Around the Horn: Catchers
01/18/2006
SAN DIEGO -- A position that was a strength last season thanks to the combined efforts of Ramon Hernandez, Miguel Olivo and Robert Fick will be in new hands in 2006, leaving skeptical Padres fans with one hard question for management:
"Will we catch a break behind the plate?"
Penciled in to replace Hernandez, Olivo and Fick are Doug Mirabelli, David Ross, Pete Laforest and Todd Greene.
If these four names aren't inspiring grand visions in the public imagination, the Padres' decision-makers appear confident that the defensive-minded quartet can handle the job capably.
At the same time, nobody is suggesting that any of the four can hit like Hernandez, who signed with Baltimore as a free agent while Olivo (Florida) and Fick (Washington) also moved on to new environs.
"Ramon is not an easy guy to replace," Padres vice president/general manger Kevin Towers said. "We plan to get our offense elsewhere. I've heard the criticism about our catching. These guys are not chopped liver."
Mirabelli, acquired at the Winter Meetings from Boston in a controversial swap for second baseman Mark Loretta, apparently goes to Spring Training as the No. 1 guy -- something new for the 35-year-old career backup.
"He's got World Series experience and is a guy who's played meaningful games throughout his career," Towers said. "He has great leadership qualities, from what we hear.
"I like the ability of Mirabelli and Ross to handle pitchers. They are excellent defenders."
Mirabelli gets high marks from new Padres starter Shawn Estes, who pitched to him in San Francisco and has called Mirabelli "one of the three best catchers I've worked with."
It was in 2000 as a Giant when Mirabelli had his busiest season, playing 82 games and batting .230 with .337 on-base and .370 slugging marks. He's a .241 career hitter with .328 on-base and .425 slugging numbers across 11 seasons.
Mirabelli's best season with the bat came with the '04 Red Sox during their magical run to the World Series championship. Playing 59 games in support of Jason Varitek, specializing as knuckleballer Tim Wakefield's receiver, Mirabelli batted .281 with .368 on-base and .525 slugging marks.
If he can come anywhere close to those figures as a Padre, he'll go a long way in silencing critics of the Padres' offseason overhauling of the catching position.
Nobody can appreciate Mirabelli's defensive and leadership qualities better than Padres manager Bruce Bochy, who played the position and understands its demands and requirements.
Barring another move, Ross, Laforest and Greene are expected to compete for the No. 2 role.
Ross is no stranger to Padres pitchers, having spent considerable time with the 2005 club even though his playing time was minimal behind Hernandez, Olivo and Fick.
In 11 games, Ross made the most of 17 at-bats, hitting .353 with .389 on-base and .471 slugging marks. He's a .217 Major League hitter in 169 games, all but 51 with the Dodgers, for whom he made his professional debut in 1998 after starring at the University of Florida.
Ross' one extra-base hit for the Padres last season was memorable. His drive to the gap in right-center at PETCO Park resulted in a triple after a violent collision between the Mets' Carlos Beltran and Mike Cameron, which ended the latter's season on Aug. 11.
Cameron, as fate would have it, is now Ross' teammate, having come to San Diego in exchange for Xavier Nady.
Ross, a native of Tallahassee, Fla., who turns 29 in March, played a career-high 70 games with the 2004 Dodgers, batting .170 with five homers and 15 RBIs. He's big and strong with a profile similar to Mirabelli's: solid defender with a strong arm who will hit with occasional power.
Pierre-Luc "Pete" Laforest, 28, was acquired on Dec. 9 on waivers from Tampa Bay.
A native of Hull, Quebec, who grew up playing hockey, Laforest helped drive his native Canada to the medal round in the 2004 Summer Games in Athens.
A converted third baseman and the lone left-handed hitter in the group, Laforest is 6-foot-2 and 208 pounds. He hit .170 in 44 career games with Tampa Bay in 2003, and '05 with one homer and 10 RBIs in 112 at-bats.
In the Devil Rays' farm system, Laforest put together solid offensive numbers in 2002 and '03, showing selectivity and power.
Originally drafted by the Expos in the 16th round of the 1995 First-Year Player Draft, Laforest has a career Minor League batting average of .258 with 101 homers, 143 doubles and 374 RBIs in 681 games between the Montreal (1995) and Tampa Bay (1997-2005) organizations.
Greene, who signed a Minor League contract on Jan. 3, has shown power and solid defensive skills in a 10-year Major League career that began in 1996 with the Angels. They drafted and signed him out of Georgia Southern.
Greene, 34, batted .254 in 126 at-bats with the Rockies in 2005, with seven home runs and 23 RBIs. He was limited to just 38 games after suffering a strained right hamstring on June 5 against Cincinnati.
