2/4/12

Baseball: Catching, Jackie Robinson, Bill Nicholson, Mat Latos


This sudden boom of catching talent seems to coincide with many teams and analysts trying to put a value to catching defense and most finding the value is quite a bit less than had been thought. Sure, there are some butchers with the glove, but the highest lost value in most seasons is 10 runs or one win. So a player like Napoli is going to cost you a few runs behind the plate, but spending a majority of his time there still makes him a better team asset than at first base or DH. So teams are willing to slide even poor defenders behind the plate to see their offense carry a poor glove. Dave Cameron did a look at this value when reviewing where to put Montero. Even his theoretical worst catcher makes sense behind the plate over the DH spot. That's not to say someone like David Ortiz should have been playing catcher all these years, but perhaps the Red Sox should not view Ryan Lavarnway as a future DH just to keep Jarrod Saltalamacchia behind the plate. http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/the-new-golden-age-of-catching/

Jackie Robinson was born on this date in 1919. He was an African-American athlete, business executive, and civil rights leader. Born to a family of sharecroppers in Cairo, Georgia, Jack Roosevelt Robinson attended Pasadena Junior College and UCLA. In 1941 Robinson left college to join the United States Army and he received an honorable discharge in 1944 with the rank of first lieutenant. The following year, Robinson began his professional baseball career with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues.  That same year, Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers. After one season, he was called up to Brooklyn, starting at first base on April 15, 1947. Breaking baseball's color barrier was a serious challenge, and Robinson met fierce racial resistance from many players on opposing teams and the Dodgers, and from fans. Some rival players threw pitches at his head, spat on him when he slid into a base and more. With the support of Brooklyn owner Branch Rickey and the encouragement of some teammates, the determined Robinson survived these attacks and helped the Dodgers win the National League pennant. http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/baseballs-jackie-robinson-chosen-one

Bill Nicholson - Nicholson is as close to a "fluke King" as exists, but the effects of the war helped out the guy known as "Swish." Cubs fans might be the only ones that really remember Nicholson, but he was a dominant force during the war years (and a bit before.) He led the league twice -- in both 1943 and '44 -- in homers and RBI. He was more a peak player than a long term great, but he's an interesting footnote in baseball royalty.  - Total WAR: 25.2  - AVG/OBP/SLG: .278/.375/.478 http://cnnsi.com/2012/writers/will_carroll/01/30/king.of.baseball/index.html

Mat Latos – Albert went over Latos’s trade to the Reds when it went down.  There he said, “When you think Padres pitching, you assume they get huge bumps from Petco – not exactly the case for Latos. While he has a slightly better K:BB rate at home during the course of his career, his slash lines are virtually identical: .229/.287/.348 at home versus .224/.286/.351 on the road.  Bingo-bango!”  I added the bingo-bango.  To add to that, Latos was facing the Giants and Dodgers a heck of a lot.  They’re, how do I say, terrible.  Yes, that’s how I say it.  Home or away.  He’ll be a bit less the pitcher he was, but he’ll also have an actual offense and could be a sleeper to get 20 wins.  I know, I know, I don’t count on wins either.  Just putting it out there in the ether, no relation to Andre.  2012 Projections:  16-10/3.50/1.20/200 http://razzball.com/top-20-starters-for-2012-fantasy-baseball/

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