Fabulous Fausto
April 3, 2008No James, No Problem. Thankfully.
April 3, 2008
Though Ryan Garko suits up at first base for the Tribe, it is no secret that the 27-year old slugger was drafted as a catcher out of Stanford, and even donned the gear in the minor leagues.
Given the hamstring injury to Victor Martinez, Garko got to see a little action behind the plate yesterday. No, not in the win over the White Sox, but in the bullpen with Paul Byrd. Yahoo! reports that Garko caught Byrd’s bullpen session on Wedenesday, and is listed as the emergency catcher – something that isn’t very surprising.
However, with Shoppach playing a full slate last night, and the Indians locking up with the Sox for a 12p game this afternoon, I don’t think it would be that far-fetched to have Garko take a few innings behind the plate later today. Don’t forget that Shoppach is typically the catcher for Paul Byrd during real games, and the veteran will take the hill for the first game against the Oakland A’s on Friday night. This would be the third game in three days for our back-up backstop.
Given that, if Victor isn’t ready to go today – though he says he is – don’t be shocked if you see the former third-round selection strap on his gear just like old times. It could be pretty interesting, especially for the opposing team as I can’t see there being a lot of scouting on Garko’s abilities behind the dish.
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3 Comments
thatd be pretty sweet. he’d probably struggle hard defensively however.
How bad is Victor’s injury, didn’t hear yet. Glad to know Garko could step up behind the plate. Once a catcher, always one?
Victor actually pinch hit today in the eighth. They haven’t speculated as to when he’ll be back behind the plate. Since its a hamstring injury, he’ll be able to pinch hit or play first before he can squat for 3 hours.