Henry Blanco is a Backup
According to Mets GM Omar Minaya, Henry Blanco is a backup catcher.
And you thought Minaya didn’t know things.
Unfortunately, Minaya also announced that the Mets’ starting catching position would be a competition between Omir Santos and Josh Thole, both of whom are also backup catchers. So maybe Omar only knows some things.
If this is really the way the Mets think about the backstop position, it might have made sense to sign veteran free-agent Mike Sweeney and have him platoon with Mike Jacobs behind the plate. Both Mikes started their careers as catchers, both would be at least as good defensively as Santos/Thole, and both would have a better chance of providing offensive production that approaches the best that Jerry Grote ever mustered.
It might be different if either Thole or Santos were remarkable defensively — you could live with substandard offense. But if you’re going to hit like Charlie O’Brien, you darn well better catch like Charlie O’Brien.
My apologies to the Kool-Aid drinking Mets fans who believe Thole will hit better than .240, and/or think Santos is going to duplicate his surprising offensive “prowess” of 2009.
At this point the Mets may as well sign Jose Molina and make him the starter. He’ll at least give them a strength on one side of the ball … and it’ll give the Mets an excuse to apply Tony LaRussa’s strategy of hitting the pitcher eighth.
Catcher: Now What?
You know the saying, “be careful what you wish for — you just may get it” ?
We all wished the Mets would fail in their attempt to sign Bengie Molina, and our prayers were answered. But, now who will be the backstop? Read more
Unfounded Rumors and Catcher Evaluations
RaysIndex put to rest an unfouded rumor that Carl Crawford was upset by Tampa Bay’s choice to exercise his 2010 option.
FireJerryManuel had some funny tweets in cheeky response to the Crawford rumor. FJM also has a great evaluation of Josh Thole and catcher offense.
Speaking of catchers, BlueandOrange.net provides plenty of reason to say NO! to Bengie Molina.
2009 Analysis: Josh Thole
Josh Thole made the improbable jump from A-ball in 2008 to MLB in 2009 — making a pit-stop in AA Binghamton in between. After hitting .321 in his 17-game September debut, and delighting fans with his youth, energy, and choked-up line drives, there’s at least a little buzz pushing for Thole to assume the starting catching role in 2010.
But is Josh Thole ready for full-time, prime-time action behind the plate? Read more
2009 Analysis: Pat Misch
Patrick Misch’s singlemost important contribution to the Mets organization may have been enabling a smooth September debut for rookie catcher Josh Thole. For it was the easy-throwing, level-headed Misch who threw soft darts all around the strike zone, making Thole’s trial by fire a bit less stressful. Can you imagine, for example, if Thole was charged with catching the wild and unstable Oliver Perez in his first few starts behind the dish?
As it turned out, the Misch / Thole battery had its good days and bad days — culminating with the first shutout of the season in game 156 and an impressive five-inning, one-run performance that was cut short by rain in game 161.
Similar to many of the players performing in the late-season auditions, Misch gave us just enough information to Read more
Mets Game 139: Loss to Marlins
Marlins 6 Mets 3
The carriage that transported Pat Misch from Buffalo to Flushing turned into a pumpkin.
Misch allowed four runs in the first frame, and five runs total in six innings, to trounce the sugar-plum dreams of Mets fans who thought he might be the next Jamie Moyer. Though, he does resemble this season’s, 46-year-old, underperforming version of Moyer.
With that quick deficit, it was hard to get anything going against Ricky Nolasco, who mowed down the Mets for a full six innings before finally cracking in the seventh. Though the home team plated three, it was too little, too late, as Nolasco earned his eleventh win of the year.
Notes
The Mets collected a grand total of four hits in the ballgame, and leadoff batter Angel Pagan had half of them.
This game was the Gary Cohenless broadcast — Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez called the game sans the regular play-by-play man. Personally, I thought it went fine, though I’m the type who prefers less noise. As long as the camera is following the ball, the play-by-play description is less vital. I did, however, get this vague feeling that something was missing — and I generally do enjoy Gary Cohen’s input.
