Catchers in my old neighborhood were fat kids that couldn’t run. Roy Campanella was the poster child for this position.
Very few baseball players want to play this position the entire time they play this game in their lifetime. The position is a killer on your body and there’s none more critical to be excellent defensively. Mike Piazza might be as far as good hitter can get behind the plate with inadequate defensive skills.
For these reasons, and many more, baseball players graduate to other positions outside that “inner field” circle. There’s a reason many players have experience at C, 3B, 1B, and RF. Many of them were running away from their catcher’s mitt.
It is rare when a major league team has two highly graded catchers in their system. It’s ever rarer when one is on the parent team and the other is ready to graduate there.
Catchers who can hit, catch, teach, manage, and throw are not cultured pearls. They come natural and are equally as valuable.
By my count, the Mets need a long term catcher (Josh is never going to talk to me again…).
Also by my count, three teams, Toronto, Cincinnati, and the Yankees, have multiple catching prospects. The Yankees even have more than two.
Trust me, if you want a team’s top catching prospect, it’s going to cost you one of your better players. The 2012 version of the Mets have three eggs, named Harvey, Wheeler,and Familia, in their basket. You just can’t trade eggs.
The only player on the 2012 Mets that can get you what you want here is David Wright. The team operation is in cutback mode (feel free to jot down the stats of the projected 2012 bench if you have any doubts about where this team is going next year).
The 2013+ Mets will be a team driven by quality young starters and the most important “other position” will be who catches these guys.
The Mets wasted two of their top four trade chips (Jose Reyes, Francisco Rodriguez) in 2011 and only received a top prospect (Zack Wheeler) in return for Carlos Beltran. Wright is the last of the old guard that can produce another blue chipper here. There should have been four, but the screwed this up also.
You have to go get one of these catchers.
And you can’t trade one of your top three pitching prospects.
12 comments:
I agree. They don't have the funds for Wright in the near future (and certainly could use the salary relief now).
Consequently, although you're dealing from something of a position of weakness given his couple of down years in a row, he's still regarded as one of the top 3 or so at his position and could net you more than just a catching prospect (as well as $30 million of salary relief over the next two years).
Since the Mets have some capable bats who can play 3B -- Murphy, Satin, maybe even Lutz -- replacing him would be far easier than going to war with Josh Thole. I guess it comes down to the aggregate of Thole+Wright vs. Blue Chipper+Murphy (for the sake of argument)+salary relief. I think the latter might be more appealing.
Separate question -- what is the current feeling about Valdespin? If he could ever post at the ML level what he did in the minors last year, that would sure take a lot of the sting out of losing Reyes.
Great post!
I don't agree 100% but I think it's a sound argument.
Reese:
Valdepsin has major league talent, but his potential is 100% as a shortstop.
Please email me at: macksmets@gmail.com - I have something privately to ask you.
There are always lots of catching "prospects". Not always a lot of catching prospects who end up being legit two way major league players. Guys like McCann and Mauer are really the only two MLB stars at the catching position. I wouldn't bank on any of the prospects turning into those guys. I wouldn't trade Wright for a catching prospect unless he was an absolute can't miss stud...and since none of the prospects are really that, I wouldn't make that trade
Agree with all except except the tongue-in-cheek description of Campy as a fat guy.
While not complaining about Wheeler, I was hoping for Hector Sanchez (& Rric Surkamp--OK, I'm greedy) in the Beltran trade. And since I'm fantasizing again, would you trade bad contracts, Bay for A.J. Burnett, if we through in Neise + ... for Montero?
@ Hobie,
Allow me to jump in.
Bay + Niese for Burnett + Montero?
The salary figures basically wash but it still leaves the Yankees short in the pitching department. While they would LOVE to be rid of Burnett (Like we'd be to get rid of Bay) they would be short in pitching and have spare parts in the outfield.
The deal is great for the Mets. We'd get an MLB ready catcher of the future who will remind us all of how poorly good-hitting catchers can field and a pitcher who in the short term might be capable of sticking in the rotation. It would open another spot for Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Juan Lagares or someone else to step into.
For the Yankees the deal is LESS good... MUCH LESS. They still have the catcher of the future but they COULD have traded Montero for so many other more promising arms than Niese.
If you wanted to swap Bay for a bad pitcher... Lackey would be available... if you want...
Lackey.is.having tommy john...available yes....but then you're really screwing the pooch
@ Dave
Well I did say Bay & Niese + ...
I wouldn't do Niese for Burnett (presumably the Yankees would); they wouldn't do Montero for Bay. So pick someone to even the table.
@ Charles,
I wasn't serious. I hope you know that.
@ Hobie,
Then we're back to the argument of WHO and I don't see the Yankees wanting a lesser prospect or someone far from the majors. So... are we giving up Wilmer Flores to even this deal? I think it isn't a great match. HOWEVER... if you could get the Yankees to talk Romine... who is still a prospect... then we might have some traction.
You can trade Familia.
I wouldn't waste a Wright trade on a catching prospect.
I'm a Thole supporter but a pragmatists at heart. Other than that, you won't be getting an argument out of me. Wright is indeed the best way to catch up on what "they screwed up."
No way I trade anyone for a catching prospect. Catching prospects are almost more difficult to predict than pitching prospects.
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