San Francisco Giants: Time to Promote Catcher Hector Sanchez from Fresno?

Since the season-ending injury to Buster Posey on May 25, the San Francisco Giants have found a tall order in replacing last year's NL Rookie of the Year behind the plate.

The current roster options, Eli Whiteside and Chris Stewart, haven't been getting the job done, either offensively or defensively.

Whiteside, the new everyday backstop, has already allowed three passed balls and 22 out of 28 stolen base attempts against him.

Both Whiteside and Stewart are hitting under .200.

Before the trade deadline is so close that it's bearing down on Brian Sabean and the Giants, perhaps it's time to infuse some young blood behind home plate at AT&T Park.

Hector Sanchez, the 21-year-old catcher for the Giants' Triple-A affiliate Fresno Grizzlies, has been playing very well in the farm system and may be ready for a shot at the show ...

What Have You Got to Lose?

With Eli Whiteside hitting .190, Chris Stewart hitting .174 and neither impressing with what they bring to the table defensively, what do the Giants have to lose by calling up Hector Sanchez?

At worst, Sanchez isn't ready for the big leagues and Bruce Bochy can certainly have a short leash with him.

But an injection of young energy can lift the spirits and the play of a ball club, as Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner proved in 2010.

It's Still the First-Half of the Season and the Giants Can Afford to Experiment

The Giants are in first place in a relatively weak National League Western Division. 

It's also still early enough in the season that the Giants can afford to experiment to find the best fit for them at the catcher position.

It would behoove the defending champions to find out whether Sanchez would pan-out as a big league catcher, to at least rule out that possibility before the trade deadline nears and San Francisco makes a deal for another backstop.

This Kid Can Hit

Imagine a switch-hitting catcher who is an extra-base or even home run threat each time he comes to the plate.

Well, we might just have our man.

Hector Sanchez was promoted from San Jose to Triple-A Fresno earlier this season, and he has been hitting very well with both clubs.

While with San Jose, in 42 games Sanchez hit .301 with 8 home runs and 46 RBI.  His on-base percentage was .321 and he slugged .511.

Since being promoted to Fresno, Sanchez has hit .281 with 6 RBI in 9 games.

The Giants need a bat to ignite their offense, and Hector Sanchez might just be able to provide it.

Time to Make a Call to the Farm

As the Giants were forced to do with shortstop Brandon Crawford, it might be a good idea to call up Hector Sanchez despite his relatively brief experience in the minor leagues.

San Francisco has not been afraid to give youth a chance in the last couple of years, and there's no reason to change that mantra now.

If Sanchez performs well, it could solve two of the Giants' biggest problems at the moment: the need for a solid catcher and the need for a solid hitter in the middle of the lineup.