'Tek, 'Belli, Huckaby, and the current situation at catcher!

[RavenOfProphecy]

With Jason Varitek on the disabled list and out for an extended period of time, I took a look at his statistics (which most of you probably know already) and the statistics of the two catchers we have in the MLB right now. And, after examining that, I am VERY concerned with our catcher situation for the next four-six weeks, as I'm sure you all are. If you aren't, here's why you should be.

 

First, let's look at Jason Varitek's statistics:

 

Jason Varitek: 85 games, 304 AB, 11 HR, 50 RBI, 39 BB, 58 K, .243/.331/.411

 

Believe it or not, Varitek has been far more productive than you'd be led to believe by his batting average. He's got the tie-fourth most home runs on the team (behind David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, and Mike Lowell, and tied with Kevin Youkilis.) He's fourth in RBIs behind the four people mentioned, and he's fifth in walks. His on-base % is also about .003 below the league average, not a lot by any stretch, and solid for a catcher. Which brings me to his defense. He's exceptional at calling games, which is a huge advantage he has over the other two guys. He's only thrown out 23.1% of baserunners (12 out of 52), but neither of the other two has a stronger arm. Now, for the backups:

 

Doug Mirabelli: 31 games, 80 AB, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 5 BB, 28 K, .188/.253/.350 (.181 now, but this is based on everything up to the game tonight vs. Cleveland.)

Ken Huckaby (AAA): 68 games, 217 AB, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 5 BB, 53 K, .207/.222/.263

 

Huckaby is just flat out terrible in terms of production any way you look at it. He's not a power threat (a home run every 108.5 at bats), has just six doubles and no triples, and has an on-base % of .222! .222! I mean, am I the only one who is scared to have a catcher who drew five walks in 217 ABs in the minor leagues? Then, it's on to Mirabelli. Let's not kid ouselves, the only reason he was picked up for Josh Bard and Cla Merideth was to save Tim Wakefield the trouble of pitching to a catcher who didn't know how to catch for him (by the way, Bard is batting .348 with the Padres. ) Mirabelli's also showed that he's basically ineffective as well as a situational player offensively, and playing him every day leaves us far below average at producing runs, the most important thing to do in order to be successful.

 

So how can we address this issue? I'll leave it up to you guys to discuss, because after all, what would be the point of making this topic if not to prompt a discussion from you guys? I'll respond to what you guys post, because I'm very interested in getting some new perspectives. Should Jeff Bailey have been called up instead? He plays catcher, first basemen, and outfield, and he's batting .269/.378/.485 this season with 17 home runs and 65 RBIs, the most in Pawtucket. He also has the most walks and total bases, but has struck out 89 times in 338 ABs, and hasn't played much at catcher. Was bringing up Huckaby the best move, or should Bailey/Corky Miller gotten the call instead? Do you see a waiver wire deal in the future?

[CrespoBlows]

Javy Lopez.

[AlexanderTheGreat13]

How many years does he have on his contract? If its just this year then it would be a solid pick up.

[RavenOfProphecy]

Javy Lopez.

 

I believe when taking players off of the waiver wire, we have to pay for their full salary. Lopez's is $9,000,000, and he's batting .266/.315/.414.

[riverside sluggers]

I believe when taking players off of the waiver wire, we have to pay for their full salary. Lopez's is $9,000,000, and he's batting .266/.315/.414.

 

Id have no complaints if Sox picked that up, that move would solidify the catcher situation until Tek returns in a nother month or so

[RavenOfProphecy]

$9,000,000 for a month of work from an average catcher isn't really worth it, in my opinion. How about Kelly Stinnett? Do you guys think he has anything left? He hasn't showed much. Where's Sal Fasano when you need him? Oh, on the rival team. Damn.

[riverside sluggers]

$9,000,000 for a month of work from an average catcher isn't really worth it, in my opinion. How about Kelly Stinnett? Do you guys think he has anything left? He hasn't showed much. Where's Sal Fasano when you need him? Oh, on the rival team. Damn.

 

All other catchers besides Javy mentioned that could be waived are hitting .230 or much much lower. And this is a starting catcher the Sox are looking for. Who would you want to be the starting catcher then until Tek got back?

 

Kelly Stinnett? Now youre really being hilarious

[ORS]

Isn't waiver wire salary pro-rated for the time the team has him? I think it is, could be wrong though.

[AlexanderTheGreat13]

Kelly Stinnett? Now youre really being hilarious

:lol: dont get me started.

[RavenOfProphecy]

:lol: dont get me started.

 

I'm just throwing names out. Stinnett is okay defensively and he's batting 40 or so points higher than Mirabelli, plus he costs about 15 times less than Lopez.

