SB Nation - Brayan Pena

2009 Catcher Defense: Filling in the Holes (yet again)

devil_fingers — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:17:43 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

That Minnesota pretty boy might be in the playoffs, but he's go nuthin on One Man, Five Tools.

Even if you aren't a FanGraphs junkie like myself and so many others, if you spend any time there looking at the WAR rankings in order to, say, evaluate who should be the 2009 MVP candidates, you've undoubtedly noticed (due to Joe Mauer's incredible season) that currently, they do not have a system in place to evaluate catcher fielding. Hey, no one's perfect, and knowing Mr. Appleman and his crew, they're probably waiting until they get a system they're happy with before they implement something.

I don't make any great claim to originality here, as you will see if you read on, but for those of you who want a rough idea of how different catchers "measure up" behind the plate for your MVP arguments or to settle the eternal "I wonder just how bad a guy can be at blocking pitches," question, here is a rough attempt to evaluate every catcher's defensive 2009.

Choosing a Methodology (With Qualifications)

Before I go any further, I should make clear that for the purposes of this post that I assume that it is well-established that the differences between catchers with regard to gamecalling (as expressed in, e.g., "catcher's ERA") are negligible, and thus such issues will not be discussed in this post. When I discuss catcher defense, like most others, I will be discussing preventing stolen bases, blocking pitches, etc.

One of the difficulties with evaluating catcher defense with regard to even these issues is that, much more than with other fielding positions, the catcher's performance is dependent on another player -- namely, the pitcher. No matter now strong or weak the catcher's arm is, he can't escape the reality that he depends on the pitcher's skill with regard to holding runners, quickness to the plate, etc. While the catcher's skill with regard to blocking pitches that are off the mark is clearly important, catching Tim Wakefield poses a unique challenge (just ask Josh Bard). And so on.

For these reasons, probably the best way of measuring catcher defense is Tom Tango's WOWY (With or Without You) method of defensive evaluation as detailed the 2008 Hardball Times Annual. You can read about the details in the links provided. Versions of WOWY for catchers have also been done by Brian Cartwright and Dan Turkenkopf. I would do it that way if I could. The main issue is that 1) it's pretty complicated, and beyond my present capabilities, and 2) it requires something like Retrosheet, which isn't available until after the World Series is over, so even if I could do it, I couldn't get the numbers during the season of even now...

In lieu of that, I'm going to be doing something much simpler, which, while not quite as good, is, I think, pretty decent. Just keep in mind the qualifications about not adjusting for particular pitchers made above.

The Method Used Here

For non-WOWY catcher defense, the basic idea is to 1) choose what events you're going to deal with, 2) determine each catchers performance with respect to league average, and 3) decide the run value of each event. Like I said, this post isn't that original: very similar methods are used/suggested by Rally and chuckb. I have most closely modeled my "catcher defense metric" on the method outlined by the Amazing Justin Inaz (now a regular at Beyond the Box Score). His weights for each event seem about right to me, and the general principles are sound. One modification I've made (I'll note the other as I go along) is in the denominator of some stats. when Justin did his version, he was using THT's catcher defense stats, which only recorded catcher innings. Since then, the new Baseball Reference has come out with more detailed individual catcher defense stats, including plate appearances. While the difference isn't huge, I feel that it's more accurate to use plate appearances (batters faced) as the denominator for things like pitch blocking and errors, since while every inning (other than some ninth [or later] innings) has 3 outs, the catcher has to be out there whether there are 3 or 10 batters during those three outs. Otherwise, I'm pretty close to Justin's method, and you can read there for more details.

Stolen Bases/Caught Stealing: First, we figure out the league rate for caught stealing. One cool thing about the new Baseball Reference is that it separates out the catcher caught stealings from the pitcher pickoffs, so we can exclude the pickoffs (not under the catcher's control) from the equation. So we total the CSctch +SB to get total stolen base attempts (SBA) and then to total CSctch/total SBA for the lgCS rate. We use the weight of .63 runs for each caught stealing, which represents the average linear weight of the caught stealing (.44 runs) plus the weight of the stolen base not achieved (.19 runs). The formula for runs above/below average for each catcher is thus (CS - (lgCSrate) * SBA) * 0.63.

Wild pitches/passed balls: The league rate is (WPlg + PBlg)/lgPA. The linear weight for each passed ball/wild pitch is 0.28 runs, which we make negative since the more WP/PBs a catcher has, the worse his defense is. The formula for each player is ((WP + PB) - (lgWPPBrate * PA)) * -0.28.

Errors: Justin accounts for two kinds of errors -- throwing errors and fielding errors. Baseball Reference also includes catching errors (on throws). I've assimilated catching errors to fielding errors. There are separate linear weights for throwing errors (-0.48) and fielding errors (-0.75). The method is the same as above. Get the league rate, then see how far over/under the player is. For throwing errors: (TE - (lgTErate * PA)) * -0.48. Fielding errors: (FE - (lgFErate * PA)) * -0.75.

Then you just add them all up to get the total runs above/below average. It's not perfect, and hopefully, there will be some improved options soon, but the results do seem to reflect reality. I thought about coming up with a "rate" version like UZR/150, but that isn't as simple as prorating for innings caught/PA -- one needs to normalize each sort of event separately, the chart is confusing enough as it is. For now, this is just a value measurement of what each player did this season. But before the big chart, let's take a look at some standout performances. I've rounded to one decimal place to tone down the illusion of great precision.

Standouts and "Standouts"

Caught Stealing: Gerald Laird of the Tigers dominates here at + 11 runs. The next closest player was Johjima at +6.5 runs, then Koyie Hill at +5.4. Now, Laird had a lot more time behind the plate to accomplish that, but one wonders why teams kept trying to run on him. At the bottom of the rankings for CS runs are fan favorite A.J. Pierzynski at -4.5 runs, Yorvit Torrealbea at -5.1 runs, and blowing away the field is defensive legend and Boston Red Sox stalwart Jason Varitek, at -10.7 runs.

Pitch blocking: As for the actual "catching" part of catching, the best in baseball this season was the Phillies' Carlos Ruiz, at +5.6 runs. Jason Varitek gains some of his cred back here at +5.1 runs (I wonder what it would be if he had to catch Wakefield). The Man, the Myth, the Legend, Matt Wieters may not have quite cemented his Hall of Fame credentials, but he can block a pitch decently at +3.9 runs. The players are grouped by their performance for separate teams, so I just noticed that one of my favorites, Gregg Zaun, was +2.9 for the Orioles, and +1.4 for the Rays, which puts him at +4.3, or the real number 3. Maybe Baltimore let him go to soon -- he definite brings his Z-Game when he's blocking pitches. At the bottom of the rankings, Jorge Posada, Josh Bard, and and Rob Johnson (why did he get so much playing time?) are all tied at -3.8, Russell Martin (?!) is at -5.1 (although he saw more PA than just about any other catcher on the list). And bringing up the rear... this is going to be a shock, prepare yourself... Miguel Olivo, at -7.8. Think about that -- it's only -0.28 runs per WP/PB. Sure, he's "only" -2.7 runs worse thatn Martin, but Martin saw almost 1400 more PA than Olivo this season. This shows we're on the right track, as Brian Cartwright's WOWY study done previous to this season showed Olivo to be historically terrible at blocking the plate. Another great job of scouting by Dayton Moore and the Process Servers.

