Are Jhonny Pereda and Mickey Gasper Competing to Be Ryan Jeffers's Backup Next Season?

[MinnInPa]

20 hours ago, jmlease1 said:

Gasper just hasn't shown he can hit MLB pitching nearly enough to be a serious consideration for backup catcher. It's tough enough to have a black hole in the lineup when they're excellent defensively, but Gasper simply isn't that. He's been better than advertised behind the dish...but that's really only because there's been a lot of talk about him being terrible back there. Instead he's well below average but not a butcher as a receiver. That would require him to hit, which he still hasn't.

Pereda definitely looks like a more skilled defender back there, but it's not a lot to judge on. Much like Gasper, the small MLB track record ain't good. He's hit well in AAA, but not as well as Gasper.

I don't think i'd be very happy with either getting slotted in as the backup for next season. Not sure either can be semi-competent at the plate. If I was forced to choose it'd probably be Pereda because if he ends up being a no-hit guy he'll might be average as a defender?

But that's saying so little. Ben Rortvedt (or someone of his ilk) is probably going to be available on a league minimum salary too.

never ever ever Rortvedt ..cant hit .100

[Chembry]

Pereda would be a serviceable back up.  He is a much better defensive catcher than Gasper that also has some positional flexibility.  Pereda has played 107G at 1B in the minors.  He is a career .296 hitter in AAA (5 seasons) and .240 in MLB over a small sample size.  Defensively he has a MLB CS rate of 24% (small sample size) and MiLB CS rate of 33%, both of which are better than Jeffers.  We could do quite a bit worse as a back up.

Personally though, I think we have to we shoot for better if we can.  I really like the idea of trading for long term cost controlled C/1B.  There are a some options that could become available, depending on circumstances that unfold during the offseason.  Austin Wells or Ben Rice from NYY if Judge moves to 1B.  Moises Ballesteros or Miguel Amaya from Cubs as they currently have 4 C's rostered.  All of these guys would be controllable through at least 2029.

There is also the possibility of trading for a long term C to take some pressure off development of Tait.  Harry Ford (blocked by Cal Raleigh), White Sox have Teel, Quero, and Lee...Lots of possibilities.

[Doctor Gast]

20 hours ago, Dave Borton said:

There is no way Gasper should be considered for the C position going forward. This is MLB, not AAA.

Someone mentioned Rohrvedt. He is hitting .340 over last 15 games. He has been starting a ton as of late for Dodgers as the Dodgers wind down their season. Rick Monday does radio color for the LAD and he has been extremely complementary of Rohrvedt's work behind the plate.

Filling the C position is tough. Doubly tough is finding that catcher who can work with what promises to be a very, very young pitching staff. 

Open the wallet that defies opening.

Rortvedt has been a pretty good veteran defensive catcher. It'd take some time to undo what MN & NYY have done with him as far as hitting. Maybe LAD has straightened him out & is worth the shot. I'd do it in a second.

[Doctor Gast]

Our catching is a mess. Falvey loves Jeffers, but I can't see (& don't blame) the Pohlads OKing the hefty extension that Jeffers would demand. That leaves Falvey trading Jeffers for something rather than losing him for nothing. Gasper isn't a MLB catcher & Pereda is only a 3rd catcher. That leaves MN with 2 big holes that Falvey won't fill. What really bugs me is Falvey's lack of priority at catcher. 

[Mike Sixel]

13 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Our catching is a mess. Falvey loves Jeffers, but I can't see (& don't blame) the Pohlads OKing the hefty extension that Jeffers would demand. That leaves Falvey trading Jeffers for something rather than losing him for nothing. Gasper isn't a MLB catcher & Pereda is only a 3rd catcher. That leaves MN with 2 big holes that Falvey won't fill. What really bugs me is Falvey's lack of priority at catcher. 

He's drafted several, and just traded for two. He signed Vazquez to a big deal. That sounds like a priority to me. 

[Doctor Gast]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

He's drafted several, and just traded for two. He signed Vazquez to a big deal. That sounds like a priority to me. 

The signing of Jason Castro,  coach Tanner Swanson & then later Vazquez after trading most of our very good catching core away, I can't dispute the value that Flavine put on catching in the beginning, but more control that Falvey has taken over, the less I see. Why didn't they value Swanson's value of developing catching & promote him, instead of letting him walk? Since he left, the Twins haven't developed a single catcher. Congers is a joke. At the premium positions, they have drafted quite a few SSs & some CFers in the 1st round. How many catchers have they drafted in the 1st round? NONE. In the last few years, how high have they drafted a catcher? With Vazquez's contract up & Jeffers's FA coming up, where is the Twins' backup plan? There should have been a backup plan years ago. What good is it to draft low draft prospects if we can't develop them? What good is it to trade for a prospect that isn't expected to come up to the MLB for another 3 yrs or if it's possible that the Twins can even develop him into a catcher? When we need a MLB primary & backup catcher NOW! IMO, this isn't giving catching any priority, so we can be a competitor; it's what we can do so we can just scrape by at this position & say we did something.

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

The signing of Jason Castro,  coach Tanner Swanson & then later Vazquez after trading most of our very good catching core away, I can't dispute the value that Flavine put on catching in the beginning, but more control that Falvey has taken over, the less I see. Why didn't they value Swanson's value of developing catching & promote him, instead of letting him walk? Since he left, the Twins haven't developed a single catcher. Congers is a joke. At the premium positions, they have drafted quite a few SSs & some CFers in the 1st round. How many catchers have they drafted in the 1st round? NONE. In the last few years, how high have they drafted a catcher? With Vazquez's contract up & Jeffers's FA coming up, where is the Twins' backup plan? There should have been a backup plan years ago. What good is it to draft low draft prospects if we can't develop them? What good is it to trade for a prospect that isn't expected to come up to the MLB for another 3 yrs or if it's possible that the Twins can even develop him into a catcher? When we need a MLB primary & backup catcher NOW! IMO, this isn't giving catching any priority, so we can be a competitor; it's what we can do so we can just scrape by at this position & say we did something.

Lack of ability to develop them doesn't show lack of priority. That's a different problem, that we agree on.

[Doctor Gast]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

Lack of ability to develop them doesn't show lack of priority. That's a different problem, that we agree on.

??? I'm glad we agree that Twins don't have the ability to develop catchers. But I have great difficulty correlating your statement that not hiring good catching coaches does not show a lack of priority. To me, the fact that Falvey hires & promotes so many coaches who adhere to his analytics shows his real priority is his analytics. Development is only one of a few areas in which I question his present priority in catching.