KANSAS CITY, MO. – As a MLB manager should, Rocco Baldelli has a plan for every worst-case scenario. And one, however unlikely, is who would be the emergency catcher.
In past years, the Twins have had Mitch Garver as the No. 1, Ryan Jeffers as the backup and catcher-turned-utility-man Willians Astudillo as a third option. But with Astudillo departing after last season and Garver gone in a trade, the Twins have only former Yankee Gary Sanchez and Jeffers on the roster.
Jeffers and Sanchez often appear in the lineup at the same time, with Jeffers catching and Sanchez as the designated hitter. So in the off-chance that both should incur injuries and be unable to play, it was a bit of a mystery who would be next in line.
Baldelli solved that, somewhat unexpectedly naming relief pitcher Jhon Romero as Plan C.
"We actually think that Jhon could go back there and go actually do a pretty decent job," Baldelli said. "We might want to put him in kind of a bullpen setting before we tell him to go out there in a ballgame. But actually, we've heard that he actually has some experience back there and could probably handle it. It's unusual. We know that. Not what you were expecting to hear."
Romero does indeed have experience, playing that spot from when he first started in the game at 3 years old until he was 20 and trying to sign a professional contract out of his native Colombia. That's when he had to come to terms with not being a great hitter. So he asked instead to pitch at a showcase tryout for scouts, realizing that might be his best chance at the MLB dream.
Sure, he hasn't played the position since then, but Romero said he was "willing to get down and do the job."
"It's just part of baseball," Romero said in Spanish through an interpreter. "[Baldelli and I] did talk about it a little bit. I didn't think anything of it. It's part of being a baseball player and being on a team, just supporting your teammates. If anything happens and they need me, then I guess I'll do whatever I need to do."
