Catcher Bethancourt wows with fastball, eephus

SEATTLE — Padres catcher Christian Bethancourt appeared on the hill in the eighth inning of Tuesday afternoon’s 16-4 loss to the Mariners at Safeco Field, recording two outs without allowing a run or a hit and setting off a flurry of reaction.

Bethancourt walked two batters and hit another, but he displayed some impressive range in velocity while facing five batters. The catcher reached 95 mph with his fastball and delivered an eephus pitch at 53 mph.

Bethancourt is throwing fastballs 93-95, changeups 84-87, and knucklers 53-64. HE IS A CATCHER. He is my new favorite player.

— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) May 31, 2016

Bethancourt is throwing fastballs 93-95, changeups 84-87, and knucklers 53-64. HE IS A CATCHER. He is my new favorite player.

Aside from catching and pitching, Bethancourt also played left field and second base on Tuesday afternoon. Aside from surprising with his arm, Bethancourt has been turning heads with his production at the plate recently.

“I think what we’re looking for is offense right now,” Padres manager Andy Green said. “We’ve had difficulty scoring runs, and he’s hitting the ball hard more consistently than just about anybody else right now.”

Bethancourt, one of three catchers on the roster, was 2-for-4 as the DH in Monday’s 9-3 loss to the Mariners. He entered Tuesday 3-for-8 on the current road trip.

“You look at ways to get him in the lineup,” Green said. “Still have a little bit of …

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