San Francisco Giants add veteran catcher Chris Hermann
By David Mullen
A lack of viable major league ready options behind the plate has led to Chris Herrman getting a chance with the San Francisco Giants.
The San Francisco Giants need bodies. Frankly, anybody. The roster of every day and utility players is arguably the least impressive in baseball and decidedly nondescript, save a player known for his grandfather (Mike Yastrzemski), girth (Pablo Sandoval) and grit with a touch of gray (Hunter Pence).
The Giants knew entering the 60-game season that they were positionally challenged, especially at catcher.
When the face of the franchise, 2012 NL MVP and six-time All-Star catcher Buster Posey, announced that he was opting out of the 2020 season over concerns caused by the coronavirus after he and wife Kristen announced that they were adopting newborn twin girls, the Giants knew that they would be thin at the backstop position.
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That left the catchers on the San Francisco 30-man Opening Day roster on July 23 as switch-hitting Tyler Heineman and left-handed swinger Rob Brantly. Each has started at least one game early in the season. Heineman entered the season looking for his first big league at-bat and Brantly had one at-bat in the last two seasons and 127 major league games spread out across four teams in a sporadic six-year career.
Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi made it clear at the beginning of the season that he would try to find an experienced catcher to fill a void while.
Welcome to the Giants … Chris Herrmann. Not particularly earth-shattering news, but nothing is earth-shattering with the Giants these days, as long as they are spared from another earthquake like the Loma Prieta seismic event that interrupted the “Bay Bridge” World Series in 1989.
The Giants signed Hermann on July 25 and added him to the 60-man roster. Hermann, who last played 30 games for the Oakland A’s in 2019 and is better known for his defense than his stick, became a free agent when he declined an offer with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Top catching prospect Joey Bart has been deemed not yet ready for prime time. Non-roster invitee catcher Chadwick Tromp, whose name sounds like a dance craze from the “Roaring ’20s,” suffered a hamstring injury in an exhibition game against Oakland on July 20.
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There is no timetable for Hermann’s return to the big leagues, but it appears he would be on a very fast track. Given the current catching situation, it is the least the Giants can do.