Jambalaya with a vibe? Giants' search for a backup catcher a choice among unique ingredients

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - He's part of such an unusual collection this spring that Daniel Susac calls the San Francisco Giants' catching corps "jambalaya."

"Everybody's different, but we all work so well together," Susac said. "Everybody comes from different histories, different paths, but everybody's very similar at the core. Everybody's got the same goal. It's an awesome group."

Patrick Bailey, MLB's best defender behind the plate, is the leader of the bunch, naturally. He stands out for his pitch-framing expertise and his laconic manner, plus those two Gold Gloves. For everyone else, it's a competition to be Bailey's backup up, one that's filled with distinctive characters.

You've got Susac, a Rule 5 hopeful and lanky 24-year-old whose brother, Andrew, played for the Giants in 2014-15. There's the grizzled veteran, Eric Haase, who has eight years of MLB experience after playing for the Guardians, Tigers and Brewers. There's the wild card: Jesus Rodriguez, obtained in the Camilo Doval deal with the Yankees, who has shown a strong arm behind the plate and is known for his bat - and also plays a mean second base. 

Finally, there is Diego Cartaya, a former Dodgers prospect. Scouts are enamored with Cartaya, who profiles as a good all-around catcher with power but who didn't develop as quickly as L.A. had anticipated. He could become a nice tweak of the Giants' division rivals should he eventually become a big-leaguer. 

With all of these interesting options, what then of Logan Porter, who's back in Giants camp for the second year in a row?

"I'm the vibe," Porter said semi-seriously before flashing a grin.

Jambalaya with a helping of vibe makes for an interesting catching concoction. They get along well and are their own support system, too.

"It's a brotherhood here," Haase said. 

"They're all weird - they're catchers," pitcher Hayden Birdsong said. "But I like them all and they're all really good."

Susac, 24, might have the inside edge on the backup job, given his status as a Rule 5 pick. The Giants must keep him on the 26-man roster to ensure he stays with the organization. However, he's in an especially difficult position - being asked to jump up a level and handle backup duties can be tough for younger players used to regular playing time. The Giants know the Roseville native might not be quite ready.

"I think he's in a developmental stage," manager Tony Vitello said. "That's more as a compliment that I think he's a long way from his ceiling as far as how good he can get back there, and I think he will get there. His arm strength is surprising everybody.So he's done well."

Catching coach Alex Berg, who lived with Andrew Susac for a year in the minors at Class-A San Jose, agrees that the younger Susac has a cannon for a throwing arm. "Susac is pretty special," Berg said.

Haase, 33, would be the frontrunner most springs, because experience handling big-league staffs is often the priority for backups. He's played in 383 MLB games for Detroit, Cleveland and Milwaukee - and he comes highly recommended.

"Eric's really good people and tough as nails," Brewers general manager Matt Arnold said.
"He's a good competitor, very strong, a really good veteran presence that everyone loves to be around. He's tremendous working with pitchers, he's got a really good feel for pitches, he's very well prepared - he's talented."

Like most minor-league free agents with a big-league team, Haase has an out clause in his deal in the first half; if the Giants settle on another option, there will be plenty of teams who need a backup who knows what he's doing. Haase knows the spring drill well.

"I just try to come in, do the exact same thing, walk into a new clubhouse, try to get the feel of it, try to just help the pitching staff as much as I can," Haase said. "From the outside looking in, of course you love to hit, you love to contribute, but that's really only half the story, it's really learning the staff, more than anything. Once you have that groundwork, the game just becomes so much easier. You're not trying to learn on the fly. It's just pure application. So these next couple weeks, I'm really try to just dial that in."

Rodriguez, 23, is fascinating, identified for plucking from the Yankees by a particularly notable catcher, Buster Posey. Right now, he profiles more like a super-utility player. Vitello has mentioned using him in left field as well as behind the plate and second. In a perfect world, Rodriguez could be a third catcher while playing multiple positions. On Tuesday, he made a terrific late-game play at second base against the Angels.

"Jesus is the most athletic catcher I've ever met," Porter said.

"I didn't even know he could play second base like that and Jesus hits like a second baseman," said Birdsong, who worked with Rodriguez at Triple-A Sacramento last year. "That caught me off guard."

Rodriguez's average over six minor-league seasons: .309. His on-base percentage: .395. Stolen bases: 70. He's played every position except shortstop and pitcher.

Cartaya, 24, was a talent evaluators' darling in the lower levels of the Dodgers' farm system, batting .298 with 10 homers in 31 games at Class-A ball in 2021, 22 homers the next year and 19 in 2023, but his average dipped and he hasn't gotten above .236 at any stop since hitting .260 at A-ball in 2022. Less happily, he's thrown out just 20% of stolen-base attempts on his career.

The Dodgers traded Cartaya to the Twins at the start of 2025, and the Twins released him in July. The Giants signed him and he played in four games at Class-A San Jose. The early promise was tantalizing; if he can rediscover his batting stroke, he's a competent enough catcher to move up quickly to Sacramento.

"I feel like I can hit for power and I have a good arm, but my throwing can get better," Cartaya said. "I just want to keep learning and developing, I feel like I can always get better at every aspect. I'm watching every single thing Patrick Bailey does and trying to see what I can apply to my game."

Porter was a mainstay at Sacramento last year, though he was let go and re-signed one week in July. He has a touch of big-league experience, with the Royals and the Giants - four games last year - but at 30 he's beyond prospect territory. He's a reliable, responsible and likeable ‘tweener who could bounce up and down between the majors and minors as needed. He's also exactly the sort of player who, down the line, becomes a top-notch coach or manager.

The catching assignments are parceled out carefully to ensure each catcher works with each pitcher once or twice, at the very least in the bullpen.

"Every year I've been here, we've had a wide-open competition to be the backup catcher, so there's always been innings to go around for those guys," Berg said. "And these guys are wonderful, they're embracing each other as a group. They know that they're going to get opportunities to play.

"We have a blast every day. We have the youthful energy, but even Haase has just as much energy as anybody else. There's a hunger to learn, it's like, ‘Give me more! ' every day."

This article originally published at Jambalaya with a vibe? Giants' search for a backup catcher a choice among unique ingredients.