season's Chattanooga Lookouts reached the Single-A Midwest League's semifinals two years ago and played in the high Single-A Florida State League championship series last September.
They have known nothing but winning seasons in their baseball development, and catcher Tyler Stephenson expects that to continue in Double-A.
"I think we're going to be good at everything," Stephenson said. "From being with the same guys these last two years, when all of us are together, it's pretty special. Hopefully we can stay together as long as we can."
Chattanooga evened its record at 2-2 Sunday afternoon at AT&T Field, scoring eight consecutive runs against Montgomery to turn a 5-3 deficit in the fifth inning into an 11-5 lead entering the ninth in its eventual 11-7 triumph over the Biscuits. TJ Friedl's single to right field that scored Alfredo Rodriguez and Luis Gonzalez pulled the Lookouts into a 5-5 tie, and they went ahead for good on Jose Siri's inside-the-park home run to right that scored Friedl.
Highlighting Chattanooga's four-run eighth was a Gonzalez double to left that scored Gavin LaValley and Narcisco Crook.
Stephenson is expected to be the glue that holds this season's Lookouts together. Having played in three of the first four games, the 6-foot-4, 225-pounder from the Atlanta suburb of Kennesaw is hitting .364 and already has caught for 10 of Chattanooga's 12 pitchers.
"Tyler is a really interesting guy," Lookouts manager Pat Kelly said of Cincinnati's 2015 first-round pick. "He is a big catcher with some strength, and he is definitely the future of the Reds organization behind the plate. What people have to realize is that it takes high school catchers a little longer with their development.
"He had some injuries early on, but I compare him a lot to (former Cincinnati catcher) Devin Mesoraco, because I had him when he first signed, and he had some injuries in A-ball but really started to blossom once he got to the Double-A level."
Stephenson's 2016 season included a concussion and a wrist injury as he was limited to just 39 games with the Dayton (Ohio) Dragons. He returned to Dayton in 2017 and had a productive first three months, batting .278 and earning a spot in the Midwest League All-Star Game, but a torn ligament in his thumb shelved his season in July.
Stephenson played a career-best 109 games last year in Daytona, was a Florida State League all-star and led the league with a .996 fielding percentage.
"You never expect injuries," Stephenson said. "They're just kind of a fluke thing. I was healthy last year, and at this point it's really just all about getting the innings and the at-bats, because that's what helps your development. I've caught more games and had more at-bats in this last year than I ever had, and that's where you learn.
"It's the only way you can get better. You will fail sometimes, but you've got to learn from that, and my goal this year is just to stay on the field."
The Lookouts and Biscuits wrap up their five-game series at 7:15 tonight.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.