Overall, Devin Mesoraco, isn’t a bat first catcher that will be a stretch for success as a catcher. He’s an overall package with all of the physical tools needed to be a successful full time catcher. How good he’ll be with the bat is going to be determined by how patient of a hitter he can grow into. His K rates through his career have been good, but when he makes jumps to new levels that rate tends to rise into dangerous territory. He’ll need to work deeper counts and take more walks, getting his walk rate into the 8%+ range, in order to get enough pitches to display his power. If he can do that he has the ability to hit .285+ with 25 HR power. If not, his K rate will rise and he’ll end up a secondary catcher with power and just a decent ability to hit for average. As close as he is to the majors, there is still a wide range in possibilities here. Ramon Hernandez should be out of the way in 2012, so Mesoraco should tandem with Ryan Hannigan and if he can avoid any prolonged slumps he may be able to endear himself to Dusty Baker. If not, expect the short end of the workload with Hannigan. But in the long run, Mesoraco is the Reds catcher of the future. http://baseballinstinct.com/2011/11/02/prospect-instinct-devin-mesoraco-c-cincinnati-reds
Bill Veeck - Baseball's ultimate showman and promoter. The Indians, Browns and White Sox owner came up with such kooky ideas as sending 3-foot-7 Eddie Gaedel up to the plate to pinch hit, having his White Sox players wear shorts and hosting Disco Demolition night in 1979, when a riot broke out after disco records were blown up on the field. But he was more than just some baseball hustler. He championed the cause of black players, signing Larry Doby, the first African-American player in the American League. http://www.tampabay.com/sports/tom-jones-two-cents-baseballs-most-eccentric-owners/1199799
By swapping out the final two years of team control they have over their star pitcher for a young hitter who could breathe life into their offense (and enough payroll flexibility to become the major player on the free agent scene this winter), the Giants could end up with a better overall team than they’d get by maintaining the status quo. Moving Tim Lincecum might not be a popular move, but given the short supply of pitchers on the market this winter, his escalating price tag, and their status as a pitcher-generating-factory, it might just be the fastest way for the Giants to make themselves a World Series contender once again http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/can-the-giants-improve-by-trading-tim-linecum
The 2011 World Series saw a matchup between two crafty managers. Tony LaRussa of the St. Louis Cardinals and Ron Washington of the Texas Rangers certainly have different styles. LaRussa substituted for his pitcher into the game several times. Washington perhaps wasn't used to double switches or putting the pitcher into any position in the lineup other than ninth since the American League uses a designated hitter. My suggestion is to scrap the DH rule altogether. Baseball is much more fun when you watch the machinations of a manager's mind when he substitutes players in for pitchers in the batting lineup. A designated hitter simply dumbs down baseball. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ycn-10359609
As always, College Baseball Daily is looking for excellent baseball products to review from around the nation. Our most recent product is a book by current East Tennessee State assistant coach Xan Barksdale titled Catching 101 The Complete Guide for Baseball Catchers. The book considers itself the complete guide – but is it really? The short answer is absolutely. It details every possible thing you could absolutely need know about the position, from setting up your feet for a pickoff throw to first base or to how to properly give signs to your pitchers during low lighting situations. The book also details some drills that you might not have been familiar with, from blocking balls to getting quicker hands behind the plate. http://ht.ly/1ftMfK
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