The Minnesota Twins have taken another unusual turn with their roster, this time by adding a fourth catcher.
The club is selecting the contract of St. Paul Saints catcher David Bañuelos and promoting him to the major leagues, even as fans have been pushing for top prospect Walker Jenkins to get the call. Jenkins had been viewed by many as a possible answer for little-used outfielder Alan Roden, but the Twins instead chose to deepen a catching group that already includes Ryan Jeffers, Victor Caratini and Alex Jackson.
Jeremy Zoll said the organization did consider Jenkins, who is “doing everything you could possibly ask him to do in Triple-A.” But the front office ultimately landed on a different conclusion.
“We looked at bringing up Walker,” Zoll said. “Obviously, he's a very talented player and he's doing everything you could possibly ask him to do in Triple-A.
But then we looked at the roster and realized we only had three catchers. That just didn't feel right.”
Zoll framed the decision as a matter of roster philosophy, laying out the club’s view of the position in blunt terms.
“Two catchers is necessary,” Zoll said. “Three catchers is a luxury.
Four catchers is where you start seeing the real value. Four catchers is like two houses and a private plane.
Billionaire [stuff].”
The move comes after the Twins have already shown faith in their current catching-heavy setup. Alex Jackson, who was designated for assignment just four days before being recalled, has been used sparingly, appearing in a game roughly once every seven or eight days. The team has been pleased with that arrangement, and Bañuelos does not appear likely to receive much more action.
When asked how Bañuelos would fit into the mix, Zoll made clear that the point was not necessarily playing time.
“People are looking at this the wrong way,” Zoll said. “It's not about how much he plays. It's about having the option to play him.”
That option was enough for the Twins to keep Jenkins in Triple-A, where they want him to continue developing and prepare for his eventual major-league debut. The club would also like to see him move behind the plate and get some work at catcher.
For now, the Twins are banking on numbers. If one catcher goes down, they still have three.
If two are injured, they still have two. If three are injured, they still have one.
And if all four catchers get hurt, then Walker Jenkins can finally be promoted - if he is ready to catch.
Bañuelos, meanwhile, gets the call to the majors, even if the purpose of the promotion may be hard to pin down.
“We're really excited about David,” Zoll said. “He's earned this opportunity, and we're excited about what he brings to the roster.”
Zoll paused.
“A fourth catcher.”
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