[riverside sluggers]

I'm just throwing names out. Stinnett is okay defensively and he's batting 40 or so points higher than Mirabelli, plus he costs about 15 times less than Lopez.

 

We're talking about 4, maybe even 6 weeks here. You would have Stinnett be the starting catcher until Tek comes back in what right now is a tight pennant race in the AL East? IMO Theo getting him to be the starter would signal the white flag being raised

[guapo34]

$9,000,000 for a month of work from an average catcher isn't really worth it, in my opinion. How about Kelly Stinnett? Do you guys think he has anything left? He hasn't showed much. Where's Sal Fasano when you need him? Oh, on the rival team. Damn.

 

 

Its pro rated. Hes been getting paychecks all year that come off of that 9,000,000. It would be around 2.5 million.

[jimmycarter05]

Jason LaRue? Javier Valentian out of Cincy, with David Ross beasting it I'm sure we could get them.

[Beckett95]

i wouldnt mind this guy

 

http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/team/player.jsp?player_id=408036

[SoxFan25]

i would be fine with larue or lopez, the sox need a catcher who can start. no freakin kelly stinnett and josh bard, ha that was kinda funny. he's got a nice avg.

[riverside sluggers]

mlbtraderumors.com

 

Red Sox Need A Catcher

Jason Varitek needs knee surgery, and WEEI in Boston is saying he may be out 4-6 weeks. I'm sure Will Carroll will have the definitive word on this Wednesday morning.

 

In the meantime, the Red Sox are scrambling for a catcher who can hit above the Mendoza line. They're going to have to shop for the high-salary, waiver-passing guys. Who's available?

 

Javy Lopez is the first name that comes to mind. Lopez wants a flat-out release, but the Orioles won't do that. According to the Baltimore Sun, the team would like to pass him through waivers and cover some, but not all, of his salary in a trade. He's only caught 20 games this year. There's always the possibility the Yankees put in a claim on Lopez just to thwart the Sox. Lopez has worked with current Yankees Jaret Wright and Sidney Ponson before.

 

Bengie Molina was a name thrown out by Jerry Crasnick today as a possible waiver trade candidate. Molina makes $5MM on the season and the Jays are 6.5 games back (3-7 in their last ten games).

 

Mike Lieberthal is in the last year of a huge contract with the Phillies. Liebs has experience catching Mike Timlin and Curt Schilling. As a 10 and 5 player he can reject any waiver claim.

 

Jason LaRue is a player the Reds wouldn't mind sending off. He makes $3.9MM this year and $5.2MM in '07. LaRue is not happy as Dave Ross's backup.

 

Rod Barajas is being pushed aside in Texas, and he'll hit free agency after the season. He was a teammate of Curt Schilling's for several years in Arizona.

[RavenOfProphecy]

mlbtraderumors.com

 

Nice post. I'll take a look at some of those guys and tell you what I think...I looked up Bengie Molina first. Hitting-wise, he's decent, but he's only thrown out 12 runners out of a possible 61, and the team's ERA when he catches is 4.72. So, he doesn't have a good arm and can't call games.

 

Lieberthal is batting .236 with a .269 on-base. That's the same thing as signing Stinnett. He also only throws out 28.6% of baserunners.

 

Jason LaRue is a "no" just because he's got a multi-year deal and carrying three catchers is a waste of roster space, if you ask me.

 

Rod Barajas...he's a little better than the last few, in my opinion. On-base is still well below average, but his batting average is decent (actually, better than 'Tek), and so's his slugging. He's got some power, isn't too old or expensive, and he's thrown out 39% of baserunners.

[RavenOfProphecy]

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2006/08/02/varitek_out_at_least_a_month/

 

"Doug Mirabelli started in Varitek's place and is expected to do the majority of the catching, although it would surprise no one if the Sox elected to pick up another big-league catcher. One possibility is Chris Widger, the White Sox backup who was designated for assignment July 23 and released yesterday. Widger was batting just .187. He hit .241 in 2005 as a backup on the World Series champions, and the staff ERA was an impressive 3.36 when he was behind the plate.

 

Other possibilities could include Mike Lieberthal of the Phillies, Javy Lopez of the Orioles, Henry Blanco of the Cubs, Josh Paul of the Devil Rays, and Kelly Stinnett, recently released by the Yankees."

[elsrbueno]

If he clears waivers, Javy Lopez is the perfect choice IMO.

 

He's a very solid hitter (especially for a catcher), and his relatively high price tag (2.5 mill) will probably allow him to pass through waivers. He is of no use to the Orioles since I'm pretty sure he's a free agent after this season and they've got Hernandez.

