Labrum surgery is going to keep San Francisco Giants catcher Aramis Garcia out of action for the next six to eight months. Garcia had been a decent bet to make the Opening Day roster as the backup to Buster Posey, but after injuring his hip during winter ball, Garcia won’t return until midseason at the earliest, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports (twitter links).
After starting behind the dish for just shy of 70% of Giants games from 2012 to 2016, starting catcher Buster Posey has taken more time away from home in recent seasons, lowering his workload to closer to 60% over the past three campaigns. As Posey spends more time covering first, there’s plenty of opportunity behind the dish for Posey’s backup, a role shared last season by Erik Kratz, Stephen Vogt and Garcia.
Garcia spent most of the last two seasons in Triple-A, making just 17 and 12 starts with the big league club, respectively, in 2018 and 2019. But after slashing .271/.343/.488 in Triple-A last year, the 27-year-old Garcia was poised to make a run at being Posey’s primary seat-filler in 2020. The injury comes at a particularly inopportune time for both Garcia and the Giants, as the organization is not yet ready to hand the role to top prospect Joey Bart, per Pavlovic.
With Garcia now on the shelf and Bart likely ticketed to start the season in Triple-A, non-roster invitees Tyler Heineman, Rob Brantly and Chadwick Tromp are the top candidates to backup Posey. A few free agents remain on the market should the Giants decide to look outside the organization, namely veterans Russell Martin and Jonathan Lucroy.
Oh dear God. Please don’t sign Lucroy.
Too bad Nick Hundley just basically retired.
*KevinGohd has entered the chat*
Lucroy would be a good add, as bullpen catcher
thought whiteside was the bullpen catcher, don’t need another one
that’s a rough shake for a young player
Fondly, Dirk Calloway
Looks like more AB’s for Pablo! He is the emergency catcher, after all. And he used to be an actual catching prospect.
He had TJ surgery, won’t be able to catch right away because of how much he’d have to throw. Will probably still get AB’s though, mostly pinch hitting to start the season.
Even if Sandoval hadn’t had TJ surgery, there’s no way he does any catching unless multiple injuries created an actual emergency. The last time he played catcher was in 3 games 11 years ago. I doubt that he’s even the emergency catcher anymore.
Tromp 2020
Nah, his hands are too small to effectively catch and frame pitches.
Nice
LMAO…well done…..
Obama wore Mom Jeans and threw like a girl.
Bart!!! That’s be soooo cool. If he does well
In spring he’s getting the job!!!
Don’t hold your breath. Bart hasn’t played a single game at AAA, and catchers do not get fast tracked like some position players. It’s the hardest position on the field, and they need more time in development than any other position. Posey had less time in the minors than most catchers and he had 82 games at AAA. I don’t think we’ll see Bart until Sept.
Bart!!! That’s be soooo cool. If he does well
In spring he’s getting the job!!!
As backup? No, he’ll be starting at either first or catcher when he does come up. That type of talent needs to play everyday. Always liked Garcia too.
Chadwick Tromp sounds like an alias.
If Jeff Mathis wasn’t under contract with the Texas, I’d suspect it was him trying to convince one last organization that he deserved regular ABs.
Lol
Chadwick Chandler Tromp….wasn’t he the Shadow?……
G
There may be some options available as St progresses Not ideal but may be an option.
Tyler Heineman time! The switch hitter was incredible in AAA last year, and ZiPS loves him.
Any warm body will do. It’s not like Garcia was going to see a whole lot of time, nor is this team competing in 2020 anyways.
He was actually going to get significant playing time. He was going to play against lefties whether while playing catcher or first.
I doubt that but I do agree with ur previous comment about Bart playing first. Flores will likely play first vs lefties in the meantime.
Zaidi obviously acquired Heineman and Brantly cuz they are lefty hitters. We’ll often see all right handed or all left handed lineups.
I’m saying Heineman stays cuz he’s also a switch hitter
Chadwick Tromp- if you don’t like him it makes you a “Never- Tromper”
Bigly!
Seems like Heineman will be the guy. Bart may even start at AA.
Lucroy actually makes sense for the Giants as they need a backup catcher that can handle a larger workload (starting 60-70 games).
Offensive issues with Lucroy aside, the Giants know they can’t count on Posey to start more than 100 games behind the plate.
Zaidi, get out that catching shopping cart you used last year !!
Whoever the Giants end up getting will see significant time so he better be a worthy contributor and not merely a backup catcher every once in a while. If it was a year from now, I’d roll ther dice with Joey Bart at catcher, platoon BP at first and try to get something for Belt. It’ll be sooner rather than later for Buster to give up catching all together, in my opinion. His offensive numbers continue to go down consistently, some of it is due to injury granted but the wear and tear behind the plate has contributed significantly as well. Buster looks old to me now for his age.
Biggest thing for the Giants this year would be to have one or more of Belt, Longoria, and Crawford(despite the no trade clause) to get off to a hot start making them deadline candidates. I’d throw Posey in there as well, but the Pence signing makes me think that Zaidi cares more about fan sentiment/butts in the seats than previously thought. While deep down I’m sure he’d love to do so, I dont see him pulling the trigger on a Posey trade.
Posey has a full no-trade clause and has deep ties to the area, plus still has local endorsement deals. He’s also a franchise player that is worth more to the GIants than to any other team.
He’s not going anywhere.
Sadly, you are correct that Busty Poser with his 7 HRs and 38 RBIs from last season and his bad hips is not going anywhere…
This may affect their chances for the World Series. Hahaahahahahaha! Just kidding. They suck.
31 years 112 days and counting
31 years, 112 days and counting
With an off-season to simply train vs recover from a major surgery I anticipate an improved Posey in 2020. In 2019 there’s healthy enough to get back on the field, then there’s ~ 100%.clearly he was not the latter.
He’s not an OPS+ 84 hitter, his 2019 totally sticks out as an outlier. All you need to look at is his 2018 pre ASG numbers (prior to surgery) to see what a healthy Posey looks like. Excellent D, 30+ doubles, 10+ HR and a high OBP.
I don’t think Posey is going anywhere (trade), if/when Bart is ready they’re going to want Posey to mentor him. It’s unlikely his option is picked up in 2022 but with continued health he easily profiles at a back up C. If there’s the a roster fit why wouldn’t they want him on their team.?