No catch: Diamondbacks confident in trio of backstops
Mar 23, 2017, 5:16 PM | Updated: Mar 24, 2017, 11:47 am
Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Chris Iannetta takes the throw as Oakland Athletics' Yonder Alonso scores during the third inning of a spring training baseball game, Tuesday, March 7, 2017, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Arizona Diamondbacks entered spring training with a half-dozen catchers in their camp.
But through injury, attrition and perhaps planning, it appears they are down to the three who will be relied upon in 2016.
While it is now a fairly safe assumption that Chris Iannetta, Jeff Mathis and Chris Herrmann will receive the bulk of the action behind the plate in 2017, how much each is slated for is yet to be determined.
“I’m just going to be consistent what I’ve said all spring long,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “We’re going to put the catchers in the best position to have success wih the pitcher that evening to help us win the game.”
Lovullo added that the idea of having a single catcher be in the lineup 150 times in a season is a thing of the past, pointing to Kansas City’s Salvador Perez, as a throwback.
“And he’s catching 120 games a year, so we’re going to split it up to make sure all three catchers are sharp, ready, helping us win games and they’re healthy for the entire year,” he said. “That’s what I can give you right now.
“What that number is at the end of the year, I wish I could tell you what that is, but it’s going to take some time for us to figure that all out.”
That it has come down to Iannetta, Mathis and Herrmann is of little surprise. The first two were picked up over the offseason as free agents, while the latter played well last season while seeing time at catcher as well as in the outfield.
But while the Diamondbacks have plenty of options, what they lack is a proven, every-day backstop.
Iannetta has the most experience of the trio, with 900 big league games (842 starts) behind the plate under his belt.
Mathis, on the other hand, has 680 career games at catcher, with 621 starts.
The 33-year-olds figure to get the bulk of the work at the position, in part because Herrmann, 29, can fill in at other positions. Last season alone, he had appearances at all three outfield spots, as well as some work at first base.
After praising Herrmann’s athleticism and ability to play all over the field, Lovullo said there will likely be stretches where they go with essentially two catchers. In that scenario, it’s likely Iannetta and Mathis.
Iannetta caught D-backs ace Zack Greinke Thursday against the Chicago Cubs, though that should not necessarily be taken as a sign that he will be the guy on Opening Day.
Lovullo said he’s trying to avoid the concept of having certain catchers always be the guy for specific pitchers.
“We’re mixing and matching all of our pitchers with different catchers for that reason,” he said. “We know that there’s going to be certain trends that are going to pop up, and we are going to follow those trends through the analytics.
“I don’t want to get caught in the trap of having to catch a guy and matching him up with a certain pitcher. I feel comfortable knowing that all of our guys are going to be able to execute a game plan behind the plate.”
After working with Iannetta Thursday, Greinke said all of the team’s catchers have done a good job, both overall and with him.
He did say he would like to have the same catcher every start but noted it may not be as big of a deal with veterans behind the plate because even when they’re not playing, they are engaged in the game.
“If you get a good one, which we have, they still kind of stay with the pitcher even though they didn’t catch it, they’re still paying attention and can kind of follow what’s been going on,” the pitcher said. “And we’ve got some smart guys back there, so it shouldn’t be as important.”
Greinke is not the only pitcher who would prefer some consistency, nor is his feeling that way any kind of surprise. Even with the idea of mixing and matching backstops, at some point one of them will likely claim the starter’s role, at least for however many games that means they will play.
If Iannetta gets the nod, at least at first, he feels like comfort will not be an issue.
“It’s not hard,” he said of learning new pitchers. “This is the fourth team I’ve been on, so you’ve done it time and time again.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s during the season or in spring training, there’s always new guys you have to learn, so once you do that process once you kind of know how to do that. So you just multiply that by the number of guys, and you go from there.”
Iannetta was most recently with the Seattle Mariners, but has also spent time with the Los Angeles Angels and Colorado Rockies. Mathis came over from the Miami Marlins, but prior to that was with the Toronto Blue Jays and also the Angels.
The key to learning new pitchers, according to Iannetta, is asking questions and finding out what they like.
“And you just go out there and do it,” he said.
None of Arizona’s catchers are known for their bats, yet this spring Iannetta is batting .368 with one home run and five RBI, Mathis has chipped in a .421 average and Herrmann is at .275 with two home runs and three RBI.
The overall production from the position may seem like a surprise, though Lovullo said offense is not something he is really concerning himself with at the position.
He said Mathis has “sneaky pop,” Iannetta “has had some tremendous offensive years” and Herrmann’s .845 OPS last season has been “something we talk about in our discussion.”
“So we love what they offer, but the priority right now for us is for our catchers to take care of our pitchers and give us the offense they are supposed to,” Lovullo continued. “Not doing anything more than they are supposed to and reach outside of their bodies to do things they are not supposed to do offensively.
“Just take care of what you can offensively and control the game from behind the plate.
