|
2008 Justin Catch-and-throw guy Guillermo Rodriguez got the call to back up Bengie Molina when Eliezer Alfonzo went down with a knee injury last year. It was a curious choice given that Knoedler had been up for brief stretches in both 2005 and 2006, and was having a good year at Triple-A Fresno. Knoedler is just a backup, but seeing as he has a little more bat than glove, he would seem to pair well with a Randomly Generated Molina. He'll go to camp with the A's, who may better appreciate his skills. 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.
|