Throwing errors: Given that there's so little variance with this stat, there's probably less of a repeatable "skill" when it comes to this stuff. In other words, if we were doing a projection, there would be much more regression for TE and FE runs than others. Still, we're measuring value here, so it goes on the record. Gerald Laird leads the pack again at +1.5 runs, followed closely by Yorvit Torrealbea at +1.3 the Kurt Suzuki and Henry Blanco at +1.2 each. At the bottom, we have Rod Barajas (otherwise a good defensive catcher) at -1.6, Miguel Montero at -1.7, and sadly, my boy John Buck at -3.0. He had some really, really horrible games at the beginning of the season. At least he can move two inches to his right or left.

Fielding errors: Jason Kendall justifies his major league status with a +1.0 here, as does Russell Martin. Rod Barajas shows he's Joe Mauer's equal, as they both have +0.8. Mike Napoli is -1.6, the traitorous Paul Bako is at -2.0, and Brian McCann, who's decent at everything else, has an anomalous -3.6.

The Best and The Worst, and Others of Note: One Man, Five Tools, Indeed: Gerald Laird blows away the field at +13.3 runs. The Tigers made a conscious effort to improve their defense in the offseason, and whatever else happened, with Laird they certainly succeeded. At 0.9 WAR player without defense, with it he's about 2.2. Kenji Johjima might be overpaid, but at +8.8 runs defensively, he seems a bit less ridiculous. Dave Ross and Ryan Hanigan come in at +7.0 runs. Yadier Molina was very good, if not quite as godlike as some would think, but +6.6 runs is nothing to sneeze at, and makes him about a 4 WAR player this season. Joe Mauer's +4.3 is good, but he's not the best in baseball or the league, and that certainly doesn't make him a better MVP candidate than Zack Greinke. Matt Wieters is +2.5, so he'll probably stick at catcher, at least for a while.

Victor Martinez isn't as bad as some would say, being only -2.2 betweeen Boston and Cleveland. Jeff Mathis is a "great" defensive backup at -2.0. Or how about Jose Molina at -1.1 backing up Jorge Posada at -5.9? Giants cleanup hitter Bengie Molina is at -3.4

As for the bottom ranks... Josh Bard is at -7.3, the human swing machine, Miguel Olivo, is at -8.8, and the Living Stereotype, Mike Napoli, is at -9.7. No wonder the Angels think Mathis is a good defender.

The Big Chart

That's it. Keep in mind (along with the limitations mentioned above) that current season performance is not the same thing as true talent. I hope you will find this handy when trying to get various catchers' "real" WAR, and let others know about it. Let the arguments begin!

