I got down to Phoenix on Wednesday, March 12 around 1030am local time. Even though it sucked to have a 7am flight out of Milwaukee (because I had to be at the airport around 6am) my goal was to get off of the plane and hit the ground running so I could be at the Milwaukee Brewers vs Anaheim Angels game at Tempe Diablo Stadium at 1pm. I got my rental car and made two very important stops - The Circle K for some beer and Del Taco for some eats. What does this have to do with the catching position for the 2014 Milwaukee Brewers? A lot actually. This was what I was doing while I was coming up with this video series and contemplating what to do with it. This is when I decided to film a video at various locations during my trip to make each one of them unique to this year's article a memorable event. When filming this first video I kind of had an idea of where I was going with this adventure but I didn't really plan anything out. I'm just lucky that I remembered to record enough videos to flesh out a 25 man roster.
I should have started with the starting pitching (if you're scoring along at home, the pitcher is designated as the #1 position on the field) but instead I started with the catching position, noted as #2 in your scorecards. The catching situation hasn't changed much in the last few years, which is totally fine with me when your catchers are Jonathan Lucroy and Martin Maldonado. Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuc and The Mighty Martin couldn't be any more different. Luc is more of an offensive catcher while Martin's specialty is his defense. If you've been watching the Brewers over the past 3 years then there isn't anything I can tell you about our catchers that you don't already know. Lucroy is going to get all of the attention because he's going to start 125 games but Maldonado shouldn't get overlooked. His work with the pitching staff, especially with young guys like Wily Peralta and Tyler Thornburg will prove to be huge in the coming years. On top of that, they are both at a bargain deal salary wise when you consider what they bring to the team. The biggest bang for your buck definitely comes from the guy squatting behind the plate. But enough of this. I've already said too much. What the hell am I even doing here?
Check out my 2nd video, which covers the Catchers for the 2014 Milwaukee Brewers, recorded at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe, AZ at the Spring Training Game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Anaheim Angels:
At the game today Matt Garza gave up 10 runs (6 earned) in 1.2 innings and left the game with a 19.20 ERA. Yeah I know it's only Spring Training, but things aren't looking so good for Milwaukee's big free agent acquisition. The Brewers would go on to lose this game 12-2, so the crowd thinned out enough for us to move around and sit in different areas of the park. I still feel weird recording videos when there are people around, so I went to the far corner of the right field section to record this episode of 2014's 25 in 25.
Jonathan Lucroy #20 - .275 batting avg, 24 HRs, 81 RBIs, 125 games caught and his first All-Star appearance, which is not only well deserved but will also lift him out of the underrated ranks into the catching elite.
Martin Maldonado #12 - .215 batting avg, 4 HRs, 19 RBIs, 37 games caught and the best god damn backup since the Time backed up Morris Day. That shit was the mad note! My Jungle Love, oo wee oo wee oo.
I'm pretty high on our catching duo because they compliment each other so well. Lucroy's bat should dictate that he gets the majority of the playing time but let's not forget how far his arm, glove and mind has come along. Lucroy has done a lot of on the job training and he's getting better and better every year. If it wasn't for Milwaukee's poor record (and his slow start) he should have been an All-Star last year seeing as he led the team in nearly all of the offensive categories. I don't see him regressing at all but I also can't see him doing much better. He had a career year in 2013 and I expect him to put up similar numbers. He's the real deal folks. If I was GM, I would make sure that he never wears another uniform in his career and I would make sure he is a Brewer for life. I have that much faith in him. Plus the fans really dig him too. You've heard the "LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUC!" roars every time he comes to the plate. You can market around this guy. You hear that? That sounds like a home run to me pal. Slide Bernie, slide!!
As for Maldonado, he's the perfect backup catcher. He's going to give you stellar defense, has one hell of an arm and calls a great game. His lack of offense will keep him an affordable option for years to come and you should never have to pay him more than a million dollars a year. For a team that has to work with a tight budget, they can use all of the affordable options they can get. Some people might get their panties in a twist because he's going to struggle to bat his weight (between 215 - 230) but since he's only going to catch around 40 games, it's not really going to impact the season outcome that much. Plus the team is such an offensive force anyway that you don't need anything extra out of him. The defensive skills that he brings to the team are immeasurable. I'm sure that they make some kind of stat about defensive runs saved by the way he blocks balls in the dirt, throws out runners and calls the game, but I don't feel like wasting any more of your time.
As for Maldonado, he's the perfect backup catcher. He's going to give you stellar defense, has one hell of an arm and calls a great game. His lack of offense will keep him an affordable option for years to come and you should never have to pay him more than a million dollars a year. For a team that has to work with a tight budget, they can use all of the affordable options they can get. Some people might get their panties in a twist because he's going to struggle to bat his weight (between 215 - 230) but since he's only going to catch around 40 games, it's not really going to impact the season outcome that much. Plus the team is such an offensive force anyway that you don't need anything extra out of him. The defensive skills that he brings to the team are immeasurable. I'm sure that they make some kind of stat about defensive runs saved by the way he blocks balls in the dirt, throws out runners and calls the game, but I don't feel like wasting any more of your time.
I've already typed way more than I intended to. I bet you skipped most of it. I don't blame you. Damn it Scott! You did it again you ignorant bastard! You know that people never read your shit because you can't be succinct. Yeah, yeah. I know. I got a real problem with that. I guess it's just not easy when I have so much to say. Screw it I guess. More power to the people who do take the time to check this shit out. They get the benefit of reading some of the greatest nonsense posted on the internet! Congratulations pal! You won the jackpot! What exactly did you win? Ummmm... Gotta go!
- pookon -
www.pookon.com
https://twitter.com/pookondotcom
https://www.facebook.com/MilwaukeeIceman
No comments:
Post a Comment