Hank Conger is a Perfect Fit for the Twins

[David Youngs]

Fans may remember Hank Conger as a staple in the league during his catching days for the Angels, Rays, and Astros. The former journeyman may now be the most valuable asset on the Twins coaching staff. 

You can't go wrong with a guy named Hank. 

Hank Aaron, Hank Williams, Hardware Hank. 

Add Hank Conger to the list. The Twins announced on December 10th that Hank Conger will fulfill duties as catching and first-base coach for the 2022 Minnesota Twins. Conger spent 2021 coaching in the Korean Baseball League (KBO) and is well-known for being a 'clubhouse rock' during the Houston Astros 2015 playoff drive. 

Conger played professional baseball from 2009-18, including seven seasons in the majors. Most notably, Conger was a staple for the Los Angeles Angels from 2010-14, spending 251 games beyond the dish for the Halos. He finished his MLB career with a .221/.294/.366 slash line alongside 31 HR and 114 RBI. 

Similar to Mike Redmond in the Joe Mauer era, Conger was never an elite superstar, spending most of his time backing up Chris Iannetta, Jeff Mathis, and (old friend) Jason Castro. Yet like Redmond, Conger's value to an MLB roster was valuable beyond numbers in terms of knowledge. 

In fact, Redmond's post-playing career has the potential to be a blueprint for Conger (with hopefully more wins). 

Redmond and Conger had very different MLB careers; one played 13 seasons, the other's career was just over half of that. Redmond was a career .287 hitter, Conger's career average was closer to the Mendoza Line than it was to Redmond's average. 

The beautiful thing? None of that matters. 

What does, however, is that both men were backup catchers who played on successful teams. 

Conger never won a World Series like Redmond did with the '03 Marlins, yet played on multiple playoff teams, including the '14 Angels and '15 Astros (alongside two winning 'playoff-less' seasons in Los Angeles). And just because he wasn't the top guy doesn't mean that Conger's experience won't be extremely valuable in a coaching role for the Twins. 

The catcher is the quarterback of the baseball field; there's no arguing that the man beyond the dish is responsible for retaining the most information, strategically calling formations and shifts, and possessing miniscule information that can break or break baseball games. 

Conger did all of that with three different teams, different coaching staffs, and a plethora of different pitchers. Conger caught household names like Dallas Keuchel and Jered Weaver alongside countless rookies making their MLB debuts. 

So? Isn't that part of the job description for all catchers?

Yes, but factor in Minnesota's young pitching staff and uncertainly in the catching department and Conger is a one-two punch of relatable, yet wise. 

Barely older than Twins ace Kenta Maeda (who will miss the 2022 season), Conger 'gets it' when it comes to today's game. He understands the tricks of the trade that make teams successful in the 21st century and will be able to relate on a personal level. Plus, it appears that Conger is a genuinely easy person to enjoy based on reviews by former teammates and media personnel. 

The second half of that one-two punch is perhaps the most important; navigating the uncertainly of the Twins' catching department. Mitch Garver, Ryan Jeffers, and Ben Rortvedt will almost certainly fulfill the 2022 season beyond the dish.

How that will look? We'll have to wait and see. 

Both Garver and Jeffers (more specifically, Garver) have shown moments of brilliance behind, and at the plate, yet have lacked the consistency to become MLB staples at the position. Newcomer and Verona, Wisconsin, native Ben Rortvedt is the most talented of the three on the defensive side of the ball but hopes to sprout his offensive value in 2022. 

Match that with the fact that the '22 team will be without Kenta Maeda, Jose Berrios, and perhaps Michael Pineda makes for an interesting situation. Conger's experience and leadership will be vital in developing relationships and communication between young, inexperienced pitchers and the catching staff. 

Conger has his work cut out for him, yet this could be the first stepping stone towards a successful career on the coaching side of Major League Baseball. The resume and cover letter look excellent, we'll see if the chips fall the right way. 

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[old nurse]

Redmond was a great team player and understood the game. There is a translation problem. Redmond took a team of future batting stars and made them mediocre. Mattingly has not done any better. Redmond should not be the blueprint other than he has been gainfully employed as the bench coach for a mediocre Rockies team. Here is to hoping that Conger can make players better.

[mikelink45]

I am forced to wait and see.  I remember that Mike Zimmer was the perfect fit.  And I have seen numerous managers come with great expectations only to be fired and replaced by others who were going to be perfect.  How do we judge a coach?  What are the metrics for his position? 

[Brook King]

I hope Hank he does well here.  I wasn't able to find any detailed info on catching improvements for his KBO team, but the young catchers did well throwing out runners this past year. 

As I was trying to find background information on Hank I thought it was interesting that he played in the Mexican Baseball League in 2018.  He must really love the game to go from the MLB to MBL.

The connection is probably a little too direct, but do you think Dan Straily is a possibility for the Twins?  If Straily is a possibility, are the Twins be able to sign him to a guaranteed minor league deal now since he's a free agent?

[RonCoomersOPS]

6 hours ago, Brook King said:

As I was trying to find background information on Hank I thought it was interesting that he played in the Mexican Baseball League in 2018.  He must really love the game to go from the MLB to MBL.

What are you saying with that last sentence?

[Brook King]

Going from Major League Baseball to Mexican Baseball League.  Or, it's actually LMB.