Article: The Future of Twins Catching

[Cody Christie]

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1825-The-Future-of-Twins-Catching

[Red Bull]

Good article. I dont think any of the Twins catchers in their system are the long term answers. It all depends on how long Mauer will be behind the plate. I really dont thing Mcguire would be a smart pick either, hes great defensivley but doesnt have a good bat. I would much rather have an average defensive catcher that produces offensivley. Best case scenario would be Mauer stays behind the plate throughout his contract, but thats not likely. Idk what they are gonna do...

[Carneal&Gordon]

Obviously watching Mauer is a treat but it's also exciting seeing Herrmann's versatility in the bigs and Pinto's great season in New Britain.

 

Also, McGuire at #4 has to be put into context on how the rest of the draft goes. In my humble opinion of course.

[Tibs]

Good article. I dont think any of the Twins catchers in their system are the long term answers. It all depends on how long Mauer will be behind the plate. I really dont thing Mcguire would be a smart pick either, hes great defensivley but doesnt have a good bat. I would much rather have an average defensive catcher that produces offensivley. Best case scenario would be Mauer stays behind the plate throughout his contract, but thats not likely. Idk what they are gonna do...

 

What don't you like about Herrmann or Pinto?

[Shane Wahl]

Very funny photo to go with this story. Just, very funny. Ha ha ha. Hee hee.

 

(cry, cry)

[troyhobbs]

I don't get why they've kept Butera on the 40 man especially since he's practically the same age as Mauer.

[howieramone1406390264]

I don't get why they've kept Butera on the 40 man especially since he's practically the same age as Mauer.

To keep the Benson thread going.

[Brandon]

Pinto is doing a good job of helping us fans forget the Ramos debacle of a few years ago. With a strong prospect in the minors its easy to move on and look forward to Pinto.

[stringer bell]

I posted a comment on this thread yesterday. Somehow it has disappeared. Anyway, I think Pinto can work in next year in place of Doumit. He can catch and occasionally DH. He offers RH power and more defensive tools than Doumit, who should have quite a bit of value at the trading deadline. I think it might be a good idea to have a versatile third catcher, especially of one of the two catchers is DHing or perhaps playing another position. Herrmann provides that versatility plus a left handed bat. His opposite number, Dan Rohlfing, was recently promoted to Rochester. He's righthanded, and plays first and the outfield corners in addition to catching. It seems to me that to have two alternatives as a third catcher/utility guy is a better situation. Neither Rohlfing nor Herrmann look to be much more than bench players with limited power, but with the proper 25-man roster either could be valuable.

[troyhobbs]

To keep the Benson thread going.

 

Guess I can appreciate that

[Rosterman]

If Pinto is the next best thing, we can AAA him next year (when we still have Doumit around). We have Herrmann and Lehmann and Rolfingmann still around as adequate backups.

 

There is a good chance we may totally forget about Wilson Ramos.

 

The big question is...how many years does Mauer catch. One-Two as the main guy. Do we need to break someone in halftime in 2016. We would then have Pinto as a catcher thru 2020-21 if he works out before he would get mildly expensive...assuming he might just be a part-timer entering his arbitration Year One.

 

Bring Back Danny Rams!

[Thrylos]

If Pinto is the next best thing, we can AAA him next year (when we still have Doumit around). We have Herrmann and Lehmann and Rolfingmann still around as adequate backups.

 

Danny Lehmann is very good defensively, but the only catcher in the organization with a lighter bat than Butera's and soon to be 28. At this point, he is below Eric Fryer (same age but can hit a little bit and run a little bit) in the (AAA) depth chart.

 

In any future C discussion Matt Koch should be included.

[Sum41]

Danny Lehmann is very good defensively, but the only catcher in the organization with a lighter bat than Butera's and soon to be 28. At this point, he is below Eric Fryer (same age but can hit a little bit and run a little bit) in the (AAA) depth chart.

 

Admitted Lehmann supporter. I'm seeking help.

 

Just a note: Below is the closest thing I could find to an even comparison, but saying someone has a lighter bat than Butera is pretty rough, especially considering the frequency of play within an organization with three catchers for each team. The Twins seem to have less of a need for a defensive-minded backstop, and I would imagine that the Twins will part ways with Lehmann and/or Butera this winter to make room for the more versatile Mauer secondaries.

 

Lehmann AAA / .229 .315 .310 .625 (91 games) (>$15,000)

Butera AAA / .220 .276 .308 .584 (115 games) ($700,000)

Fryer AAA / .204 .307 .297 .603 (129 games) (<$50,000)

 

However, I can't help but wonder if a team with such a struggling rotation couldn't benefit from a catcher that is a little more "defensive-minded?"

[Kwak]

Apparently the Twins see things like the rest of you--three Catchers selected in the first ten selections--3rd,6th, and 9th.