Rank	Player	Tm	PA	CSRuns	WP/PBRns	TERns	FERns	TotalRuns
1	Gerald Laird	DET	4842	11.0	0.6	1.5	0.2	13.3
2	Kenji Johjima	SEA	2597	6.5	0.9	0.9	0.5	8.8
3	Dave Ross	ATL	1517	4.8	1.6	0.3	0.3	7.0
4	Ryan Hanigan	CIN	2913	4.7	0.7	1.0	0.5	7.0
5	Yadier Molina	STL	5045	3.2	2.6	0.7	0.2	6.6
6	Koyie Hill	CHC	2755	5.4	0.2	0.0	0.5	6.1
7	Henry Blanco	SDP	2278	2.9	1.2	1.2	0.4	5.7
8	Carlos Ruiz	PHI	3887	-1.5	5.6	0.6	0.7	5.4
9	Raul Chavez	TOR	1818	3.6	0.5	0.0	0.3	4.4
10	Joe Mauer	MIN	4153	0.5	2.4	0.7	0.8	4.3
11	Rod Barajas	TOR	4298	2.6	2.5	-1.6	0.8	4.2
12	Brian Schneider	NYM	1976	1.6	1.2	1.0	-0.4	3.5
13	Ramon Hernandez	CIN	2069	0.6	1.7	0.6	0.4	3.3
14	Francisco Cervelli	NYY	1024	2.0	0.8	0.0	0.2	3.1
15	Lou Marson	CLE	572	1.6	1.0	-0.2	0.1	2.5
16	Eliezer Alfonzo	SDP	1128	2.2	0.3	0.6	-0.5	2.5
17	Matt Wieters	BAL	3384	-1.1	3.9	-0.2	-0.1	2.5
18	Ronny Paulino	FLA	2609	2.1	-0.4	0.4	0.5	2.5
19	Landon Powell	OAK	1205	2.8	0.5	-0.3	-0.5	2.4
20	Taylor Teagarden	TEX	2180	3.1	0.9	-1.3	-0.3	2.4
21	Omir Santos	NYM	3092	-0.7	2.8	1.1	-0.9	2.4
22	Ivan Rodriguez	HOU	3327	1.4	0.4	-0.2	0.6	2.2
23	Chris Iannetta	COL	3362	0.1	1.9	-0.7	0.6	2.0
24	Gregg Zaun	BAL	1974	0.2	2.9	-0.9	-0.4	1.8
25	Humberto Quintero	HOU	1893	2.4	0.4	-1.4	0.4	1.7
26	Corky Miller	CIN	702	0.4	0.8	0.4	0.1	1.7
27	Ramon Castro	NYM	822	1.8	0.6	0.4	-1.3	1.4
28	Mike Rivera	MIL	1227	-0.2	0.5	0.6	0.2	1.3
29	Lou Marson	PHI	245	0.7	0.4	0.1	0.0	1.2
30	Jason LaRue	STL	1139	0.0	0.9	0.1	0.2	1.2
31	Craig Tatum	CIN	749	0.5	0.6	-0.1	0.1	1.1
32	Chris Coste	PHI	925	-1.0	1.4	0.5	0.2	1.0
33	Dusty Ryan	DET	337	0.4	0.4	0.2	0.1	1.0
34	Kurt Suzuki	OAK	5222	-3.4	3.6	1.2	-0.5	0.9
35	Michel Hernandez	TBR	1140	0.1	1.1	0.1	-0.5	0.8
36	Geovany Soto	CHC	3607	2.2	-1.1	0.4	-0.8	0.7
37	Clint Sammons	ATL	135	1.0	-0.5	0.1	0.0	0.6
38	Jamie Burke	WSN	155	0.3	0.1	0.1	0.0	0.6
39	Brad Ausmus	LAD	1086	-0.1	-0.1	0.6	0.2	0.6
40	Ivan Rodriguez	TEX	961	1.4	0.1	-0.5	-0.6	0.5
41	Matt Pagnozzi	STL	40	0.3	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.5
42	Chris Gimenez	CLE	245	-0.1	0.4	0.1	0.0	0.5
43	Pablo Sandoval	SFG	113	0.3	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.4
44	Buster Posey	SFG	179	0.3	-0.1	0.1	0.0	0.4
45	Dioner Navarro	TBR	4097	0.5	-0.3	0.2	0.0	0.4
46	J.R. Towles	HOU	538	-1.0	0.9	0.3	0.1	0.3
47	Wyatt Toregas	CLE	710	-0.5	0.3	0.4	0.1	0.3
48	Alex Avila	DET	709	0.4	-0.6	0.4	0.1	0.3
49	Steve Holm	SFG	101	0.5	-0.3	0.1	0.0	0.3
50	Edwin Bellorin	COL	69	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.2
51	Dusty Brown	BOS	49	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.2
52	Jose Lobaton	SDP	205	0.2	0.3	-0.4	0.0	0.1
53	Jason Jaramillo	PIT	2347	0.2	0.2	-0.7	0.4	0.1
54	Jake Fox	CHC	30	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.1
55	Carlos Corporan	MIL	6	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
56	Ryan Budde	LAA	38	-0.1	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0
57	A.J. Ellis	LAD	119	-0.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0
58	Guillermo Rodriguez	BAL	72	0.0	-0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0
59	Bobby Wilson	LAA	98	-0.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	-0.1
60	David Freese	STL	10	-0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	-0.1
61	Kevin Cash	NYY	297	-0.3	0.0	0.2	0.1	-0.1
62	Chris Coste	HOU	628	-1.2	0.6	0.3	0.1	-0.2
63	Adam Moore	SEA	241	-0.1	-0.2	0.1	0.0	-0.2
64	Corky Miller	CHW	383	-0.7	0.2	0.2	0.1	-0.2
65	Gregg Zaun	TBR	928	-1.5	1.4	0.5	-0.6	-0.2
66	Jarrod Saltalamacchia	TEX	3169	-0.5	1.6	-1.3	-0.2	-0.3
67	Wil Nieves	WSN	2538	1.4	-0.4	-1.1	-0.3	-0.3
68	John Hester	ARI	255	-0.4	-0.1	0.1	0.0	-0.3
69	Paul Hoover	PHI	55	-0.3	-0.1	0.0	0.0	-0.4
70	Guillermo Quiroz	SEA	161	-0.1	-0.4	0.1	0.0	-0.4
71	Dane Sardinha	DET	404	-0.5	-0.3	0.2	0.1	-0.5
72	Shawn Riggans	TBR	156	-0.3	0.1	-0.4	0.0	-0.5
73	Matt Treanor	DET	157	-0.6	-0.1	0.1	0.0	-0.6
74	Kevin Richardson	TEX	70	-0.3	-0.4	0.0	0.0	-0.6
75	Victor Martinez	CLE	1991	-2.7	0.7	1.0	0.4	-0.6
76	Josh Thole	NYM	551	-0.1	-0.5	-0.2	0.1	-0.6
77	Tyler Flowers	CHW	123	-0.3	-0.5	0.1	0.0	-0.7
78	Michael Barrett	TOR	174	-0.3	-0.6	0.1	0.0	-0.8
79	Luke Carlin	ARI	176	-0.9	-0.1	0.1	0.0	-0.8
80	Kyle Phillips	TOR	186	-0.2	-0.3	-0.4	0.0	-0.9
81	Jesus Flores	WSN	980	0.4	-1.2	0.5	-0.6	-0.9
82	Jose Molina	NYY	1533	-0.9	-0.9	0.3	0.3	-1.1
83	Jamie Burke	SEA	424	0.7	-0.8	0.2	-1.4	-1.3
84	Kelly Shoppach	CLE	3042	-0.7	-0.9	-0.4	0.6	-1.5
85	Victor Martinez	BOS	1173	-1.5	1.0	-1.3	0.2	-1.6
86	Ramon Castro	CHW	975	-1.8	1.0	-0.9	0.2	-1.6
87	Rob Johnson	SEA	2927	2.4	-3.8	0.5	-1.0	-1.8
88	Ryan Doumit	PIT	2754	-1.0	0.5	-0.5	-1.0	-2.0
89	Chad Moeller	BAL	1116	-3.1	0.2	0.6	0.2	-2.1
90	Jeff Mathis	LAA	2902	0.8	-1.0	-0.9	-1.0	-2.1
91	Paul Phillips	COL	502	-1.8	-0.3	-0.2	0.1	-2.3
92	Mike Redmond	MIN	1513	-4.1	0.5	0.8	0.3	-2.5
93	Robinzon Diaz	PIT	1268	-1.0	-1.6	-0.3	0.2	-2.6
94	Yorvit Torrealba	COL	2438	-5.1	0.5	1.3	0.5	-2.9
95	Brayan Pena	KCR	1012	-0.5	-3.1	0.5	0.2	-2.9
96	Brian McCann	ATL	4763	-0.7	1.8	-0.4	-3.6	-3.0
97	Chris Snyder	ARI	1962	-1.3	-3.0	1.0	0.4	-3.0
98	Eli Whiteside	SFG	1348	1.0	-2.2	-0.7	-1.2	-3.2
99	John Baker	FLA	3919	-2.6	-0.5	-0.9	0.7	-3.2
100	Paul Bako	PHI	1328	-0.7	-0.3	-0.3	-2.0	-3.3
101	Russell Martin	LAD	5205	1.5	-5.1	-0.7	1.0	-3.3
102	Bengie Molina	SFG	4582	-1.0	-2.6	0.9	-0.6	-3.4
103	Jason Varitek	BOS	4133	-10.7	5.1	0.7	0.8	-4.1
104	George Kottaras	BOS	1166	-1.8	-3.0	0.1	0.2	-4.4
105	Jason Kendall	MIL	5296	-2.9	-1.5	-1.1	1.0	-4.5
106	John Buck	KCR	1693	-2.0	-0.1	-3.0	0.3	-4.8
107	A.J. Pierzynski	CHW	4927	-4.5	-0.8	1.1	-0.6	-4.8
108	Jose Morales	MIN	812	-2.1	-1.7	-0.1	-1.3	-5.2
109	Jorge Posada	NYY	3653	-0.8	-3.8	-0.5	-0.8	-5.9
110	Miguel Montero	ARI	4094	-1.4	-3.4	-1.7	0.0	-6.5
111	Nick Hundley	SDP	2877	-3.7	-2.0	-0.9	-0.2	-6.8
112	Josh Bard	WSN	2902	-2.8	-3.8	-0.4	-0.2	-7.3
113	Miguel Olivo	KCR	3821	0.7	-7.8	-0.9	-0.8	-8.8
114	Mike Napoli	LAA	3468	-4.3	-3.1	-0.6	-1.6	-9.7

Talking Chop Round Table: Braves Catchers

gondeee — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:25:06 -0000

As part of season reviews for major league players and top prospect ranking for minor league players, we here at Talking Chop thought it would be a fun idea to get all of our bloggers together with the help of Google Docs and debate the various aspects of each position in the Braves organization.

