A Catcher Prospect Under Pressure: Pick One

by John Sickels on Mar 15, 2026 7:00 PM EDT

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 26: Billy Butler #16 of the Kansas City Royals slides safely as Drew Butera #41 of the Minnesota Twins defends home plate in the sixth inning on September 26, 2025 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

Writing about Salvador Perez and Evan Gattis this morning got me thinking about catchers. I'm going to pivot on this topic and do a background piece on catcher origins, but as I start working on that, I'd like to get a discussion going first.

You are a major league manager. Your star catcher, we'll call him Salvador Mauer, is injured and will be out the entire 2012 season, although he should be healthy for 2013. You need a catcher for 2012, and you need one right now. You don't have Pudge Rodriguez on speed dial.

You have to pull one of the following players out of the minors to be your major league catcher for this year. He must start at least 100 games behind the plate, and he has to get at least 300 plate appearances, so you can't just start him for an inning or two and then pinch-hit. This catcher is guaranteed to stay healthy. Your team is a contender, expected to challenge for the division title, although not a runaway favorite. The run environment of your home park is neutral.

Your choices are:

Jason Hagerty, San Diego Padres
Chris Herrmann, Minnesota Twins
James McCann, Detroit Tigers
Carlos Ramirez, Los Angeles Angels
Cody Stanley, St. Louis Cardinals
Chris Wallace, Houston Astros

And yes, I deliberately picked guys who are not top prospects. I want to make you think.

Who do you choose? Keep in mind that you do get to keep this new guy for the future, but that Salvador Mauer will be healthy in 2013.

Poll

Which catching prospect do you pull out of the minors to play 100 games for you?

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Read More: Carlos Ramirez (C - ANA), Salvador Perez (C - KAN), Chris Herrmann (C - MIN), Jason Hagerty (C - SDP), Chris Wallace (C - HOU), Evan Gattis (C - ATL), James McCann (C - DET), Cody Stanley (C - STL), San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals

Comments

For me

It’s between Herrmann and Ramirez. I like the plate discipline. I’d have to give the edge to Herrmann for the lefty bat and solid AA line last year.

Wallace would be my 3rd choice, but that 30% K rate in AA last year has me worried he would be overmatched by MLB pitchers.

Hagerty didn’t look all that good in AA last year. McCann and Stanley are too raw.

Rooting for lovable losers since 1984.

by seattlecougar on Mar 15, 2026 8:01 PM EDT reply actions

+1

by cookiedabookie on Mar 15, 2026 11:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Herrmann

plate disciple against AA competition and his left handed bat are what made me choose him. Additionally his 36% CS and his ability to play LF speak to his athleticism. he might even be a sneaky source for speed from a position where speed is a way way afterthought…i could invsion him being a 7-10 steal guy during his peak.

"On [umpire] Jeff Kellogg taking a foul tip to the groin: ‘Two balls, one strike.’"

by James Westfall on Mar 15, 2026 8:14 PM EDT reply actions

Hermann or Ramirez seem like the safest bets

neither seem like they could do any harm defensively

go long with extenze...i do

by angelsownredsux on Mar 15, 2026 8:46 PM EDT reply actions

Can you say "no clear favorite?"

by Mike Kaluk on Mar 15, 2026 8:47 PM EDT reply actions

Honestly, I have no idea who any of these guys are.

But I know that I would make my decision based on about 90% defense/working with pitchers to 10% offense. So whichever is the best defender of the bunch

Just don't piss her off, otherwise she'll get all Dien Bien Phu up in your Boxer Rebellion - caknuck

btho Iowa State

by MonkeyEpoxy on Mar 15, 2026 11:00 PM EDT reply actions

+1

if the team is a contender as John states thanit can be assumed that offense won’t be needed as much at the position. It can also be assumed they have a solid pitching staff as well. In this case you go defense 1st, 2nd, and 3rd and if he hits anything its a bonus.

by ScottAZ on Mar 16, 2026 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions

I absolutely love Chris Hermann of the Twins

ALthough there may be some bias there, he has an absolutely tremendous eye, the abilitly a la Josh WIllingham to play multiple positions, and just always seems to walk more than he strikes out and is on of the top GUYS in the minor league’s at taking walks, which is pretty amazing considering he only has marginal power.

Hermann should be a great great great utilitly role player for some MLB team as a backup catcher backup LF, 3B kind of guy soon.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/photo-logan-morrison-bryan-petersen-share-tub-drink-043548597.html

by SteveHoffmanSlowey on Mar 16, 2026 7:18 PM EDT reply actions

stanley seems like he's more than a year away.

if you’re looking for a cardinals catcher, either tony cruz or bryan anderson will not be actively backing up yadier molina this year, and the one who’s not might well be available. cruz is a very good defender, and anderson is a little weaker with the glove but a decent-ish hitter for an impromptu catcher.

i used to be disgusted, but now i try to be amused . . . - macmanus

by tom s. on Mar 17, 2026 2:39 AM EDT reply actions