In case you missed it, Yankees catcher Jose Trevino had himself a night against the Orioles in Tuesday’s 7-6 win.
On top of a solo home run, Trevino also had game-tying and winning RBI singles.
Jose Trevino with his second of the year! Yankees stretch their lead to 2-0!
Watch on YES and stream it LIVE with the YES app: https://t.co/0cgHA8Q6LU pic.twitter.com/sGyu3pIHah
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) May 25, 2022
THE JOSE TREVINO GAME! WE'RE TIED! pic.twitter.com/ljfLGvznAz
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 25, 2022
It's Jose Trevino's world and we're just living in it!! The Yankees catcher walks it off in the 11th! pic.twitter.com/CPJRWtHydX
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) May 25, 2022
Trevino, who the Yankees acquired from Texas Rangers late in spring training, has been running hot. He’s safely hit in his last five games and is batting .444 through that stretch. Ironically, four of those five games have come against Baltimore.
Suddenly Kyle Higashioka and his seven spring training home runs are a distant memory. Gerrit Cole’s former personal catcher crashed back down to earth and is batting .154 with no home runs.
Trevino, on the other hand, is thriving. His hot streak has pumped his batting average up to .246. Even if his strong run of late is just that, he’s still more than making up for it with his defense. He’s in the 100th percentile when it comes to pitch framing and has an elite strike rate of 54.6%.
And yet, because hitting is king, #YankeesTwitter is rife with fans who’d love to trade for Cubs backstop Willson Contreras.
Granted, Contreras is batting .258 with five home runs and has more consistent pop in his bat. He’s more consistent at making hard contact and could prove a more effective version of Gary Sanchez. Unfortunately, his framing is in the 14th percentile and his strike rate is just 43.2%.
Sounds like why the Yankees traded Gary Sanchez for Josh Donaldson to begin with, right?
Trevino, meanwhile, has done exactly what the Yankees need of him: have competitive at-bats and provide elite defense. Unless Higashioka’s bat suddenly heats up, it’s clear who New York’s starting catcher should be.
To quote the great poet Eminem, Trevino has been given one shot, one opportunity to seize everything he’s ever wanted, and captured it. In the blink of an eye, he went from probably getting cut by the Rangers to regular playing time in New York.
And seeing as how prospect Austin Wells is probably at least two years away from being ready, there’s no reason to not keep Trevino around. The defense is elite, he works well with the pitching staff, and seems a genuinely well-liked teammate.
Trevino may not be the franchise catcher the Yankees deserve. However, he’s certainly the one they need right now.
