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Herrmann looks to break camp as third catcher | twinsbaseball.com: News
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"There's always a chance, but it's not going to be handed to me," Herrmann said of making the team. "Just because I was up there last year doesn't mean I'll be up there this year. So I'm trying to find a way to work my back up there again and hopefully stay up there."
Showing up early doesn't necessarily correlate straight up with motivation or effort. That being said, I think I'd still feel like dog poo if I showed up at camp later than Dozier and my last name rhymed with 'Blorimon' or 'Blescoblar'.
Unless someone gets hurt, I gotta think there is no chance for Herrmann breaking with the club. And even if someone is hurt, they might not. They might want him to get some time at AAA, and I have no problem with that.
Yeah, nothing in his 2012 New Britain numbers say that there is any reason to push up him to the big leagues to start 2013. His value comes in his ability to catch and his versatility. He was drafted as a catcher, then played LF a lot up to Ft. Myers, and played infield and outfield positions in college. He also takes very good at bats. So, I think he can be that #3 catcher while also playing some LF. there's value in that.
The reason to push Herman is that our current third catcher is totally inept at a crucial portion of the game.
Maybe it'll work out like this....
Morneau hits really well, but the team stinks, they trade him in June.
Hermann hits well at AAA, shows that it's time for a call-up.
Butera gets sent packing, Hermann becomes the primary backup catcher, Doumit serves as 3rd catcher while using some of the 1B/DH time vacated by Morneau to remain in the lineup.
And then we flip heads 8 consecutive times in the pitching staff to be a contender.
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Originally Posted by LaBombo
And if my last name rhymed with Buterrible, Hermann showing up early should make me feel like dog poo, but it doesn't and that's a problem.
Funny that I haven't seen that derivation of his name until now. My brain will automatically be appending that from now on.Quote:
Originally Posted by twinsnorth49
in all fairness to Floribar and Escomon, for all I know they may have risked life and limb in some godforsaken south of the border league, trying to add some semblance of offense to their game.
On the other hand, I have it on remarkably poor authority that Byooty has taken the unconventional offseason measure of working on only his head first slides into first with Little Nicky, a process certain to push his OPS north of the .500 mark that will ensure, along with his defensive rep, a decade of one year backup gigs, or at least ST invites.
I think it would be a terrible role for Herrmann to break camp as a third catcher. He could use the defensive reps and at bats playing everyday in Rochester.
I still think if either Doumit or Mauer gets hurt Herrmann will come up to take their roles while Butera would stay in the third catcher role.
Might have something to do with the country they reside in and the amount of winter league ball they played.Quote:
Originally Posted by LaBombo
That was funny :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by LaBombo
For Butera to be sent packing, Gardy needs to be sent packing. And unless both happen, Herrmann has no chance to make the team bar injuries.Quote:
Originally Posted by snepp
What is the projection for Herrmann? I've gotten the feeling that the team doesn't see him as more than a backup catcher or a third catcher/utility guy. If that is the case, why not have Herrmann make the club if he is demonstrably better than Butera and just about anyone can see that Herrmann can and will hit better than Son of Sal.
Actually, in his brief callup Herrmann didn't show that he can hit better than Butera. Still, Herrmann is young and probably needs work on both his offense and defense. I suspect that he will never be more than a big league backup, but it is too early to make that call. I think he needs to be at AAA working on his game. I also think that for the couple of extra hits Herrmann might provide over the 100-150 AB's that Butera will get, well I'd rather have Butera. He is clearly the beter defensive catcher, right now.
Here is the thing about Herrmann: In College he played C and 3B. (Despite what you might hear - and I doubled checked my 2009 draft logs - the Twins disregarded that and drafted him as an OF. And that's where he played exclusively in 2009 and mostly in 2010 (he caught some then) at 2011 it was about half C, half OF and in 2012 was mostly C. No 3B but he could play there too. He can and has hit better in any level than what's his face. As far as where he projects, hard to tell, but I think that Doumit light might be a fair analogy (but this comes from someone who remember the days when Doumit was projected to be the next catching stud.) So ceiling probably Doumit with probably little better fielding. (which is something that Drew cannot even dream to be.)Quote:
Originally Posted by stringer bell
I think half of us assume Butera will get the job because we love to complain about the coaching staff and the front office ignoring the "no scholarship" clause they said was implemented last year (full disclosure: me included). The other half of us probably think Butera will get the job because Herrmann would rarely play and he needs reps at AAA.
Looking at the camp situation now, I think we are making this situation out to be much more simplistic than it really is. For one, jobs are clearly on the line this year; if Herrmann has a great spring and Butera does not, there will be pressure to bring north the best players. Secondly, Herrmann has position flexibility. If neither Hicks or Benson impress enough to break camp on the 25-man and they go with another option, say Boggs, Thomas or an outsider like Posednik, they could chose Herrmann as the 3rd catcher as he may be the preferred choice to be the 4th/5th OF and save Doumit from doing so.
Why are we even discussing who got outhit by Butera?
Good lord, bastardizing people's names as a way to ridicule them. We did that in grade school. We also grew out of itQuote:
Originally Posted by LaBombo
How about - Drew Butera is an awful baseball player who's continued scholarship to the Twins 25 man roster is an embarrassment for the franchise and an insult to paying customers. Someone so terrible at his job, so woefully inept at a major portion of the game, so utterly useless at the plate - should not be the topic of any conversations on this forum. But, unfortunately, he remains a part of our team and thus our discourse about them.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Wise One
But perhaps an analogy would be better. Some of us learned that if we touch a hot burner, we get burned and learn to stop it. Apparently the Twins have not "grown out of" touching the hot burner. They keep repeating some of the same mistakes, perhaps you should take up that issue with them as well.
Good lord, get a sense of humour. We're talking about baseball, since when did that equate to growing up?Quote:
Originally Posted by The Wise One