Josh Thole caught another solid game behind the plate, save for a few feeble attempts at framing pitches that were nowhere near the strike zone. Stick to sticking it, Josh! The main thing to take away is that he looks comfortable back there — no jerking or jabbing the glove to get to balls, no getting handcuffed or fooled on pitches. He does look a little mechanical, but so did Gary Carter, so who cares? Of course, it was Thole’s second game with Misch, so there was the familiarity factor. I like that the Mets are easing him into the bigs this way — gaining confidence is key to success.
The first Mets run came on a double by Dan Murphy, who hit a poorly located change-up (which was also a poor pitch selection for that moment). This is the main difference between Murphy and a slugger — Murphy hits mistakes for bleeders, bloops, and occasional doubles, while a slugger hits mistakes over the fence. Not a problem, as long as Murphy whacks enough mistakes to drive in 75-80 runs and hit in the .300-.310 area over the course of 550 – 600 at-bats.
Next Mets Game
The series finale occurs on Thursday at 7:10 PM. Bobby Parnell faces Sean West. West stymied the Mets in his start against them on August 25th (1 run in 6 IP) but was blasted for 5 runs on 7 hits on September 4th against the Nationals.
Mets Game 136: Loss to Cubs
Cubs 5 Mets 3
So much for the winning streak.
Nelson Figueroa was rocked for four runs on seven hits in six innings, and the Mets offense couldn’t unravel the mystery of Rich Harden, as the Flushing nine was beaten for the first time since Wednesday in Colorado.
Notes
Figgy wasn’t all that bad, and he struck out 8, but two of his mistakes left the ballpark. Allowing four runs in six innings is about par for the course for a #5 starter.
Rookie sensation Josh Thole rapped another two singles. His swing reminds me of a cross between Pete Rose and Rod Carew. No passed balls and no wild pitches allowed behind the plate; he caught a fairly solid game.
Cory Sullivan knocked one over the fence for the second time in as many days. If he keeps up this rate he could wind up leading the Mets in homers before the end of the month.
The Mets struck out a remarkable 13 times — including 10 whiffs in the first 5 innings against Harden. This is not normal — the Mets are the hardest team to strike out in the NL.
Some of the hometown crowd was thrilled to see Aaron Heilman allow a run, two hits, and a wild pitch in his Citi Field debut. At least some people had something to cheer about.
Derrek Lee went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI, 3 runs, and 2 homeruns.
The boxscore claims the Mets had ten hits … I must’ve missed nine of them.
Next Mets Game
The rubber match will be played at 1:10 PM on Sunday. Mike Pelfrey pitches against Randy Wells.
Mets Game 134: Win Over Rockies
Mets 8 Rockies 3
A successful day for the Mets, and a day of firsts for Josh Thole and Pat Misch.
Behind Misch, the Mets extended their streak of winning at least one game in a series to sixteen straight! That’s right, they haven’t been swept since the Phillies took three in a row way back in the first week of July, just prior to the All-Star break. Unfortunately, the Mets have taken more than one game in a series only once in the past month (thank goodness for four-game series!).
Misch was spectacular through seven, allowing only two runs on four hits and two walks, striking out three, en route to his first Major League victory.
Speaking of firsts, rookie Josh Thole made good in his debut, singling in his first MLB at-bat, stealing his first base, and stroking his first extra-base hit — a double in the top of the ninth. He also committed his first passed ball, but we’ll excuse him of that.
The Mets offense chased starter and loser Jason Marquis from the game after the fifth, and launched a 16-hit attack all told against seven Colorado hurlers.
Pedro Feliciano gave up a run in the final two innings in a non-save situation.
Notes
All three Rockies runs came on solo homers.
David Wright — sans his Great Gazoo headgear — went 3-for-4 with 2 runs scored and 3 RBI. Angel Pagan also had three hits from the leadoff spot and scored twice.
Dan Murphy provided the power from the cleanup spot with two extra-base hits — his eighth homer of the year and his 29th double.
Jeremy Reed collected another pinch-hit, a single up the middle against Matt Herges in the 8th. He now has 13 pinch-hits on the season, batting .310 in that role.
