Redleg Nation takes a look at the catchers for the 2012 season. A large chunk of it takes a look at Devin Mesoraco and what he could bring to the table for the 2012 season. Here is the conclusion of the article and I think the final point sums up what I believe most of us expect for 2012:
If I take the projection systems seriously (I do), the drop of from last year to this year is much less than I expected. And depending on Devin’s defense, the Reds may even be a tick better behind the plate. Color me surprised. I genuinely expected to project a real drop off here.
I believe Mesoraco is a future all-star level catcher, but I am not entirely sure its going to happen this year. Hernandez was solid last season and I wouldn’t expect Mesoraco to outperform that by leaps and bounds. At least not yet.
Red Reporter also looked at the catchers in 2012, but went beyond the guys who will be in the Majors and also went down on the farm a little bit. They looked at Mesoraco and Hanigan, but also dabbled with Corky Miller, Dioner Navarro, Brian Esposito and Tucker Barnhart. In the article they project a “playing time ceiling” and have Mesoraco at 75% and Hanigan at 60%. I think that seems fair, depending on how each guy performs as the season goes along.
TheBatsSignal.com (The Louisville Bats official blog) has up a preview of the player profiles that will appear in the media guide and programs. They look at Corky Miller in their preview and let’s be honest…. the Reds have the best combination of mustaches in baseball. Miller, Zavada, LeCure, Mr. Redlegs.
Hal McCoy has up a piece over at Fox Sports that kind of previews the 2012 season. My favorite thing about the article though, is the first comment posted:
The Reds went five miles backward in the offseason. Some of the moves they made were horrible.Getting Sean Marshall when he wasn’ t very good for the Cubs was a bad move.Letting Jonny Gomes go wasn’t a good move.
Seriously, where do people get these kinds of ideas? I can’t figure out what you would look at and come to the conclusion that Sean Marshall wasn’t very good for the Cubs.
Yesterday I held perhaps the shortest chat in the history of the website that was actually started. I imagine that 7:30 is a bad time to start a chat. If you missed it, and I imagine most of you did given the participation, go check it out.
Are any of you guys heading out to Arizona to check out spring training?
Short news day, but I will update this during the day if anything new comes out worth posting.
What I really like about Mesoroco’s development the past two years was that he has had the opportunity to talk with and learn from some good defensive catchers who are known to call a good game in Corky and Hanigan. You couldn’t really ask for better examples to help Mesoraco along from that side of the game.
7:30 chat time doesn’t work well considering it’s shortly after dinner and guys like me that have kids are still spending time with them.
I’ll have to get out to Arizona one of these years, but the finances just aren’t there to do it any time soon. I even have an Aunt & Uncle who live about half an hour from Goodyear.
The Bats will have an old roster, at least to start the year. It could be even older if Soto and HRod start in Pensacola.
Doug, for xmas the kids bought me a plane ticket and game tickets for 3 games the week of 26 March. Very excited about the trip out west. Lived in Tucson for 8 years and love the desert.
So you are saying I need to have some kids so in 30 years they can buy me spring training tickets? Got it.
That is awesome.
Doug,I have four kids. One is a Tax acct. and a UD grad. One joined the Marines. Two are finishing up degress at TOSU. One is in his last year of eligibilty as a wrestler for TOSU. When I consider all the time and money I have invested I think they still owe me. I’m thinking reds fantasy camp next year. While I joke constantly with them, to me they are the best kids a Dad could ever have. Last year for Fathers day they sent me to Wrigley on labor day to see the Reds vs Cubs. Unfortunately we lost. They bought me roof top tickets. I was sitting there thinking about Tom Browning. Fatherhood has been the greatest joy of my life.
heading out there in mid march
will gladly share my thoughts
Can’t wait to hear some reports. Extremely jealous.
I was hoping to be able to make it out there this spring, but some unfortunate circumstances have me staying in Cincinnati through spring to help take care of some things.
My pleasure
I’ll be going to see the team March 11-18. I kinda prefer to go mid-training, as the young guys are still getting their shot to shine, before they’re sent down to the back-fields.
I’m interested to see how much time Soto, Gregorius, H.Rodriguez, and Hamilton get for a look-see. Also, I’ll be paying particular attention to David Bell’s involvement with the guys. Is he the heir apparent to Dusty? Freeing up another $2mil. a year could go a long way towards keeping Votto around long-term.
Money for Votto is the main reason I see Phillips moving on to another team next off-season. Eight figures a year for BP is just too much. I just wonder who the Reds will depend on to take the next step forward. I’d love to see Gregorius take a huge step forward, moving Cozart to 2nd. The Reds might have to settle for a year or two of a serviceable FA until that becomes reality though.
I waffle back and forth on Phillips. If we can’t retain Votto, then Phillips becomes more of a possibility. Phillips is a FA a year earlier, so they need to have a feel for Votto by the end of this upcoming season. Phillips needs to do well this season as does Votto in my opinion. If either are injured, it probably hurts their case for
resigning.
Votto signing or not, I would not bring Phillips back at what he will get somewhere else. Guys on the wrong side of 30 are too often overpaid.
Offer him the 1 year $12.6 mil arbitration next year. Either get a 1st rd pick or a one year deal while Phillips is still good.
I have to say that I’m shocked by MLB’s reversal of Braun’s suspension. He violated the rules regardless of guilt. I honestly believe that they wanted to save face by not suspending their reigning MVP.
Plus he plays on the commissioner’s old team. It certainly smells funny.
Good point!!! I think they are letting the flood gates open with this decision….
The court decided it, not anyone with ties to baseball. Unless I heard wrong.
The decision was made by an arbitrator.
Decision was made by a panel of three: 1 MLB guy, 1 MLB players’ assoc guy, 1 independent guy. The MLB ruled against appeal, the players guy ruled for appeal (not surprising), so the deciding vote was the independent arbitrator. Who ruled for Braun on a technicality (according to sources) that proper protocol was not followed b/c the sample taker put the sample in his fridge over the weekend. No seals were broken and there is essentially no way the sample could have been contaminated. Braun’s lawyers never even challenged the positive test results. They just saw a loophole and took it.
It’s a farce for PED testing in my opinion and sets up a precedent that dilutes future testing if such a technicality can be exploited by others again. The appeals process seems a bit ridiculous if only 1 truly independent guy needs to be convinced. It’s also ludicrous for Braun to triumphantly declare vindication since he won by a technicality. My guess is he’s going to get raked over the coals by the media in any Q&A he does when he tries to explain how he is innocent.
Also, MLB may try to sue over this, but I’d imagine that will take over a year to get going, so for now Braun is probably playing all of 2012 season. However, he’s probably not going to be taking PEDs unless he’s an idiot, so his performance in 2012 will more than likely be, shall we say, “less enhanced”.