What to Expect From New Twins Catcher José Godoy

Jose Godoy, despite his age, made his MLB debut in 2021 with the Seattle Mariners. The Venezuelan native signed with the St. Louis Cardinals a decade ago and labored through the minors with them for the first eight seasons of his career before joining the Mariners late in 2020. A handful of injuries pushed Godoy to the major-league level, netting him 40 plate appearances for the 90-win team. 

Just four days ago, Godoy had been claimed by the San Francisco Giants who then put him on the waiver wire again. This time, the Twins were awarded his rights. 

With just a handful of plate appearances to his name, it’s difficult to analyze what he brings to the table with both the glove and the bat. In May, Eric Longenhagen wrote that Godoy is “a lefty stick with good feel for contact and a frame built to withstand the beating catchers take.” Continuing, he says that he “like[s] him as upper-level depth and think[s] he’d be a fine third catcher on a 40-man roster.” Andrew Baggarly, when writing about Godoy for the Giants (yes, he has been claimed twice now in a week), called him “an upper-level catching alternative.” 

It appears that is how Godoy will fit into the Twins roster. Ryan Jeffers and Gary Sánchez will demand the majority of playing time at the position, but the alleged plan to have Sánchez DH consistently leaves the team thin at the catching position; just two untimely injuries could leave the Twins in a prickly position. Godoy looks to be insurance against any such outcomes.

Godoy slashed .285/.330/.413 in 73 games at AAA Tacoma in 2021.

He still has two options remaining, so the Twins could: 
1.) Keep him on the big-league roster as the third catcher, allowing Gary Sanchez to DH more often. 
2.) Option him to St. Paul, and if one of the Twins catchers gets hurt, call him up. 
3.) Try to pass him through waivers again, and hope that he clears waivers and can be sent to St. Paul.

What do you think his role can be with the Twins? Leave a Comment below. 

MORE FROM TWINS DAILY
— Latest Twins coverage from our writers
— Recent Twins discussion in our forums
— Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook, or email