2014 Catching Concerns

[Mr. Brooks]

Joe hits at an elite level as a catcher and is elite defensively at catcher. He is ok hitting, ok fielding first basemen. Unless you had no choice, why turn elite into replacement level?

 

Replacement level?

Joe's hitting numbers would probably improve moving out from behind the plate. But, for the sake of this argument, let's even assume that they don't.

His .880 OPS would place 6th in MLB among 1st baseman, a mere .006 behind Freddie Freeman.

Freeman currently has a WAR of 4.2.

Sure, that is about a 1 win drop off from Mauer's current WAR of 5.1 at catcher, but again, that is if his hitting doesn't improve at all moving out from behind the plate, and it is reasonable to assume that it WOULD improve.

[orangevening]

A question for next year is- does Grady ask for FOUR potential catchers on the 25 man roster? Mauer, Doumit, Hermann and Pinto? With Pinto catching 1/2 the game, Hermann a 1/3 and the other 2 splitting the rest? The other 3 besides Pinto can play other positions winch Grady loves.

[stringer bell]

The other bonus of Mauer at first is the probability that he will miss fewer games to rest added to the probability of missing less games due to injury.

[LaBombo]

The other bonus of Mauer at first is the probability that he will miss fewer games to rest added to the probability of missing less games due to injury.

With any luck the new manager will realize that a day of DH'ing is a day off from catching.

[Rosterman]

He can be that third catcher that Gardy always wanted. Considering that he's only caught about half a season each of the apst two, the Twins do need to groom someone else to catch and get 300 at bats/ Doumit is the immediate guy, with Herrman and Pinto both getting time next year and Pinto moving into the more than halftime role in 2015.

[Marta Shearing]

Mauer is most valuable to this team playing 162 games at 1st base. Pinto, Herrmann, and Doumit are more than capable of handling the catching duties.

[Winston Smith]

Hard to understand the denial. His concussion was and is serious. One more foul ball off the mask could end his career.

Why would you risk the future of your best player, when what may be gained by him catching may be very little?

That risk/reward makes no sense.

[LaBombo]

Hard to understand the denial. His concussion was and is serious. One more foul ball off the mask could end his career.

Why would you risk the future of your best player, when what may be gained by him catching may be very little?

That risk/reward makes no sense.

You're not quantifying the risk of concussion, and so far, neither is anybody else, either on this board or in major league baseball. You're still just saying that any risk, no matter how small, justifies making Pinto take that risk because he's not as good as Mauer.

 

You've done nothing to quantify the loss of value by moving Mauer to first, either. That's a move that downgrades him from a Hall of Fame caliber player to not being in the top five.

 

It's fine that we don't agree, but it's hardly 'denial' on my part that I don't like either your idea of trading a HOF player for an above average one, or telling a player he'll be much more frequently subjected to a risk of concussion that you can't quantify yet deem significant, and it's because the other guy hits better.

[Guest USAFChief]

You're not quantifying the risk of concussion, and so far, neither is anybody else, either on this board or in major league baseball. You're still just saying that any risk, no matter how small, justifies making Pinto take that risk because he's not as good as Mauer.

 

none of us can quantify the risk of concussion. We're not doctors nor do we have access to medical records. What we can say is that all research points to people being at higher risk for further concussions after suffering a significant one. Since that seems to be the case with Mauer, i think it's fair to speculate its a concern.

 

I also disagree with the idea that Mauer loses much, if any value at first. But even if we grant that argument, it needs to be weighed against the possibility that Mauer sees more time on the field and/or hits better when relieved of catching duties.

 

Personally, I'd move Mauer even if he hadn't suffered the concussion. That he has only adds more reason.