The participants are, yours truly (gondeee, indicated by MG), yondaime4 (indicated by MF), royhobbs (indicated by DH), and cbwilk (indicated by CBW).

I thought we'd have a few quick questions with some short responses, but apparently I underestimated the verbosity of my fellow bloggers, and this thing turned into an opus. But while it is quite long, it is an interesting discussion about the Braves catching situation in both the majors and the minors. If you have anything to add please feel free to post a comment... but please, keep it short.

MG: My assertion is that Brian McCann is the team's MVP, is there any doubt about that?
CBW: Not to me. You made a great point in your writeup that guys like LaRoche, Prado, and Diaz just didn't have enough at bats to really qualify, though I do think LaRoche, even in half a year should get some consideration. I still can't understand the logic of him batting 7th every game. It's been remarked that the face of the team has transfered from Chipper to Mac, and I think after this year that's pretty obvious. He led the team in most of the important categories and really is the backbone. It's nice too that he's a lot like Chipper in his leadership style; he lets his play speak for him.
MF: Yeah I can't make an argument for anyone else. Not a solid one anyways. McCann led all qualified NL catchers in OPS (and that wasn't close) and was behind only Mauer in the MLB (not counting V-Mart who played about half his games at 1B). The only thing that detracts for me is his second half slide which I think can be attributed to Chipper not being as big a threat in front of him and not getting the pitches to hit. For me it really comes down to is Chipper as the first half MVP, Laroche as the 2nd half guy and then McCann for the long haul.
DH: As much as I love Brian McCann, he is certainly high up on the list, but I don't think I can really say he's the team's MVP. A particular trend I've visually observed the last few years, and that's towards the end of the years, he begins to fade. Whether it is fatigue caused by how much he plays or just his physical stamina overall, the amount of times he simply begins to get under baseballs and pop up and out seems much higher in Septembers and Octobers than it does in earlier months in a season. The only statistic that can support this claim is that his overall OPS seems to drop somewhat throughout all Septembers of his career (still a respectable .805). McCann is certainly the future of the franchise, and is no doubt an outstanding player and citizen, but his penchant for fading down the stretch is a bit of a concern for me. However, all this being said, I can still confidently claim that he's still the most talented catcher in the National League.

And it continues after the jump...

CBW: I've been of the opinion for a while that he's the best catcher in baseball. He's obviously got the National League wrapped up, Geovanny Soto came back to earth (who didn't see that coming?), Yadier Molina is an outstanding defensive catcher but that's about it, and Russell Martin fell off the edge of the earth, but I'm not so sure he isn't better than Mauer. Obviously Mauer's 2009 was insane, but if you look at last year, McCann had him beat all over. Looking at their careers, per 162 games Mauer averages a .327 avg, .891 OPS, with 17 HR and 92 RBI, compared to McCann averaging .293, .852 OPS, with 24 HR and 103 RBI. Since 2005 the AL's OPS averages about .013 points higher than the NL, so Mauer's .039 point career lead over McCann is still very impressive, but a little less so. Another thing to keep in mind with Mauer is the DH. Over his career, he's played about half a season's worth of games as a DH, compiling a .331 avg and .887 OPS in those games. A fifth of his plate appearances this season came as a DH. I don't think there's any way to quantify it, but there's no question that gives Mauer an advantage that McCann just doesn't have.
DH: "J" Russell Martin. Totally makes sense. I love McCann to death, and I'll argue tooth and nail that he's the best in the National League, but I have to give the nod to Mauer as the best in the Majors. He has plenty of advantages that work in his favor, mostly from playing in the AL, and unless he one day migrates over into the NL, we'll never have a true comparison. Due to the capability for him to DH every now and then, it saves some wear on his body while keeping his bat in the lineup, and also keeps his AB total from dipping below batting title qualifications, which is pretty much what kept McCann from getting his own in 2006. Whether or not this reprieve from catching duties saves that much toll, Mauer also has not demonstrated the aforementioned September slow down that McCann seems to suffer each year. McCann certainly has a fine swing, but there's a reason why some teams are beginning to employ the shift on him; he's beginning to peg himself as somewhat of a pull-hitter. Mauer is definitely better at utilizing the entire feels, and is indicative by the fact that he has more hits to the left side of the field than he does pulling the ball throughout his entire career. As I said, I don't mean to knock McCann by any stretch of the imagination, but I don't think it's necessarily fair to bring Mauer down because of the luxury of the silly rules of the league he plays in; I think he'd probably be just as successful if he were a National League catcher.
MF: I'll just throw my two cents worth in here. I was using my favorite tool on ESPN to check the statistical validity of these arguments: the three year splits. Right now their three years are only from 2006-2008 but that actually works well for this. Coming in the 2009 season McCann had a three year OPS of .873 and Mauer was at .874. Obviously it doesn't get much closer than that. What is interesting is how differently they were getting there. Mauer had the high AVG and lots of walks whereas Brian was doing it with twice as many homers and 30 more doubles in that span. In the past would I have argued hard that McCann was the best catcher in baseball and that Mauer (despite the batting titles) was still living off of his prospect status. This season is what sets this all off though as Mauer finally closed the gap on power (and then some, in less than a full season). And what eventually tips the scales further is that Mauer is probably a better defender. I think right now in their primes Mauer is the guy you have to take but when their careers are settled I wouldn't be surprised to see a narrower gap than most people thought existed.
CBW: I like that take on things. My only further argument would be that Mauer is a year older than McCann, so if this year is what's setting him apart, it'd be nice to see if McCann can close that gap next season.

