Atlanta Braves Christian Bethancourt Demoted to AAA
May 26, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher Christian Bethancourt (27) fouls off a ball in the ninth inning of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Dodgers won 8-0. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Just yesterday, Ryan asked us the question (again) about Christian Bethancourt. This morning, the Braves have given an emphatic answer.
Roster move: Braves have optioned C Christian Bethancourt to Gwinnett and have selected contract of C Ryan Lavarnway from @GwinnettBraves
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 15, 2015
Wow. While we can’t say that we didn’t see this one coming, we nonetheless are quite a bit taken aback that it is indeed happening.
Why?
We knew the Bethancourt’s bat was suspect, though he had been better at times… and probably would be considerably better than his .208 average if he were to play as the primary catcher.
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Trouble is, between that offense and his getting-harder-to-ignore defensive lapses, the Braves were forced to demote him.
Meanwhile, A.J. Pierzynski needs a break. He started out on fire (.422 in April), but hit just .145 in May. While he’s at .306 in June, you know that the 38-year-old needs more days off, and those are days in which the Braves have been more enduring Bethancourt than they have been welcoming him.
A.J. has appeared in 39 of the 63 games so far, and that’s a pace putting him at 100 for the year. He’s done that… every year since 2001, in fact, but the Summer is just getting underway in Atlanta, and you know there’s a limit someplace.
The New Guy
Apr 8, 2015; Orioles catcher Ryan Lavarnway (60) on deck to bat against the Tampa Bay Rays. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
For a catcher almost 28 years old, Ryan Lavarnway has kinda been around for a while. Until 2015, he had always been in the Red Sox organization – even picking up a World Series ring behind David Ross in 2013. His major league stints have been limited, though: 17, 46, 25, 9, 10 games from 2011-2015 (the latter being with the Orioles).
The metrics – which are sketchy for catchers, especially with this limited experience – seem to have him as an average defender. Certainly, the Braves trust him enough to hold the fort for a while.
His bat is pretty good – at least to the AAA level as an everyday player. Certainly he has the look of a power hitter: 6’4″, 240, cranking 34 homers at 3 levels in 2011. Like many backup catchers, though, his bench numbers are not very good at the major league level. At Gwinnett, he has 2 jacks and a .268 average in the 12 games he’s played thus far (41 AB).
But for the sake of getting Bethancourt more playing time to work on his issues, Lavarnway has been added to the 40-man roster and now also the active roster for at least a while.
Ironically, his first games for the Braves will be in Boston, the organization taking him in Round 6 of the 2008 draft (202 overall).
Welcome back to the majors, Ryan… though this wasn’t one of the Ryans that our Ben Chase was looking for!