Padres' Christian Bethancourt: Slated to pitch in Panama Winter League

Bethancourt will pitch in the Panama Winter League soon, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The Padres have been working with the catcher on his pitching mechanics, and he recently had his fastball clocked at 97 miles per hour. Bethancourt is even developing a changeup, although the Padres are still insisting that he is not fully converting to the mound. His role for the 2017 season should become clearer once he logs some innings in Panama, although his high-octane arm could push him to the bullpen more frequently if all goes well over the winter.