At the Class AAA level in baseball, lineups can change significantly from one day to the next depending on what is happening with the parent organization.
The Cleveland Indians have run into injuries at the beginning of 2010 that have forced them to call up a lot of the talent from the Columbus Clippers.
An injury at the major-league level can quickly shift lineups throughout the whole farm system because when one player gets called up, there are players that are called up to replace him at each level of the farm system.
When these circumstances arise, a utility player can be a savior. A utility player generally can play multiple positions on the field.
Chris Gimenez has shown to be useful at several positions in 2010 for the Clippers.
“Chris just has the versatility where he can play outfield, he can play first base, he can play third base and he can play wherever he is needed,” Clippers manager Mike Sarbaugh said. “He did that his first few years in the minor leagues and then we moved him to catcher, which really helped his value. But where we are now, he just moves all around.”
A lack of offensive production from the Indians’ catcher position has fans anxiously awaiting the arrival of Clippers catcher Carlos Santana.
If Santana leaves, it looks like Gimenez will be the Clippers catcher.
“He’s our backup catcher,” Sarbaugh said. “He started the year catching here last year also.”
Damaso Espino was the backup catcher for the Clippers for part of 2010, but was sent to the Class AA Akron Aeros. Espino played great defensively, but didn’t offer the offensive production that Gimenez brings.
Gimenez has a .289 batting average with 20 RBIs and six home runs. He is among the top five on the team in on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
If Santana gets called up to the Indians, they may send catchers Mike Redmond or Lou Marson to the Clippers. Otherwise, the Clippers may bring back Espino to be the backup catcher.
