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2007 Knoedler and Alfonzo shared the catching duties at Fresno last year, and, while Knoedler hit better there, it was Alfonzo who was called up to replace Matheny. Knoedler gets high marks for his arm and game-calling skills--he was actually drafted as a pitcher, so he has some firsthand knowledge of what goes on out there on the mound--but hasn`t shown any kind of batting aptitude. Signing Bengie Molina led to Knoedler`s being DFAed in January. 2006 Knoedler is fantastic behind the plate and has a cannon for an arm, but it doesn`t look like he will hit enough to be a starter in the majors. At press time it looked like the Giants would leave Knoedler in Triple-A to get at-bats, but he could easily enough be flipped with Haad and become Matheny`s backup. 2005 Not a bad season, as Knoedler dealt with his first full season at Double-A. It was also year three of the switch-back experiment, with Knoedler having gone from college catcher to dominant rookie-ball reliever in 2001, and then back to catcher. He's shown emerging power, so it's unlikely he'll switch back. If everything breaks right, in a couple years he'll be a candidate for a big league backup job, probably just before the Giants give Einar Diaz a four-year deal.
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