Young SF Giants catcher acquired in Camilo Doval trade may be a super-utility man

The competition for the SF Giants backup catcher role is underway and so far Daniel Susac seems to be the favorite. That was the case entering camp since he is a Rule 5 guy meaning if he is not on the big league roster the Giants have to give him back to the Athletics.

Even if Susac does win the job and serves as Patrick Bailey’s backup, the Giants have their backup catcher of the future ready to go in Jesus Rodriguez and he is showing he can do a lot more than just catch.

SF Giants have a very versatile catcher in Jesus Rodriguez

Acquired in the trade with the New York Yankees that sent reliever Camilo Doval to the Bronx, Rodriguez profiles as a bat-first catcher which would be a nice complement to Patrick Bailey who is obviously known more for his defensive prowess as a two-time Gold Glove winner.

Last season in the minors between his time in the Yankees and Giants organizations, Rodriguez slashed .307/.393/.403 with seven home runs and 59 runs batted in. He also had 21 stolen bases which is pretty rare for a catcher.

That reveals that he is not your prototypical catcher, though. The 23-year-old has proven that with his ability to play other positions like second base. He has been out there a few times in spring training already and made a nice play in Tuesday’s game.

That sort of versatility brings to mind other players like Austin Barnes who was with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a long time and even briefly spent some time in the Giants organization last year. Barnes played some second base in his time with LA along with primarily serving as a backup catcher.

Maybe Rodriguez won’t be quite as versatile as someone like Daulton Varsho who has caught and also been a really solid center fielder in his career. But if he can move around the diamond at all that will still increase his value. The Giants have experimented with players like this before in Blake Sabol who caught and also played left field. 

On Rodriguez's Baseball Reference page, he is listed as a catcher, first baseman, and third baseman. If you add second base to that list, that is four of the nine positions on the diamond that he can play. Heck, maybe they could even throw him into one of the corner outfield spots in a pinch.

Will Rodriguez's versatility be enough for him to beat out Susac for the backup catcher role? Probably not. But if there is an injury to anyone then Rodriguez could very well get the call-up. He still needs some more time behind the plate to become comfortable defensively as a catcher but once he is serviceable as a catcher it shouldn’t be long before he is with the big league club especially if he continues to put up strong offensive numbers in the minors.