 

Lopez, if my memory serves me correctly, was a big time clutch hitter with the Braves down during their postseason runs.

 

Regardless, he's the best reasonable bat at catcher, and the fact that he's only caught 20 games means he might not be as worn down as most catchers tend to be at this point in the season.

[soxalldaway]

Why dont we trade Hi Soip Choi to the mets for Paul LoDuca and Pedro!!!:thumbsup:

[riverside sluggers]

If he clears waivers, Javy Lopez is the perfect choice IMO.

 

He's a very solid hitter (especially for a catcher), and his relatively high price tag (2.5 mill) will probably allow him to pass through waivers. He is of no use to the Orioles since I'm pretty sure he's a free agent after this season and they've got Hernandez.

 

Lopez, if my memory serves me correctly, was a big time clutch hitter with the Braves down during their postseason runs.

 

Regardless, he's the best reasonable bat at catcher, and the fact that he's only caught 20 games means he might not be as worn down as most catchers tend to be at this point in the season.

 

Exactly, maybe if Varitek was just going to be out for a couple of weeks then I could try and live with Belli starting that short matter of time. But since we are talking about 4-6 weeks in stretch that is the pennant race, no sorry they need to acquire a proven starting catcher who can at least hit for a respectable avg

 

You would be correct on his clutch moments for the Braves his stats do show that he's a 2nd half type of player.

[NateGrey]

Upset over not being traded Monday, Javy Lopez has reportedly asked the Orioles to waive him.

 

"I think that what makes more sense at the moment would be to put me on waivers so I can play somewhere else," Lopez said. That assumes that another team would claim Lopez's remaining contract, which seems unlikely given that no one wanted to give up what was surely very little to acquire him via trade.

[CrespoBlows]

Upset over not being traded Monday, Javy Lopez has reportedly asked the Orioles to waive him.

 

"I think that what makes more sense at the moment would be to put me on waivers so I can play somewhere else," Lopez said. That assumes that another team would claim Lopez's remaining contract, which seems unlikely given that no one wanted to give up what was surely very little to acquire him via trade.

 

Thanks. I think everyone knew that.

[ARod2212]

i wouldnt mind this guy

 

http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/team/player.jsp?player_id=408036

Nail on the head there. Say what you will about Wakefield, but he really f***ed you guys over by forcing a trade of Bard. He'd be the perfect fit.

[NateGrey]

Thanks. I think everyone knew that.

 

Cyberstalking is the use of the Internet or other electronic means to stalk someone. This term is used interchangeably with online harassment and online abuse.

 

A cyberstalker follows the victim's online activity to gather information, initiate contact, make threats, or engage in other forms of verbal intimidation. Cyberstalkers target victims using online forums, bulletin boards, chat rooms, spyware, and spam.

 

Back on topic: Offense might be scarier with Lopez then it was with Tek .. Plus he has some playoff experience ..

[CrespoBlows]

Back on topic: Offense might be scarier with Lopez then it was with Tek .. Plus he has some playoff experience ..

 

Cyberstalking? Wow... that's reaching. -5 for you.

 

Though, why am I shocked you posted yet another article?

[AlexanderTheGreat13]

Its intresting, Lopez wants out of Baltimore because he has been reduced to a backup role behind Ramon Hernandez. Would he want to go to the Red Sox knowing that once Varitek comes back he will be going right back to the bench?

[NateGrey]

Cyberstalking? Wow... that's reaching. -5 for you.

 

Though, why am I shocked you posted yet another article?

 

 

You're obviously mad at me because of the articles that I posted in the Israeli thread( which is sad ).

 

So if you have a beef with me start a thread in the fights section instead of letting it spew onto the rest of the board . <_>

[riverside sluggers]

Its intresting, Lopez wants out of Baltimore because he has been reduced to a backup role behind Ramon Hernandez. Would he want to go to the Red Sox knowing that once Varitek comes back he will be going right back to the bench?

 

In the article he said he wanted to be traded to a team where he would be starter or at least play him more than Baltimore has this season. The Sox would do that considering he'd have 3+weeks as the starter, and he would be moving from a fake team to a contender.

[CrespoBlows]

You're obviously mad at me because of the articles that I posted in the Israeli thread( which is sad ).

 

So if you have a beef with me start a thread in the fights section instead of letting it spew onto the rest of the board . <_>

 

No, not really. You posted a useless article which had been talked about for the past day. I really didn't elevate it, until you posted another useless article that quoted cyberstalking. Then you threw in a smart ass, v5, I believe it was. (I believe is sad, because you say I'm mad because I disagree with you. But you did that, so I guess you're exempt? Hypocrite.)

 

That's why you were called a dick. Get it right.