Some catchers, like Roy Campanella, are great...
Gary Sanchez (team unnamed), to name one, is a heckuva hitter:
22 homers in 231 at bats this season.
93 homers in 1,205 career at bats.
Home run hitters like that at the catcher position are rare.
I can think of two:
Johnny Bench
Mike Piazza
Could neophyte Andres Regnault eventually join that very small elite power hitting catcher group?
Darned if I know.
What I do know is this:
He has played 2 games for Kingsport this season, and...
Yeah, it's only two games, but...
He has not struck out, and...
He has 6 hits in 10 at bats, and...
In both games, he went 3 for 5 with a HR and 4 RBIs, and...
Added 3 singles and a double.
FLUKE?
Seemingly not...the listed 6'0", 250, 20 year old Regnault did the following with the GCL Mets in 2018:
192 at bats, 17 doubles, a triple, 9 HRs, and 45 RBIs, and .333/.420/.573.
That makes 53 RBIs in his 55 games in 2018 and 2019 so far.
He doesn't strike out much either - 33 times in those 55 games.
And 22 walks, a solid rate.
Arm? No one has tried to steal on him in 2019 yet, but he gunned down a solid 37% last year.
It's early in his career - but one can hope. Hope big.
He is already in year 4 as a pro, after a slow start as a DSL hitter in 2016, so let's hope he hits like heck and moves up fast.
WAIT THERE'S MORE:
Of course, there is one rising catching prospect who throws out nearly half of base stealers (160 of 341), an incredible rate:
Ali Sanchez.
Ali is hitting .288 in AA, and as such must be taken seriously. He is still only 22 also.
After a 4 for 23 start this season, he has hit a fine .307 over his last 38 games.
A former non-walker, he has walked once every 11 or so times up this season, a solid rate.
His only drawback remains a lack of extra base hit production, with just 8 so far in 2019, but he is 6'1", 200, so my guess is modest power will be showing up any time soon.
With his combined superior defense and accelerating offense, Ali cannot be ruled out as a future starting major league catcher.
Nice to have this very different duo as catchers in the Mets system.
https://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/david-lennon/mets-front-office-dave-eiland-1.32679112?utm_source=tw_sp
ReplyDeleteread the above link...
best line:
The Wilpons are always shuffling personnel because they’re the only ones without an expiration date
Mack. Read it. Worst owner/mgmt team in baseball? Orioles must be worse, but Mets are around 28th there too - over the past 3 years, maybe last.
ReplyDeleteHere's hooping Regnault is our Ernie Lombardi.
ReplyDeleteTom -
ReplyDeleteYou know I started writing about Regnault last season ans made him a blue prospect.
I have now raised Ali to a blue also.
Can you imagine having a catcher that can throw out 50% of the runners being sent against him and also hit .288?
Ramos is starting to show signs of having DH value only.
God, what a season.
I certainly hope Regnault is better behind the plate than Sanchez.
ReplyDeleteWe also had a pretty good HR-hitting Catcher named Hundley. Had the Mets record.
Todd "Better Living Through Chemistry" Hundley who was pushed to the OF to make room for some schlub named Piazza? :)
ReplyDeleteBill
ReplyDeleteYou do realize that Hundley was on steroids that year?
Yes. But so have many players, without 42 HRs.
DeleteHeck, Mack, it's good we had someone on steroids that year!
ReplyDeleteMaybe the Wilpons should be subject to random drug tests. They sure run things like they are on drugs.
Bill, that's true, Jenrry Mejia never hit 42 :)
ReplyDeleteTHRU SATURDAY, IN 4 GAMES, ANDRES REGNAULT IS 10 FOR 19, 2 HR, 10 RBI. QUITE THE START.
ReplyDelete