MG: Is David Ross the best backup catcher the Braves have ever had, when one considers hitting, fielding, and throwing out baserunners?
CBW: I think it's easy to believe that after how bad it's been the last few years, but the Braves have actually had some outstanding backups in their recent history. You look at Charlie O'Brien in 94 and 95 and he was a great at Maddux's personal catcher, combining for a .766 OPS in those two years. His average was low, but he had a ton of pop and was one of the better defensive catchers around. With Maddux on the mound nearly every time out, it's going to be hard to throw somebody out, so it's not really fair to compare Ross to guys who mostly had this issue. For me, the best backup catcher in Braves history is going to be Eddie Perez. His 9 years in Atlanta weren't spectacular, he hit .251 with a .691 OPS, but he was, like O'Brien, a very good defensive catcher and he added a lot of intangibles to the team. As far as a comparison to Ross, well, Ross has only had one season. Take a look at Perez's 1998: 61 G, 149 AB, .336 AVG, .941 OPS. That's way better than what Ross put up this year.
MF: Ross certainly had the best season ever by a Braves backup catcher. At least in recent memory. When you think about it he and McCann combined for 44 2B, 28 HR and 114 RBI. Without running the numbers I am sure the only team whose catchers combined for anywhere close to that was Minnesota. Yeah Ross had a really good year. Its not like he came into this year and just exploded either, the guy posted a .932 OPS in 2006 on top of 21 HRs. I am ecstatic that we have him for one more season.
CBW: Ross certainly had an outstanding 2009, but come on, it wasn't better than Perez's 1998.
MF: The raw offensive statistics were better sure, but I would say Ross's season was more valuable considering the offensive context (the Braves hit 215 HRs that season). So I guess depending on what we are saying as the "Best" you could take either one. I think I'll take Ross's. Just barely.
CBW: Fair enough. I'm still with Perez, but I like your reasoning. So, as far as gondeee's question, would you take Perez as the best Braves' backup catcher all time?
MF: Yeah I'll take Perez. He was great in the clubhouse and he was solid offensively and great defensively for a long time. You can't ask for much more than that out of a backup catcher.
DH: Late to the party, but I cannot argue the rationale behind Perez being the best backup catcher. I think a good amount of people would be willing to christen Ross as the best backup ever, but consider the short term memory of people remembering Brayan Pena and Corky Miller, and they're going to think Ross is Jorge Posada with the stick.
CBW: I still think getting rid of Brayan Pena was a mistake. Sure, he was replaced by Norton, who was fantastic last year, but he had all the potential to be a solid extra bat off the bench. He was working on playing first base and third base, so he could have added some versatility. The guy's attitude and hustle are just things you can't have enough of.
DH: I don't know why Miller was given the nod over Pena as the backup, especially after the "heart-warming" story that SI did about Escobar and Pena growing up wishing to be Braves, but as ludicrous as it sounds, it almost felt like Pena was the odd man out for being better than Corky. Like a backup catcher has to be only so good enough to warrant a backup status.
MG: I'd like to see the Braves carry three catchers next year, with Clint Sammons, and use Ross more as a pinch hitter and a power bat off the bench -- he might be better than much of what we got off the bench this year.
CBW: I like that idea and you'd have to think it could only help Ross for the days he does play by getting more regular at bats. When you have a guy that good, finding ways to get him in the lineup can only lead to good stuff. He had a terrible year and should be a candidate in any way, but a guy like Robby Hammock, who could also be used at 1B, 3B, and LF if necessary, but is also a great catcher, would be, to me anyway, a little more desireable for something like this someone like Sammons, who can only catch.
MF: You have to think giving ABs to Ross instead of some of the guys we were running out there the first half of the season would have been a much better use of our resources.
DH: Just remembered another name - Todd Pratt. David Ross was way better than him, too. At this point, there's such a long list of names that were more deserving of ABs than Greg Norton, that it's almost a moot point given that hind-sight's a harsh mistress.
CBW: He was also much, much better than Henry Blanco and Paul Bako. I think we've covered all the backups for the last 15 years now, and with the exception of that one season by Perez, Ross is hands down better.

MG: Coming into the season I thought the Braves had some good, although low level, minor league catching depth, but I think this year proved it's not quite as good as many had thought. Guys like Schlehuber and Elorriaga-Matra, who I had high hopes for, took a real step backwards.
CBW: There really isn't anything at the upper levels to be excited about. Jose Camarena is a fine AA player, as a backup, but that's about it. And guys like Alvin Colina and JC Boscan are necessary, but they're not prospects. I'm still fairly excited about our lower level catching, because I have a ton of faith in Bethancourt and Kennelly, but yes, Schlehuber and Elorriaga-Matra kind of knocked themselves off the prospect radar. Elorriaga-Matra is an outstanding defensive catcher, but his OPS, in a starting role, was .394. That's not going to get you anywhere. He'll be 21 next year, so he'll already be a bit old for Rome, if he can even make their roster. Schlehuber was 21 this year at Rome, so he was a bit old, and he didn't fare much better, rocking a sturdy .596 OPS. He's also a good defensive catcher, but he's going to have to repeat the level, and even if he fares well, he'll be way too old for the league.
MF: I am still not giving up on Schlehuber. I can't really say why, but I just think he is going to rebound next season. I still think he might be the most physically gifted catcher we have in the minors right now and he would put those gifts on show about once a month and then they would disappear. I would also point out that he did have a better ISOP than Kennelly had at either MB or Rome (BS: .109 vs MK: .063) and he had a fairly normal LD% at 13% to go along with a crazy low BABIP of .227. That's not to say he is going to be great, but there are some good indicators there and a lot of times your first full season can be a throw away. Maybe he should have started in Danville? I don't know, but I do know if he had gotten 500 ABs he would have had 35 ish doubles and nearly double digit homers. What has happened to Daniel Matra? (Yeah I'm not spelling that) This guy was primed to have a bust out year after seeing his draft stock drop hard after his JR season of high school. But he is still only 20 years old (not 21 till the end of December) and has time to grow and learn. And lets not forget that Kennelly has yet to really blow anyone's socks off offensively at any level.
CBW: You point about Kennelly here is dead on, but I think taking into account the severe difference between the levels of amateur play in Australia and the US is important. Kennelly wasn't really playing anyone, while Elorriaga-Matra was good enough to make the 18 and under USA team. DEM is getting a little old and really hasn't shown any level of success. It's a shame, he's a likeable guy and I was amazed with his defensive ability. Maybe he'll be able to hit enough to stick around for a while and maybe eek out a backup job in the Majors in his late 20s. I'm kind of curious why you feel Schlehuber is so physically gifted. I didn't see much that made me think he was any more of an impressive athlete than Bethancourt or Kennelly or even DEM or Benji Johnson.
MF: I was going more off the fact that he was able to steal a few bases in college and even some in the pros and that he has flashed a bit of a power stroke. Maybe I was stretching a bit on the most physically gifted but I still think he has good tools. Obviously you have seen these guys and may have caught something that I can't being stuck in the mountains of WV, but I just think there is a kernel of talent buried deep, deep in his numbers. And you are right about Kennelly having only played in Aussie leagues, but I don't think Kennelly is that old. Still just 20 and he will be in his 21 season next year. Catchers don't have a normal growth curve because a lot of times one skill has to catch up with the other. I'm not going to put money on either Schlehuber or DEM, but I'm not quite sold out on them yet.
CBW: Did I say Kennelly was old at one point? If I did I didn't mean to; to me he's right on track. I've definitely got more hope for Schlehuber than DEM. Schlehuber is still going to be old for his league, and he just seems like he profiles as more of a backup to me, but you're right, there's something there to be hopeful about.
MF: No I don't think you did, I just got crossed up with the text in there.

