Could the San Diego Padres open the season with four catchers on their opening day roster?
Sometimes when you have a rebuilding project on your hands, you make some decisions that are a bit, shall we say different? For the San Diego Padres, this year certainly qualifies as one of rebuilding after the splash of two off-seasons ago was more of a ripple than a tsunami.
One example of this is the fact that four roster spots on the Padres opening day 25 man roster may go to catchers.
"“If you had ever asked me (if the Padres would carry four catchers), I would’ve laughed at you,” Green said. “But yeah, I think it is possible at this point in time. … It is a unique set of circumstances that are aligning in that way that makes that a logical conclusion if we like the way Christian Bethancourt is throwing a baseball and we like the future of Luis Torrens and we like the left-handed bat of Hector Sanchez. It’s a unique skill set that each one of those guys brings to the table that makes you want to carry them all. It is possible. I wouldn’t characterize it as probable at this point in time.”"
The Padres circumstances are different. Austin Hedges, for years one of the team’s top prospects, will finally have a chance to start after his offense may have caught up with his defensive prowess behind the plate.
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Torrens was a rule V pick from the New York Yankees. He was one of the Yankees top prospects, however, he missed all of 2015 and with how deep the Yankees system is, there just wasn’t a spot to keep Torrens on the 40-man roster. The Padres can always try to swing a deal with the Yankees to keep him if they want to send him to the minors. If not, Torrens has to stay on the major league roster for the entire season. If not, he goes back to the Yankees.
Christian Bethancourt can play the outfield and may be coming out of the bullpen this year as an extra arm for the club.
Teams have kept three catchers in the past. With Bethancourt’s versatility, it’s something that can work. However, Sanchez has been the wild card. He’s hitting .280 with three homers so far this spring. He has also played first base and is not on the 40 man.
I’m not sure if the Padres can afford to sacrifice that many spots for a catcher. If you have 12 pitchers and four catchers that means you only have room for nine other guys, seven of which are gonna be run out there every day. You’d probably only have one other infielder or outfielder at that point and especially with playing in the National League you can empty out your bench pretty quickly.
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The Padres should decided between Torrens and Sanchez. If they can swing a deal for Torrens, let him play everyday in the minors, especially for someone who hasn’t played above the New York Penn League. Then Sanchez can back up Hedges with Bethancourt as a super utility player and away you go. Four catchers just isn’t the best use of resources and for a team like the Padres, they need all the resources they can get.