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Catcher Review

Catcher


Miguel Olivo: We just saw Eric Wedge do the unfathomable, as Olivo sat all three games of the series in Arizona. Of course, this was without the DH, but still, this could be a sign that Wedge is starting to trust the tandem of Montero/Jaso more than he did at the start of the season. Olivo hasn't done much to prove otherwise, as he has hit just .211/.222/.368 this season with declining receiving skills behind the plate. He is not going to be a part of the next good Mariners team, so we can probably check his name off the roster for next season. 


John Jaso: Boy, was this a great trade for the Mariners! John Jaso is the perfect example of an underrated asset, leading the team in wOBA at .351, which is exceptional for a catcher. Jaso has walked more often (14.4%) than he has struck out (12.7%), while providing a couple dingers for good measure. Unfortunately, he has also been one of the least played players on the team, meaning his sample size is too small to prove much. Once Olivo is gone though, Jaso should get more playing time which is great because his bats are pretty refreshing to watch. At just 28 years old, Jaso will likely be on this team next year, maybe even as the teams starting catcher. 

Jesus Montero: Even though he can get frustrating to watch, it has been nice to see the kind of potential Jesus Montero has. He's never going to be the most disciplined hitter up there, but as pitchers begin to pitch around him, it's likely he'll walk at a respectable rate. I'm not going to lie though, I am a little worried if he can make the necessary adjustments when pitchers see him more often. He doesn't possess the contact rates to make up for chasing pitches out of the zone, and his strikeout totals have been a reflection of that. With this, it doesn't look like Montero will become the "Mike Piazza" or "Miguel Cabrera" he was often compared to coming up, as his average will not likely resemble theirs at all. This isn't to say he's a bad player though, as being compared to some of the best hitters in baseball history is setting the bar pretty high. The pitch Montero most often chases is the low-and-away slider out of the strike zone, as evidence as all these little green dots:

The power Jesus has shown has been encouraging though, as his scouting reports of power to all fields have been accurate. Just take a look at this charts:

The amount of balls he has hit off the outfield walls should put him in the league lead for doubles, but we have learned that Montero is slow as a sloth, and the man just isn't a great athlete. The lack of athletic ability has become a problem in his catching skills too, as his flaws back there are noticeable. However, the scouting reports from the minor leagues were just flat out wrong. When Montero was first traded here, I was under the impression that he was a complete disaster defensively, but he really hasn't been. I have been impressed a few times by his blocking skills, and his throwing out base runners skill has become noticeably better the last few games. I honestly think Montero has the ability to be a full-time catcher in a year, and his bat will play very well there. 

         

I'm not using this blog anymore, this is just to get a url on photos. sorry

Mike Cameron Retires

Thanks, Cammy 

Hope and Franklin Gutierrez

I always liked the Mariners growing up, but I never really followed them until a couple years ago. It's weird.... when I think back as to what sparked my interest, the first thing that pops in my mind was seeing Franklin Gutierrez's face on the front page of the Seattle Times when walking through Safeway. Above his face I read that he was the guy that the Mariners just got for J.J Putz.

A Look At the Cleveland Indians

Since there isn't much to talk about in Marinerville (yay, Carlos Guillen!), I thought I would talk about the Cleveland Indians.

Chone Figgins

One of the more interesting things from Fan Fest was Eric Wedge's response to the question "How are you going to use Chone Figgins this year?" Wedge replied that Figgins is his top consideration for the leadoff spot and he planned to use him all over the field.

Ichiro Moving From Leadoff?

The Mariners leadoff hitter for the past 11 years has been Ichiro Suzuki. 
We read other teams rumors about their search for a leadoff hitter, but we could never really relate to that. 
Up until last year, Ichiro did pretty much everything one would want from a leadoff hitter. From 2001-2010 he hit .331/.376/.430 making himself one of the most dynamic hitters in the game. He hit for a high average, got on base, and was fast. Boy was he fast.  
We all know what happened last year. His age seemingly caught up to him as he hit a un-Ichiro .272/.310/.335. There was talk that he could be moved out of leadoff next year, but I never exactly pondered the idea. 

Updated 2012 offseason plan

Trade Kyle Seager to Padres for Will Venable, Ernesto Frieri:

The Padres are looking for middle infield help and Seager fits that bill, and the home park. He could share time with Hudson or Bartlett in 2012, then has a clear path at second base once their contracts are up after the season. 
Will Venable brings us a perfect platoon partner with Casper Wells. He is currently at the bottom of the  Quentin/Maybin/Blanks/Denorfia/Kotsay pile in San Diego.  He was on my mind as a potential trade candidate, and once Dave made his case, he sounded like just the kind of player the M's should target. 
Venable, 29, is a career .272/.336/.435 hitter on the road. Hitting at Petco park (a notorious death zone for LH hitters) has made his overall offense statistics look a lot worse than his true ability. Basically all his power is to right field, where Safeco has proven to help left-handed pull hitters in the past. 
That and his ability to fill in for Gutierrez at center field from time-to-time, make him a perfect fit for the Mariners in my opinion. 

Ernesto Frieri is also a very intriguing player. He has quietly had two very good seasons out of the Padres bullpen the last 2 years, posting a 3.28 FIP last year with a 2.98 FIP the year prior. He has had one of the highest strikeout rates in baseball without classic strikeout stuff. His average fastball last year was 92.0 mph, but he kept hitters off-balance with his slider and curveball. He could very easily step into the closer role if/when League is dealt at the July 31st deadline.