It appears the San Francisco Giants have found their backup catcher, and maybe even the guy that will allow Buster Posey to see more time at first base to protect his health. That player is Andrew Susac, and he made his MLB debut on Saturday.
Susac now has four games under his belt with eight at-bats, one hit, one walk, and has struck out three times, but it is his defense that has the Giants brass so excited about him.
Susac is very athletic behind the plate, which he showed when he chased down a wild pitch, spun, and threw out Gregory Polanco trying to take third base on the play.
While he does possess a solid arm and quality defense, he has shown some good power through the minors thus far. He hit 12 long balls in 84 games in 2013, and had 10 in 63 games with Fresno this season. He has also had an OBP over .350 at every level thus far and a slugging over .450 each of the past two years.
Susac’s probable role will be that of a backup given the former MVP Posey still holding down the catching job. He could be a solid starter for most teams, but if he can prove he can hit at the highest level, the second round pick from 2011 could make the catching position in San Francisco arguably the strongest in all of baseball.