MG: It seems like our non-drafted minor league catchers are really the best of the bunch, Bethancourt and Kennelly.
CBW: Just looking at the other lists, it's pretty rare that we're going to be uniamous on many selections, but we all had Bethancourt 1 and Kennelly 2. After finally getting to see Bethancourt this year in Spring Training, I became a believer and a huge fan. He's a big, solid kid, but isn't bulky like a guy like Tyler Flowers, so you can see him staying behind the plate. His defense is good and had a surprising season for a 17 year old. You have to believe if he has a good ST this year, he's in line to go to Rome as an 18 year old, and if he can put up another fine season, that's really going to be saying something. Kennelly's season was a little unfair, in that he played so well in ST that they decided to clear the logjam at Rome by rushing him up to Myrtle Beach. He wasn't ready for it and it showed. He rebounded a little after moving back to Rome, but at that point there are a lot of mental factors, a half season of failure, a demotion, that lead to a severe knock in confidence. But, I have a lot of faith in the kid, he's a great defensive catcher and his mental approach to the game is fantastic. Pitchers love working with him because he's so supportive and talkative. He'll be 21 in a return to Myrtle Beach, so that's about the right age and most Australians develop slowly anyway. Another undrafted guy, Jesus Sucre comes in at number 3 for us, and he's a guy worth keeping an eye on. He's also an outstanding defender and he's got a thick, wide body that makes for the kind of target pitchers love to throw to. He hit for a little power with Myrtle Beach, but I doubt he's ever going to really be much of a power threat. He'll be 22 early in next season, and he played well enought that it seems like he might start the year at Mississippi, though that might be a little more than he's ready to handle as a hitter. I'd say prospect-wise he's a good distance after Bethancourt and Kennelly, but he's also much closer to being a finished product, since he really projects as a backup catcher all the way.
MF: I really liked Kennelly a lot coming into this season and I think he will get looked over by many folks because of his performance at Myrtle Beach when he shouldn't have been there. In a perfect world Kennelly starts at Rome and Schlehuber at Myrtle Beach, but obviously that wasn't going to happen. Scouts praise his leadership skills and how quickly he can make adjustments and improve himself. He has a solid body and is expected to develop some power as he makes more adjustments. Remember, we signed this kid out of Australia at 16 years old and he is just now 20. Bethancourt has the potential to be a stud in a couple years, if he isn't already one. For a guy so young he already is showing an advanced feel at the plate and behind it. The problem with having both of these guys is we have the second best catcher in baseball blocking them both. Both guys are going to need at least 2 more, if not 3, years in the minors to really get developed, and while McCann's contract will be up its hard to imagine the Braves not doing everything they can to resign him. And then we are back where we were with Flowers and Salty.
CBW: Great points about Kennelly's leadership and ability to make adjustments. Those are definitely things you keep hearing about the guy. I don't know if I'm entirely worried about some kind of future logjam, if only because that's something I rarely worry about. Frankly, very few prospects actually pan out, so if it comes to a point where you've got both Bethancourt and Kennelly ready to go, and McCann still dominating in the Majors, that's a fantastic problem to have, especially since quality catching is so incredibly rare. Hey, we turned Salty into a great season's worth of Mark Teixera and Flowers into at least a great season's worth of Javy Vazquez, so depth is nothing to sneeze at. Anyway, I think it's still at least three and a half to four years before these guys are really ready to be Major Leaguers, assuming they develop well. By then, you're talking about McCann being a 30, 31 year old catcher. I've always seen him as a guy who might end up having to shift to first base, so who knows, by then, if say Bethancourt, who'll only be 22, is a stud prospect ready for a spot, it might be time to make that switch.

CBW: Since, he's the only guy on the list we haven't talked about, how do you guys feel about Benji Johnson? For me, he just sneaks onto the end of the list because I have more faith in his future than Elorriaga-Matra's. He's always been a little old for his league, but he's never really played all that well. One thing you can see is that he's always been a backup, so it's hard to even compare him to Clint Sammons, a guy who was always a little old, but was definitely being groomed as a backup.
MF: Hah, I was amazed it took us this long to bring up Johnson. I don't really know much about Johnson honestly, but out of the guys we have talked about not named Clint Sammons, I think Johnson's total package is the most advanced, but I think long term and short term there just isn't any room for him. It looks like he has a little pop in his bat, but he really just doesn't have anything going for him other than that, and even that isn't a +tool. I know we are talking backups here, but unless his defense is better than Clint Sammons (which is going to be difficult) I can't really justify ever using an MLB roster spot for anything other than emergency purposes.
CBW: Good call. I dont' think his defense is really close to Sammy's. Clint is one of the best defensive catchers I've ever seen in the minor leagues.

CBW: Speaking of Sammons, he probably could still qualify for a prospect list, since he doesn't even have 70 at bats in the bigs (I was shocked he only got in 6 games this season), but none of us thought of him. Martin suggests keeping him as an extreme backup in 2010, so, to that point, do we all kind of feel like that's about his ceiling, a mitt with legs?
MG: I always thought he had a decent bat, but it seems to have eroded as he's moved up the ladder. I was lobbying for him over Corky last year since with Clint at least we get the hope that the offense will improve, being that he is young and can still be molded, and the glove would not have suffered at all. It's hard to say why one becomes a cheerleader for certain players, but I think way more of Sammons than I probably should, and I'm not ashamed of that.
CBW: I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Personally, he's one of my favorite guys in the organization. I've seen him play at every level and he's one of the nicest, most down to earth guys you'd ever want to meet. And, it doesn't hurt that his defense is just spectacular. If nothing else, Sammons is a good example of how good catchers, despite their hitting ability, can stick around.

Not "goodbye," just "see you soon": Yanks' last regular season homestand ends in 4-3 loss

CrazyYankeeChick — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:14:13 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

FORGET THE BALL! SAVE YOURSELF!

Browse more photos »

There was no better testament to what's seated at the forefront of Yankee fans' minds then when Nick Swisher very awkwardly misplayed the fly ball that scored the go-ahead run:

A month ago, the bar would have thrown its hands up in aggravation. Typical Swish! Bobbles the cans of corn, nails the web gems! Grumble grumble. Get your head in the game, boy.

Tonight? Me and the bartender shouted in unison: "DON'T GET HURT!"

At the risk of sounding like a Second Play Red Sox fan who's been bitterly arguing for the last 2 weeks that these games are meaningless, I will say that losing the last home game, in a game we could have won against the Royals, with a loss that snapped a hot winning streak...actually didn't get me too riled up tonight.

There was, of course, the requisite sting. But after briefly commiserating with the other Yankee fans populating the bar, the consensus was a resounding: "I love this team. And their biggest games are still ahead of them."

I'll tackle the one negative aspect of the night first. And you probably know what's coming, since it's basically become a boilerplate element in anything I write now, (I think it's even inadvertantly come into play in thank you notes, receipt signing, and a grocery list):

Joba Chamberlain.

I've been panned left, right, and center for outright dismissing him for the better part of the seasons.

