Yankees: Austin Romine showing why he’s the backstop man

The Yankees will soon face a crucial decision that begins with the one-game Wild Card shootout and extends into the playoffs. Who will be their man behind the plate in that all-important backstop position?

Yankees manager, Joe Girardi, has some decisions to make when he sets his lineup for the playoffs, including who he chooses as his starting pitcher for the first game. But no decision facing him is bound to be more nerve wracking than who he selects in the catcher’s position.

With his background as a good-field no-hit catcher in the big leagues, Girardi’s natural inclination is probably to go with the guy who can first, catch the ball and second, call a reliable game regarding pitch selection and general handling of his pitchers.

But what if by following that route, he loses a big bat in the lineup?

Yankees damned if you do and damned if you don’t?

That’s precisely the choice Girardi faces between Gary Sanchez and Austin Romine. If he chooses Romine, the defensive stalwart, he loses either Sanchez or Matt Holliday as his DH during the American League playoffs.

And then it gets worse in the World Series for three or four games where there is no DH in National League parks, and he loses both bats if he sticks with Romine.

Sanchez has deservedly taken his lumps for his defensive woes this season. He leads the major leagues in passed balls and errors by a catcher and worse; he’s not improving despite a diligent effort by both the Yankees and himself to get better behind the plate.

With his recent suspension for action he took during the melee in Detroit, his maturity level is rightly called into question as well.

But still, the guy can hit.

Off the record, ask any Yankees pitcher who they like to pitch to, though, and the answer resoundingly will be Romine.

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Yesterday, for example, we saw Sonny Gray acting entirely in sync with Romine, who called his usual perfect game on a day when Gray didn’t necessarily have his best stuff. And those are the games that count the most.

Any big league catcher can handle a pitcher when he has everything going for him. It’s when he doesn’t those intangible skills are needed. Sanchez is not there yet, plain and straightforward.

Girardi’s call

My best guess is that Girardi will give into his better instincts, opting for offense over defense, hoping that Sanchez will weather the storm and have one of his best games behind the plate. Holliday, especially, is a hitting machine with a tendency to come up with a big home run for the Yankees this season. And it would be hard to give him a seat on the bench.

Girardi’s decision making misery doesn’t end there, though. He’ll also be faced with choosing between Todd Frazier, Greg Bird, and Chase Headley, assuming all are healthy, for a seat on the bench while he fills the first and third base positions.

Regardless of the choices, he makes, however, Girardi is going to have two competent players to serve in pinch-hitting duties.

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Me? I’d go with Romine behind the plate, Headley at third, Bird at first, and Holliday as the DH, effectively putting Frazier and Sanchez on the bench.

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