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2008 The gap between starting catchers and their backups has become so severe that teams with a secondary backstop of any quality have a real tactical advantage. Underqualified to start, Jaramillo is overqualified to be a backup by the standards of Wil Nieves or Paul Bako. He's a good defender, and though he won't hit with any real impact, he's more than an automatic out. 2007 Mike Lieberthal`s departure creates a long-term catching void, one that management hoped would be filled by Jaramillo. It still may be, but not in 2007. Jaramillo was aggressively pushed up two levels last year, and his offense suffered, although the bruised hand that cost him three weeks early on didn`t help. Defensively solid, his lack of speed means he`ll need to make plenty of solid contact to get hits, something he did in college with metal bats but hasn`t done as a pro. 2006 A 23-year-old catch-and-throw receiver compared to Johnny Estrada, Jaramillo`s 2005 batting stats in the Sally League were encouraging. Still, he`ll be lucky if he beats Estrada`s career mark of playing in 100 games in a season before turning 28.
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