Suzuki Scare Exposes Abysmal Catcher Depth

Roller coasters can be scary. No moment in Wednesday night's roller coaster 12-inning victory against the Royals was scarier than in the 10th when Kurt Suzuki reached up the third base line to catch a wayward toss from Blaine Boyer and got railed by incoming speedster Jarrod Dyson, who was attempting the score the winning run.

Suzuki caught the ball, got the out, and then struggled to stand up as he grasped his knee in pain. He needed to be helped off the field.

Twins fans watched it all go down with a feeling of dread -- not only over Suzuki's well being, but also over the thought of trying to chase down a wild card spot without a major-league caliber player available at one of the field's most important positions.

Thankfully, Suzuki was diagnosed with only a bruised knee and he's not expected to miss extended time. But the scare highlights a grim reality: this organization is bereft of catching talent.

If Suzuki's injury were serious, the Twins would be forced to rely on a combination of Chris Herrmann and Eric Fryer, two players that have proven through numerous opportunities that they simply don't belong in the big leagues. Herrmann is a mediocre defender with a .185/.250/.286 career slash line in the majors, and he's the better of the two, which tells you all you need to know.

There's no help in the minors. Josmil Pinto, who at one time appeared to be Suzuki's successor, has endured a brutal season in Rochester marred by concussion issues, likely removing him from the discussion permanently in light of the questions that already existed about his defensive aptitude behind the plate.

Meanwhile, young hopefuls Stuart Turner and Mitch Garver have fallen off the map offensively at Double-A and Single-A after promising 2014 campaigns. They are looking more like suspects than prospects at this point, although the Twins are sending both to the Arizona Fall League with hopes of turning them around.

In any case, there's no short-term help available, which is an ominous fact in light of Suzuki's injury and especially in the scope of the coming season. As the Twins look ahead to all-out contention efforts in 2016, they've got a backup-caliber starter locked in behind the plate and nothing much behind him on the depth chart.

It's clear that this position is going to be Priority No. 1, by a longshot, entering the offseason. We'll cover all the possibilities for addressing it -- via free agency, trade and otherwise -- both here on the site and in our annual Offseason Handbook, which you'll be hearing more about as October approaches.

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