July 16: Scans have revealed a slight fracture in Jeffers’ thumb, per MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park (via Twitter). The Twins backstop will require 6-to-8 weeks for the thumb to heal. The Twins will forge ahead with Sanchez and Hamilton as their catching tandem for the time being.
July 15: The Twins announced they’ve selected catcher/infielder Caleb Hamilton onto the big league roster, just minutes before tonight’s game against the White Sox. Ryan Jeffers lands on the 10-day injured list due to a right thumb contusion in a corresponding move. Minnesota already had a 40-man roster vacancy.
Hamilton, 27, reaches the major leagues for the first time. He entered pro ball as a 23rd-round draftee out of Oregon State University in 2016. Hamilton has spent six-plus seasons progressing up the minor league ladder, first reaching Triple-A in 2019 and logging the past few years in the upper minors. He’s spent this season with their top affiliate in St. Paul, hitting .252/.387/.491 with a massive 18% walk rate. He’s already set a personal-high with ten home runs across 194 plate appearances.
That breakout showing has come with a fair bit of swing-and-miss, as Hamilton has gone down on strikes in 27.8% of his trips to the dish. That’s been a concern throughout his professional tenure. Still, his combination of plate discipline, catching ability and this season’s improved power output will get him a look behind Gary Sánchez on the big league club.
Jeffers is having a decent third season in the majors. The 25-year-old backstop owns a .214/.291/.375 line across 214 plate appearances. That isn’t eye-popping offensive output, but it’s a bit better than this season’s .224/.293/.363 league average for catchers. Jeffers’ greater value is in what he’s provided behind the dish, as he’s a well-regarded defender who has rated favorably by Statcast’s pitch framing metrics this year.
So, this is my Hamilton story.
My wife bought tickets to see the show in spring of 2016. We were going in October.
I checked the baseball schedule and told my wife there’s a problem here because it is on the same night as Game 6 of the World Series and the Cubs were going to be in it.
Sure enough, the Cubs are down 3-2 and I have to go to Hamilton during Game 6. I grabbed my old Walkman and listened to the game in the theater before the show started. Addison Russell hit a grand slam to put the game out of reach and I felt that I could put the headphones away when the show began.
Don’t throw away your shot, Caleb.
I knew once the Twins promoted Jose Miranda they’d eventually get to see Hamilton for free.
(Note to out of towners: Miranda is Lin-Manuel Miranda’s cousin.)
The dreaded thumb bruise strikes again. I’d be embarrassed to miss time for a bruise on my thumb but today’s players don’t seem to care.
Scans have now revealed it to be a fractured thumb.
You try playing with a fractured thumb, tough guy.
I did just that as a college catcher. It wasn’t fun and my hitting suffered,but we had inexperienced pitching and we didn’t have another proficient defensive catcher. So I sucked it up, played most of the games (for free) and then let it heal over the summer.
And then your penis grew three inches and you impregnated an entire sorority just by walking in the door. The sheer manliness you exuded made children cry and women swoon.
You know you sound like a tool when you post this right? You just do it anyways?