Loading ...Is Chad Moeller going to make this roster as the third catcher? Maybe so.
Jerry Narron and Wayne Krivsky seem convinced that the Reds need another catcher on the bench so that they can use Javier Valentin as a pinch hitter. But why waste a roster spot for what is essentially an unlikely emergency situation (i.e., the chance that Ross gets hurt late in a game after Valentin has pinch hit)? Can’t Freel or Hatteberg play catcher for two innings in such an emergency situation?
Yes.
Instead, I fear that the Reds will waste a roster spot that could be used on a player that could actually help the team. Imagine that.
UPDATE: Daedalus has a campaign button that’s appropriate for this conversation.
Know how you avoid “emergency” situations after your second catcher has already pinch hit?
Don’t use your second catcher to pinch hit, and take his high average as a bonus in case you ever have to use him as a pinch hitter…wait for it…in an emergency! If your best pinch hitter is a catcher, it’s time to restructure the bench.
Not sure how I feel about Bubba getting cut…
It just makes my head hurt that somehow Valentin is the best pinch hitter the Reds have off the bench. I agree with John…. dont use him as apinch hitter…. he isnt a good hitter really. Is there really going to be a difference between bringing in Hamilton, Denorfia (or Hopper), Conine or Castro over Javier Valentin? Yeah, they are all probably better hitters outside of Castro….
That’s the sorriest excuse to waste a roster spot I’ve ever heard. You have all these ‘vets who know how to play the game right’ sitting around, surely they can manage a decent pinch hit appearance once in a while. Of course when Moeller hit that dong today, it occurred to me that we might actually see him come north.
“”People keep harping on the three-catcher thing,” Krivsky said. “But you’d better have a guy back there if that’s the way you think your roster is suited best. You can’t go through a whole season with just two catchers.”"
Hmm…aren’t there 26-27 other teams out there who somehow get through the year with two catchers? (I’m sure there are one or two others who use three.)
I think they’ll keep Jared Burton rather than going with 3 catchers.
That makes sense to me, Daedalus. Probably why I doubt that will happen.
Krivsky may have some form of obsessive compulsive disorder in regards to catchers…must have 3 catchers…must have 3 catchers…must have 3 catchers…
Teams have gone with 2 catchers for a freakin’ century now, but Wayne Krivsky just can’t imagine going that way. Are the Twins run that way? Maybe Krivsky is used to having a guy like Matt LeCroy, who really isn’t a catcher.
By the way, Scott Hatteberg has caught 369 games in the major leagues. I’m sure he could handle things for an inning or two if Valentin was injured after replacing Ross in a double switch. Two innings is all you need – you can turn over a rock the next morning and get Chad Moeller again.
Ryan Freel has been touted as an “emergency catcher” for 4-5 years.
I like Krivsky. I think he was unfairly maligned by many people here for “the trade.”
But keeping three catchers is idiotic, by any standard.
I’m glad Chris pointed out the most important flaw in their reasoning. Hatteberg is a converted catcher. What else do you need for an emergency?
Like everyone else I am scared to think that Moeller has a chance to be on the roster. Any decent manager could see the value in versatility, being able to have the mad hatter as an emergency catcher is a good thing, not keeping a worthless sack.
Hat caught 369 major league games? That doesn’t make him an emergency catcher, that makes him a full-time catcher for two entire seasons. What is the problem?
Hatteberg started off his career in Boston as a catcher, but had an elbow injury that hurt his throwing game, and the Red Sox let him go.
Baseball Prospectus said this about him in 2002:
The A’s picked him up and converted him to 1b to take advantage of his OBP ability. That was in the early days of the ‘moneyball’ philosophy in Oakland. No one else really thought Hatteberg had any major-league value if he couldn’t catch, since he didn’t have a lot of power at the plate.
Thanks DA. I guess what I should have written was “What’s the problem with him being our emergency catcher?” I am not familiar with the nature of his elbow injury, but surely playing a game behind the dish wouldn’t be detrimental to his health, and we’re probably not even talking about that much. Does anyone know of how often the ‘emergency catcher’ had to be used on major league rosters last year? I’d also be curious to see how that worked out.
I got into it when checking up on Hatteberg’s injury, and kept writing. His elbow injury affected his throwing at the time, sure, but I have to believe that it’s healed 4 years later. And as you say, even if it isn’t, we’re talking about the possibility of just a few innings over the course of a season. Exceedingly rare enough to call it “emergency.”
And there’s always Freel who would want to give it a shot too.
If need be, Freel could pitch and catch at the same time. (He’s played nearly every other position, so why not these two?)
I sincerely hope the Reds don’t waste a roster spot by adding another catcher. But I fear I’m going to be sincerely disappointed.
Hat regularly caught Pedro Martinez and Tim (where is the next pitch going)Wakefield. We are not talking about a guy who ‘played the position in college a few times’. We know that he will be involved in a platoon situation, so why not use him in an occasional double switch? Besides, how hard could it be to catch Milton? You never have to worry about the ball hitting your glove. You just have to be concerned with not offending the umpire with a profanity laced tirade everytime someone put one into the river.