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Post by jmei on Apr 11, 2013 9:06:37 GMT -5
Lavarnway made it to AAA - that means he has shown the ability to be a ML viable option. At this point, he needs to be good enough to make the team fulltime by the time he is out of options. The big difference to me is that Lavarnway significantly regressed last year in a way that indicates not just a slump but a true degradation of skills. He lost a lot of weight to prepare himself for catching full-time, but that lost weight had a significant negative impact on his ability to hit for power. In an attempt to get the power back, Lavarnway lengthened his swing and by the end of last year, when he was in the majors full-time, he was swinging for the fences on pretty much every pitch and struggling to make contact. Lavarnway needs to demonstrate that he's fixed his timing at the plate and figured out a playing weight that balances his ability to catch with his ability to hit for power. If he continues to scout poorly at Pawtucket, he's a DFA candidate at the end of the year, even if he still has an option left for 2014.
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Post by joshv02 on Apr 11, 2013 10:38:58 GMT -5
That could all well be true - but I think you are telling a story where its not clear that one really exists. He had a bad year & he lost weight. Those two are not obviously correlated to me (e.g., he always had a long swing, that he made up for by only swinging in the places he wanted to).
It could well be that he just is a good mistake hitter. It could well be that he just had a bad year. It could be that he was pressing in order to make the majors. It could be that he was tired in his full season of catcher - etc. All of these can be told with just as possible of a story line.
That said, if his skill set actually degraded (an outcome that I find really hard to believe), then of course he is a DFA candidate. I certainly agree that it is his skill set that matters. I just find it hard to believe that he isn't, for example, better than Dan Butler, even considering his full defensive limitations. He may not be a starting C on a first tier team, or he may not be the starting C on the Sox - but, absent a more compelling story regarding his degradation of skills (and, I agree, that 2013 could provide that), I doubt he is cast aside that easily.
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Post by hammerhead on Apr 11, 2013 12:52:18 GMT -5
I don't buy for a second that Lavarnway is "done." He was still an above average offensive catcher at AAA last year, it was only when he was called up that he really struggled. He had a bad year for power and maybe the lost weight sapped a little of it. He still had a .815OPS at Pawtucket. If he did that in the MLB he'd be an all-star catcher. Everybody has been jumping on the guy yelling "Defense, Defense, Defense" and I think he let his offensive focus slip a bit. he's been told for years that the only thing keeping him from being a major leaguer is his defense. I think he put too much emphasis on defense during his training and offseason regimen and lost a bit of his offensive edge.
With the weight back on and a understanding of what he needs to do to be successful I think the guy will be fine. Catcher's mature later then everyone else. If he's a 27 year old rookie, but a great offensive catcher then so be it.
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