The Yankees are about to enter the most important period of the season, and the argument can be made that with the unquestionably best team in baseball, this is the most critical opportunity they've had in since 2001 to make something happen. That said, is there a Yankee fan on the face of the planet who is comfortable with Joba starting in the playoffs?

In his last 10 starts, he's 1-4 with a 7.75 , giving up 56 hits in 40 2/3 innings.

According to Joba, this the result of a combination of factors: poor fastball command (that's a start...) and "the first cooler days of the fall." (Well, sure. I mean the bitter 55 degree arctic climate of Manhattan is gong to dramatically impact any young midwestern transplant who still tightly clings to many childhood memories of balmy Nebraskan winters.) Rule #76, buddy...

While Joba is absolutely a much better pitcher than Sergio Mitre, both inspire the same level of confidence in me. And both have the same chance of either dealing or bombing. It's a fun little game of Russian Roulette with every Joba start. Are we gonna see the guy who seamlessly made quick work of the Sox last week, cruising through 6 innings on 86 pitches? Or are we gonna see tonight's Joba, who lasted 3 2/3 innings, and who needed 91 pitches to walk 4, give up 3 runs on 7 hits, with only a little over half of his first pitches being called for strikes?

Maybe he turns into David Cone come the playoffs. Anything's possible. But what makes this risk more rational than say, batting Brett Gardner in clean up? As far as I can tell, there's about the same chance of our little firecracker slugging in heaps of RBIs...as there is of Joba waking up, giving the old "Shelled or Excelled" wheel of fortune a spin, and getting a positive reading.

Well, my mom always says that everything happens for a reason, and everything works out for the best. So maybe tonight's loss was a good thing? Maybe we needed a loss to spotlight the liability with this pseudo-starter?

(Ah, I"m feeling a little nostalgic...my last regular season Joba rant! We've had some "good" times...)

As for the rest of the game:

It would have been cool to get another comeback win and even cooler to break the record for most wins in a stadium's season (57, currently tied with Fenway). But I'm all for picking our battles, so to speak. I'm ok with a loss because it's like they're saving their best dramatics for the playoffs. Plus there's a verrrrry little part of me that gets a little paranoid about "no-end-in-sight" hot streaks, ever since the Rockies' run in 2007. Momentum isn't foolproof. Just ask Endy Chavez.

Jorge Posada made a throw to second in the 5th to try to catch Mark Teahen. While he was rightly called safe, I couldn't help but marvel at the throw--a bullet zipped from home, without ever moving out of the catcher's squat. A perfect, sharp zinger that was made from his knees. I don't extol Jorge's virtues enough, but you gotta wonder where we'd be without him and his 4-out-of-5 tool threat.

After KC scored in the first off third-string catcher Brayan Pena's RBI single, Derek Jeter responded in the bottom of the inning with a solo blast. For the rest of the game, it was the B. Pena, Teahen, Billy Butler, and John Buck circus act of run-manufacturing. The best the Yanks could do was a 2-run shot from Swish, (I really thought we had the game won after that).

With game tied at 3-3 and when it was later 4-3, I realized that with each Yankee batter stepping up, I thought every single one of them had a good chance to win the game for us. I remember days of the confidence peaks and troughs, but right now? The words "bottom of the order" mean nothing.

I really liked the fact that the YES Players of the Game were the Yankee fans.

I also really liked the fact there's someone named Tug Hulett playing professional baseball, when he sounds like he should be bursting into choreographed musical numbers as the guileless hero in an off-Broadway musical.

When the game ended and I started to leave the bar to head home, a couple of Sox fans did that whole passive-aggressive-shot-at-your-team-while-you're-walking-by move.

"Hey, the Yankees lost, by the way."

Really, Second Place Sox Fans? Are you really going down this route?

Words actually failed me. I think Boston fans are possibly the last people who should open their mouths tonight.

"Just wait til October," one continued. "You're only as good as the last game you played."

(To be clear, the Red Sox lost tonight for the 6th consecutive game. 12-0.)

So...I guess it's safe to say that Sox fans have officially removed reason and sense from the table.

The postseason nears. So let's savor these last 3 games before our own levelheadedness gets taken out of the picture, as well.

-CYC

I've Got A Span-Crush: Twins Win Big As Denard Span Drives In Six

Jesse — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 02:46:38 -0000

More photos » by ED ZURGA - AP

Minnesota Twins' Denard Span pwnes the Kansas City Royals Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009, in Kansas City, Mo. Delmon Young, Matt Tolbert and Nick Punto scored on the triple. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Browse more photos »

Twins 11, Royals 6: Way to choke, Chicago.

Every time Denard Span comes to bat in the near future, all Kansas City Royals fans should avert their eyes for the greatness that his His Royal Span-ness. Tonight, his Royal Span-ness tripled to give the Twins their first and only lead of the game, scoring three to run the score to 5-2. It was all gravy from there.

Early on, Scott Baker gave up a couple of pop-fly homers to Alberto Callaspo and Brayan Pena; a pair of solo shots that both hitters looked to just get a piece of. Magically, they both left the field in almost exactly the same place in right field. The only conclusion I can draw is that the Royals had their fans blowing out. Fans, as in air circulation fans, because I think a lot of the fans fans at the game were Twins fans. Of which there weren't nearly enough blowing IN.

After that Baker settled in and cruised, hitless, until the seventh. Four-plus innings of hitless ball, but three batters into the seventh Baker had allowed one run, and had a man on third with one out. Ron Mahay came on to stem the....well, I use the term "tide" loosely, as this game wasn't exactly over although that man from third did score to get the Royals within three at 7-4.

Back to everyone's new Span-crush, Denard is showing absolutely no ill signs of being hit in the back of the head. Which is nice. Three singles and a triple on the night have him a 4-for-5 evening, and the six runs batted in have accounted for 9% of his season totals in that category. Other studs in tonight's 11-run explosion include...

Joe Mauer, whose two singles and a walk garnered him his 91st and 92nd RBI of the season and a .371 batting average. Ichiro Suzuki, it should be noted, was 0-for-3 before getting tossed after drawing a line in the dirt (get everything you need to know right here) and is now batting .353.
Nick Punto, who was 0-for-1 on the night but walked not once, not twice but thrice. Three walks tonight for Popeye's second cousin twice removed. He's not a sailor, both eyes are fully functional and he doesn't mumble incoherently, but he does has massive forearms. It's great to see Punto contribute again.
Brendan Harris picked up a pair of hits and an RBI, and Orlando Cabrera's solid single late in the game tacked on a run as well.

Baker's final line wasn't exactly glowing, but he did pitch better than his numbers. Something he's done on more than one occasion this season. On the Royals' side of the rubber, Lenny DiNardo had the exact kind of night he should have had against an offense like the Twins: a bad one. Yasuhiko Yabuta is also welcome to pitch against the Twins anytime he likes, surrendering four runs off four hits and a walk while tallying a single out. Good times.

