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Kidding, but seriously, he looked impressive. A little wild, 9 strikes on 17 pitches, but still. Hit 94 MPH and had a decent knuckler. What do you guys think, any future in him? He'd have to go down to New Britian or Rochester if the organization even debated it.
The way he's swung the bat in the past, maybe he should be in the bullpen. He's still young and could do a reverse Ankiel.
It was fun... I will give you that. He pitched very well for a catcher. Seriously though, he can get by with that for an inning when the other team is laughing after every Pitch and no cares cuz the score is 16 to 1.
Get players who are dialed in and a game on the line and he'd give up a lead off double and all hell would break loose. His mechanics looked like someone who didn't have any mechanics. That's why the ball was sailing on him.
Could you send him to New Britain? No... he'd have to go to the very lowest of levels and work on his footwork and muscle memory.
With his arm... could he have been a pitcher... Possibly... Could he now? Highly unlikely. I'll admit it was fun to watch tho..l
Butera is washed out as a hitter, MLB, AAA, AA and so on. He might have an impressive Avg. in a limited amount of AB's with the big club, but that will change. Just give him the PA's. Butera is a strong armed catcher who calls a good game on the MLB level. Strong Arm? Take advantage of it. If I was Butera, I would understand my Major League Career was fleeting and I would look to keep it going by converting to a pitcher. It's not like it hasn't happened before (good or bad results aside). You cannot teach a 94mph fastball and as an upside he is a strong defensive catcher, which in turn, he is probably an intelligent fellow who might have some savvy and some tricks up his sleeve pitch wise to climb the latter quickly. Who Knows?
I am pretty flabbergasted by the 94 mph. I guess the arm strength is there from being a catcher, but still.
So does that make him the hardest thrower on the major league roster at 94?
They are not turning Butera into a pitcher....the guy is 28 years old, if he had any legit shot as a pitcher he would have been converted sometime over the past 10 years. Just because a guy can throw a few balls 94 MPH over the plate with zero movement doesn't mean a whole lot.
I really love what small sample size can do :)
You're absolutely right, of course. But the fact that we have a garbage backup catcher who touches 92-94 mph on his fastball, and basically all of our starters (and most of our relievers) can't do that it pretty freakin frustrating.Quote:
Originally Posted by SpiritofVodkaDave
Yeah, I'm a little kidding about having him starting his career over, but with two other catchers on the roster, I could imagine him becoming a 13th (or 14th) pitcher with blowouts like these.
Typically teams pick these players before the season even starts (guys who will pitch in a blow out) hopefully the Twins won't need a position player pitching again anytime soon, but odds are Butera would probably be the guy to do it. (Since he isn't exactly a star who you worry about hurting)Quote:
Originally Posted by twinsfan1127
Also, once the Twins inevitably trade Doumit, Butera becomes the #2 catcher again basically by default..which is a good or maddening thing depending on a persons viewpoint.
I think that he should get a chance in every blowout. As a fan, I hate watching a blowout, but when Butera pitches, it gives me enjoyment that takes my mind off being blown out.Quote:
Originally Posted by twinsfan1127
I would also like to see Mauer pitch, if we are down by 10 or more runs in the 8th or 9th inning. Let him earn his money by providing a little extra something interesting for us fans during a season that is likely to continue to be depressing.
Also, if we down by more than 25 games in September, I would like to see Butera and Mauer try to duplicate Cezar Tovar's feat of playing all 9 positions in one game. If this is going to be a rebuilding year, why not have some fun? Two Tovars in a single game would be awesome. According to Wikipedia, only 4 players have ever played all 9 positions in a single game. But NEVER have TWO players done this in the same game. In September, the roster will be 30 or more players, so why not go for it?
Baseball is foremost a game of fun. Losing is never fun, but a team (and fans) can have fun despite losing.
Were you not watching? His pitches WERE moving. Stipulated that the Brewers were laughing, and everybody (even the ump) was trying to get the thing over, but Butters really was throwing some respectable stuff. Harder to hit than Marquis, anyway... ;-)Quote:
Originally Posted by SpiritofVodkaDave