San Diego Padres: Christian Bethancourt super utility player?
By Jason Evans
What do you do with a player who can’t hit well but has a rocket arm? The San Diego Padres have an idea.
There is no doubt Christian Bethancourt has an excellent arm. He hit 95 MPH pitching for the San Diego Padres during the season in a blowout loss. He even threw a kunckleball.
Bethancourt is throwing fastballs 93-95, changeups 84-87, and knucklers 53-64. HE IS A CATCHER. He is my new favorite player.
— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) May 31, 2016
The issue for Bethancourt is the bat. The 25 year old hit .226/.265/.368 this season, which isn’t going to cut it for a starting player or even as someone who plays two or three times a week. Instead, the Padres are going to get creative and employ him as a super utility player who will pitch also.
Christian Bethancourt has thrown two bullpen sessions. Padres exploring the idea of making him a pitcher/catcher/outfielder hybrid.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) October 1, 2016
"Four months later, the organization is moseying into uncharted territory. Bethancourt, who is returning from an intercostal strain in Peoria, Ariz., threw his second bullpen session Saturday. Each pitch was watched by Padres manager Andy Green, pitching coach Darren Balsley, bullpen coach Doug Bochtler, minor league pitching coordinator Mark Prior and player development coordinator Shaun Cole.“We’re flirting with the idea of this guy being a very intriguing ‘25th man’ who can catch, can play the outfield and can pitch,” Green said. “I know no team has actually really tried to deploy a guy in that capacity — probably ever when you consider those three dynamics.“We’ll run as far down that road as his arm allows us to. I don’t know that we’re firmly committed to that or married to that, but it’s worth exploring.”"
The Padres have a ton of catching depth with Derek Norris, Austin Hedges and Hector Sanchez besides Bethancourt. If Bethancourt wants to stick in the majors this is going to be the way for him to do it. I think its certainly worth exploring for him and the team to creatively use their assets.
Next: Robin Ventura to be replaced on the bench?
The San Diego Padres have depth in a position that teams are always hunting for at catcher. It can be a way to help fill other needs on their roster through trades and, if Bethancourt can pull this off, a way to give the Padres depth at multiple positions.