The Teacher is In: Orioles 2007 Season Grades - The Catchers
Well, I'm going to play teacher this morning and assign grades the best I can to the Oriole players on the squad.
Some are going to like what I have said, and the grades I have issued, some are not.
That being said, let's begin.
We all know that the Orioles have more or less sucked this season, and this winter will be nothing short of critical in charting the course of the franchise in the future.
Today, I'll be doing the catchers...
Ramon Hernandez, Catcher
2007 Numbers: .258 AVG, 9 HR, 62 RBI, .333 OBP, .382 SLG
Grade: C-
Granted, Ramon was injured and suffering through a few ailments, mainly an oblique issue (boy, we have had a lot of those); saying he had a down season would be an understatement. Hernandez obviously did not follow up on his successful 2006, and at times, he became part of the problem.
Along with struggles at the plate, there were times when he was catching that I was completely disturbed. I sit behind home plate on Friday nights and there have been a handful of times where I have seen him lazy, not blocking balls and apathetic catching.
For an example of his lazy catching at times, hark back to the Mother's Day Massacre.
I'm not going to criticize his game-calling as frankly, the pitching has been so bad and I don't even think he could have saved it.
At this point, the brass are just waiting for Wieters to come and be the savior for the team, but until that happens, Ramon is the man.
He needs to be more attentive on the field, and if he comes into spring training healthy, we may see the Ramon of '06 return.
Paul Bako, Catcher
2007 Numbers: .205, 1 HR, 8 RBI
Grade: D
Great guy, nice with the fans, always signed autographs.
Sadly, I am not even sure you're that good of a defensive catcher, but hitting at the
1 comment:
I have to agree with you on your assesment on the catchers. There were many times when Ramon could have made key plays, yet for some reason didn't. As you well know, I'll support they boys through thick and thin, but we need to see some effort from them at the same time.
Paul Bako had his moments where he was doing a pretty decent job on the defensive end, but there has to be some offensive production as well. With backup catchers, I find it harder to judge their talent and capabilities because I don't see them play on a regular basis. With that said - if there is way for him to maintain some consistance at the plate as a hitter, he would be a better asset to the team.
And if we get the Ramon from 2006 back, we won't miss him on his days off if there is another solid player within the 25 man roster. We can't afford to just sit and wait for prospects to be ready, we need someone for the here and now as they are developing.
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