Jeff Francoeur led all Mets by seeing 25 pitches in his five plate appearances.
Next Mets Game
The Mets fly home to begin a weekend series against the Chicago Cubs. Game one is at 7:10 PM on Friday night, with Bobby Parnell facing Carlos Zambrano.
Thole and Misch a Good Match
The highly anticipated debut of prospect Josh Thole could have been more difficult, but the Mets made the right move by matching him with lefthander Pat Misch.
Sure, I could be completely wrong — Thole could suffer seven passed balls and six stolen bases, while striking out five times. But I believe the Mets have given him a strong opportunity to succeed by choosing this game, this opponent, and this starting pitcher.
For one, it’s a day game, played outdoors and under natural light. Right there, Thole should be comfortable, as it is always much easier to see the flight of a ball in broad daylight than it is at night under artificial lighting. This is an advantage both in terms of batting and in receiving pitches behind the plate.
Secondly, the Mets have matched Thole with one of their easiest pitchers to catch. Pat Misch relies on pinpoint control, using a small repertoire of pitches that generally range from 70-85 MPH. If anything, he throws too many strikes and is always around the plate. He’s thrown only one wild pitch in his MLB career, and less than a dozen in close to 800 minor league innings. In short, he is a catcher’s dream in terms of receiving the ball. Additionally, Misch is a poised, unflappable, easygoing veteran — no worries about having to calm him down in times of adversity.
Contrast Misch with, say, Oliver Perez, and it’s easy to understand my point.
Loyal MetsToday reader “Murph” (of MurphGuide) posed the question:
“Do you think it is harder for a rookie to hit major league pitching, or to catch major league pitching?”
Neither is easy, but from my own experience, catching a pitcher whom you’ve never caught before can be much harder than hitting one you’ve never faced before — and it all depends on the pitcher’s command, velocity, and repertoire. Someone like Ollie Perez, John Maine, or Bobby Parnell — who throw at high velocity and tend to be all over the place — are extremely difficult to receive because the catcher may have no idea where the ball is going, nor what route it’s going to take, and he has little time to react. Remember the struggles of Brian Schneider early last season? Those were due specifically to the unfamiliarity with the pitching staff, and secondarily to a new glove.
As we’ve been told, Josh Thole has been catching many of the Mets pitchers in the bullpen since his promotion. And that’s good, but not necessarily enough — it depends on the pitcher. Some are around the plate and have pitches that run and break consistently, and you can get a “feel” for the distance they’ll move when they’re not on target. Also, it’s easier when the top velocity is lower, and there are less pitches to “learn” — for example Pedro Feliciano throws only an 87-MPH fastball and a sweeping slider, so he might be easier to catch than, say, Brian Stokes, who can hit 97 MPH with the fastball, and also has varying degrees of success with a curve, slider, changeup, and split. Francisco Rodriguez, I imagine, would also be difficult to catch, mainly because his pitches break so sharply and so late — and often into the ground and wide of the strike zone.
The pitcher’s personality is another can of worms which we won’t get into in depth. But consider this: what if Thole’s MLB debut came last night, and he had to deal with Mike Pelfrey’s case of the yips? Or if he had to get Oliver Perez back on track during one of those “Ollie Innings” ?
Another consideration is calling the game. I would bet that the pitches will be called from the dugout today. After all, Thole doesn’t know much about the strengths and weaknesses of MLB hitters, and isn’t yet familiar with Pat Misch’s game-time abilities.
We’ll see soon enough how well Josh Thole handles himself behind the dish. We’re told his best tool is his bat, and that he needs work on his catching skills. That said, the Mets have made his MLB debut as easy as could possibly be managed. For once, a logical decision based on thought and preparation.
Josh Thole Promoted
With the rosters expanding to 40 tomorrow, the Mets have announced the promotion of catcher Josh Thole from AA Binghamton.
According to MetsBlog, Thole will wear uniform #30.
Nick Evans is expected to get a callup as well, though it has yet to be announced. The Buffalo Bisons are not exactly brimming with talent, and still have games to play, so more players will trickle in to Flushing over the next two weeks.
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