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Post by Chris Hatfield on May 2, 2015 18:11:31 GMT -5
SWY-hart. Updated his page. Sorry about that. (Also, none of you are listening to the SP Podcast and that makes me a sad panda.)
Would Welington Castillo be a fit? Not sure if the Astros' ask on Castro has come down at all, but he's not off to a great start at the plate. Literally just spitballing here.
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Post by James Dunne on May 2, 2015 22:00:25 GMT -5
Legitimately asking here, this isn't a hypothetical - Is game calling something Swihart can learn at the major league level? If he's getting five starts a week, and Farrell and Nieves are there to call pitches, and Hanigan is travelling with the team to mentor him, then he'll have the support system he needs. I mean ideally, sure, there would be a high-caliber catcher available the team could bring in so that Swihart could learn in Pawtucket. But it doesn't seem like having Swihart learn that specific skill on the job would stunt/stifle his overall growth as a player, the way a clearly-not-ready Bradley got screwed up when they brought him along in 2013, and it also seems like Swihart might be the best available player.
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ericmvan
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Supposed to be working on something more important
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Post by ericmvan on May 2, 2015 22:04:37 GMT -5
There are only three teams in MLB ready to punt on the season: the Phillies, the Brewers, and probably the Rangers.
The two teams with sane GMs happen to have backup catchers that would be perfect fits.
The Brewers' Martin Maldonado projects (averaging Steamer, ZiPS, and FG Depth Chart) at 0.9 WAR / 120 G, just a bit less than Leon's 1.1, but he has been a 3.1 WAR framer in 1281 innings, ranking 17th out of 227 catchers (minimum 1000 framing chances). He's roughly Leon's bat and glove but Hanigan's pitch-framing. He's three years from free agency.
The Rangers' Carlos Corporan projects to 1.1 WAR (and is off to a great start, whereas Maldonado has been bad), and has been a 2.6 WAR framer in 1558 innings, ranking 22nd. He basically fits the same description as Maldonado. He's 2 years from free agency.
The acquisition cost for either guy would be very low. Either would be an upgrade to Leon. Either would actually be good enough to take over the starting job, although you might want to call the pitches from the dugout for a trip or two around the rotation. And who wouldn't want to hear talk radio chewing over replacing Hanigan with the backup catcher from a last place team?
Another, more realistic strategy might be to get Leon to Pawtucket on waivers, and let the new guy establish himself, initially as the backup. If he works out, you can then swap Swihart and Leon for a bit if needed.
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Post by raftsox on May 3, 2015 7:54:29 GMT -5
SWY-hart. Updated his page. Sorry about that. (Also, none of you are listening to the SP Podcast and that makes me a sad panda.) Would Welington Castillo be a fit? Not sure if the Astros' ask on Castro has come down at all, but he's not off to a great start at the plate. Literally just spitballing here. I listen religiously! On a serious note if you could do bi-weekly podcasts that would be awesome.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on May 3, 2015 8:47:29 GMT -5
SWY-hart. Updated his page. Sorry about that. (Also, none of you are listening to the SP Podcast and that makes me a sad panda.) Would Welington Castillo be a fit? Not sure if the Astros' ask on Castro has come down at all, but he's not off to a great start at the plate. Literally just spitballing here. I listen religiously! On a serious note if you could do bi-weekly podcasts that would be awesome. Yes it would. Realities of doing it for free and having day jobs, lives, etc. get in the way of that sometimes, unfortunately. Appreciate the listens though!
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danr
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Post by danr on May 3, 2015 9:36:06 GMT -5
If Hanigan is going to be out at least until after the All Star game, why didn't they put him on the 60-day list, thus freeing a spot on the roster?
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Post by mgoetze on May 3, 2015 10:06:38 GMT -5
If Hanigan is going to be out at least until after the All Star game, why didn't they put him on the 60-day list, thus freeing a spot on the roster? They can still put him on the 60-day list later, when they know what they want to do with the spot.
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Post by jerrygarciaparra on May 3, 2015 11:00:42 GMT -5
The Red Sox should act like they have high blood pressure and avoid all things salty. Good luck to Swihart. Solid...Very Solid !!!
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radiohix
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'At the end of the day, we bang. We bang. We're going to swing.' Alex Verdugo
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Post by radiohix on May 3, 2015 11:25:12 GMT -5
The catcher I would target is Kurt Suzuki: Solid defensively, has a decent bat with some pull power...Also the Sox wanted to draft him befors the A's picked him and they picked Pedroia instead so there's some history there and he's a FA after the season.
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Post by jmei on May 3, 2015 13:19:11 GMT -5
The catcher I would target is Kurt Suzuki: Solid defensively, has a decent bat with some pull power...Also the Sox wanted to draft him befors the A's picked him and they picked Pedroia instead so there's some history there and he's a FA after the season. The problem was he was the fourth worst framer in the league last year, per Statcorner. By the way, the four worst framers in the league last year were Saltalamaccia, Wellington Castillo, Dioner Navarro, and Kurt Suzuki. There's a reason all those guys are available and none have been traded yet.
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