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...

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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 Mendoza line will not endear you to fans at all. Alas, there's no use being a backup catcher if you can't hit. At this point, give J.R. House, a young guy, or a battled tested veteran (who's cheap) a shot to do the job

From the Archives: Kevin Millar Giving Love to Paul Bako with Erik Bedard

(click to see the large image...)

Sorry, I found this the other day in my archives while compiling an upcoming gallery of pictures to be posted on this blog. I was at Yankee Stadium on a freezing Sunday when I got a chance to snap this picture.

As we all know, Kevin Millar is a fun loving guy, and as they were walking to the dugout, he decided to show Paul Bako, the Orioles backup catcher some love. In the image, you also see pitcher Erik Bedard accompanying them.