The only downside to tonight's game is that the White Sox managed to ~~lose~~ ~~choke~~ vomit all over themselves and lose to the Tigers. After leading 5-0 through four, Chicago allowed at least one run per inning the rest of the game en route to a 12-5 ass kicking where they allowed a score of hits. That's right, I said it, a score.

Tonight's game was a grand one, no doubt about it. Sadly we head into the final game in Kauffman Stadium for 2009 tomorrow against one Zack Greinke still trailing the Tigers by two games. If there's ever a time to play your best baseball of the season, it's right now. Good for Detroit for doing the same.

Hopefully it will make next week all the sweeter. We'll find out. But...GREINKE FIRST. I'll see you in the morning.

Stars of the Game
#3: Joe Mauer (2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, .061 WPA)
#2: Nick Punto (0-for-1, 3 BB, 2 R, .081 WPA)
#1: Denard Span (4-for-5, 3B, 6 RBI, R, .346 WPA)

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:50:14 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Trevor Hoffman is back and ready to make his Brewer debut.

Browse more photos »

Some things to read while rocking some yellow pants.

Trevor Hoffman is relieved to be back with the team after spending the first 17 games on the disabled list. He did not appear in yesterday's game but was available and presumably will be again today if the Brewers take a lead into the ninth.

Where does Hoffman rank among baseball's greatest pitchers? One voter at Dugout Central ranked him among their top five pitchers who have never won a Cy Young Award. Former Brewer Don Sutton also appeared on three ballots.

Entering play on Sunday, the Brewers had thrown out just two of 15 attempted base stealers this season, but is that a problem? The Wall Street Journal says controlling the running game may not necessarily lead to team success.

The Brewers open up a three game series with the ~~Diamondbacks~~ Pirates tonight, and project to send their three best 2009 starting pitchers to the mound: Braden Looper, Dave Bush and Yovani Gallardo. Dave Bush will be making his first appearance since throwing a near no-hitter last week. Cute Sports noted that all three of Bush's near no-hitters have been broken up by former Brewers. Beyond the Box Score has a look at the location of Yovani Gallardo's pitches from his complete game Friday night.

The Brewer minor leagues suffered a major blow over the weekend, as Lorenzo Cain suffered a torn MCL, likely ending his 2009 season. Cain could be the center fielder of the future but will have a lot to prove in 2010, as he'll enter the season having played about half a season over the last two years. (h/t FanShot)

With the Brewers on the road this weekend, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers borrowed Miller Park for a night, playing a Midwest League game against the Peoria Chiefs. If you'd like to see photos of the game from every possible angle, here's a FanPost, a FanShot and two posts from Cute Sports.

It's never too early to start updating your projections. On Saturday, Baseball Analysts updated the 2009 PECOTA projections to take the first three weeks of results into consideration. The Brewers were 7-9 at the time and projected for exactly 81 wins.

Around the league:

Angels: Designated reliever Daniel Davidson for assignment.
Astros: Catcher Humberto Quintero is on the DL with a strained shoulder following a collision with Mike Cameron on Friday.
Braves: Brian McCann has been placed on the DL with an eye infection, and Garret Anderson has also been DL'ed.
D-Backs: Brandon Webb will be out at least six more weeks after experiencing a setback in his rehab from shoulder bursitis. Also, Stephen Drew was placed on the DL with a hamstring strain.
Marlins: Designated reliever Logan Kensing for assignment.
Mets: Designated Casey Fossum for assignment. They also signed Nelson Figueroa and Mike Lamb to minor league deals.
Orioles: SP Alfredo Simon has been diagnosed with degenerative tissue in his elbow and will undergo season-ending surgery.
Padres: Placed Shawn Hill on the DL with elbow inflammation.
Pirates: Jack Wilson has been placed on the DL with a swollen finger on his glove hand.
Royals: Designated C Brayan Pena for assignment.
Tigers: Matt Treanor will require surgery to correct a sports hernia and will be out at least two months.
Yankees: Chien-Ming Wang has been placed on the DL with "weakness in his hips."

This isn't an injury note yet, but it could be soon: Astros pitcher Jose Valverde, who pitched in both Saturday and yesterday's games against the Brewers, is limping noticeably and has Astros.com beat reporter Alyson Footer concerned.

Oh, and if you're looking for something to do today, the Timber Rattlers are playing an 11 am doubleheader in Davenport after yesterday's game was postponed due to rain. The weather in Iowa isn't great today either, but they should be able to get the games in, and you can hear them here.

Drink up.

Yunel Escobar: Atlanta Braves 2009 Player Preview

gondeee — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:00:09 -0000

This player preview was written by Eric Heckman, who posts here as eaheckman10.

On the surface, it seemed as though Escobar underperformed on the lofty expectations he set for himself with his spectacular debut in 2007. However, a closer look shows that Escobar lived up to the hype at the beginning of the season, and towards the end, while suffering a prolonged slump in the middle of the season. The start of this slump coincided with the release of fellow Cuban and best friend Brayan Pena. This seems to have affected his performance greatly. He did get hot again at the end of the year, despite being injured and playing sparingly, so hopefully this is all behind him.

Yunel Escobar Opening Day to until Brayan Pena’s release….315/.386/.435
Yunel Escobar for the next 54 games….246/.315/.321
Yunel Escobar last 38 games…328/.427/.500

Yunel also needs to stay healthy for him to be fully effective. Not just playing in games, because he played in 136 of them, but playing them fully healthy. Escobar is by no means a middle of the order power hitter, but the shoulder injury probably sapped him of most of his power last year. If he plays the whole year healthy, he is capable of hitting 15 home runs.

Escobar’s main contribution to the team last year was not his bat, but rather his elite glove-work. He came in third place in the 2009 Fielding Bible awards, trailing only Jimmy Rollins and J.J. Hardy. He finished second in John Dewan’s +/- rating, trailing only Jimmy Rollins. He probably would have overtaken him if he would have played a full season. By any metric you use, Escobar was one of the best shortstops in baseball last year. He looks even better when compared to the statue in the field that was Edgar Renteria in 2007 -- yet another positive thing to say about that trade.

There are reports that Escobar has spent the offseason bulking up to hit for more power. If he does come to camp more bulked up, hopefully that extra bulk does not compromise his spectacular fielding for only a few extra home runs. If Escobar can add his offense of 2007 to his defense of this past year, we have an elite shortstop on our hands (if we don't already).

Yunel Escobar’s Keys to Success in 2009

Health - It is a must that Escobar stays healthy. He needs to be playing, and he needs to be playing at full strength.
Focus - It seems as if he got caught up in off-field distractions last year. If he can keep his mind on baseball, he can be one the top shortstops in the league.
Maturity - He needs to keep moving away from the chatty and over hyper young player and towards a polished and poised professional.

Thanks to Eric for a great preview of our soon-to-be All-Star shortstop.