A native of Augusta, Ga., he played for the Angels, Blue Jays, Yankees, Rangers and Rockies, batting .248 with 69 home runs and 200 RBIs in 475 games. He produced a career-high 14 homers in '99 with the Angels and delivered 10 homers in three consecutive seasons (2002-04).
An excellent student of the game, Greene is expected to push for playing time in San Diego as the season progresses.
The long-term projections are highly encouraging. The club considers catching one of its deepest positions in the organization.
George Kottaras, considered by some the team's best position prospect, could be ready as soon as 2007, with Colt Morton and Nick Hundley also looming on the horizon.
Source: http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/
SAN DIEGO -- A position that was a strength last season thanks to the combined efforts of Ramon Hernandez, Miguel Olivo and Robert Fick will be in new hands in 2006, leaving skeptical Padres fans with one hard question for management:
"Will we catch a break behind the plate?"
Penciled in to replace Hernandez, Olivo and Fick are Doug Mirabelli, David Ross, Pete Laforest and Todd Greene.
If these four names aren't inspiring grand visions in the public imagination, the Padres' decision-makers appear confident that the defensive-minded quartet can handle the job capably.
At the same time, nobody is suggesting that any of the four can hit like Hernandez, who signed with Baltimore as a free agent while Olivo (Florida) and Fick (Washington) also moved on to new environs.
"Ramon is not an easy guy to replace," Padres vice president/general manger Kevin Towers said. "We plan to get our offense elsewhere. I've heard the criticism about our catching. These guys are not chopped liver."
Mirabelli, acquired at the Winter Meetings from Boston in a controversial swap for second baseman Mark Loretta, apparently goes to Spring Training as the No. 1 guy -- something new for the 35-year-old career backup.
"He's got World Series experience and is a guy who's played meaningful games throughout his career," Towers said. "He has great leadership qualities, from what we hear.
"I like the ability of Mirabelli and Ross to handle pitchers. They are excellent defenders."
Mirabelli gets high marks from new Padres starter Shawn Estes, who pitched to him in San Francisco and has called Mirabelli "one of the three best catchers I've worked with."
It was in 2000 as a Giant when Mirabelli had his busiest season, playing 82 games and batting .230 with .337 on-base and .370 slugging marks. He's a .241 career hitter with .328 on-base and .425 slugging numbers across 11 seasons.
Mirabelli's best season with the bat came with the '04 Red Sox during their magical run to the World Series championship. Playing 59 games in support of Jason Varitek, specializing as knuckleballer Tim Wakefield's receiver, Mirabelli batted .281 with .368 on-base and .525 slugging marks.
If he can come anywhere close to those figures as a Padre, he'll go a long way in silencing critics of the Padres' offseason overhauling of the catching position.
Nobody can appreciate Mirabelli's defensive and leadership qualities better than Padres manager Bruce Bochy, who played the position and understands its demands and requirements.
Barring another move, Ross, Laforest and Greene are expected to compete for the No. 2 role.
Ross is no stranger to Padres pitchers, having spent considerable time with the 2005 club even though his playing time was minimal behind Hernandez, Olivo and Fick.
In 11 games, Ross made the most of 17 at-bats, hitting .353 with .389 on-base and .471 slugging marks. He's a .217 Major League hitter in 169 games, all but 51 with the Dodgers, for whom he made his professional debut in 1998 after starring at the University of Florida.
Ross' one extra-base hit for the Padres last season was memorable. His drive to the gap in right-center at PETCO Park resulted in a triple after a violent collision between the Mets' Carlos Beltran and Mike Cameron, which ended the latter's season on Aug. 11.
Cameron, as fate would have it, is now Ross' teammate, having come to San Diego in exchange for Xavier Nady.
Ross, a native of Tallahassee, Fla., who turns 29 in March, played a career-high 70 games with the 2004 Dodgers, batting .170 with five homers and 15 RBIs. He's big and strong with a profile similar to Mirabelli's: solid defender with a strong arm who will hit with occasional power.
Pierre-Luc "Pete" Laforest, 28, was acquired on Dec. 9 on waivers from Tampa Bay.
A native of Hull, Quebec, who grew up playing hockey, Laforest helped drive his native Canada to the medal round in the 2004 Summer Games in Athens.
A converted third baseman and the lone left-handed hitter in the group, Laforest is 6-foot-2 and 208 pounds. He hit .170 in 44 career games with Tampa Bay in 2003, and '05 with one homer and 10 RBIs in 112 at-bats.
In the Devil Rays' farm system, Laforest put together solid offensive numbers in 2002 and '03, showing selectivity and power.
Originally drafted by the Expos in the 16th round of the 1995 First-Year Player Draft, Laforest has a career Minor League batting average of .258 with 101 homers, 143 doubles and 374 RBIs in 681 games between the Montreal (1995) and Tampa Bay (1997-2005) organizations.
Greene, who signed a Minor League contract on Jan. 3, has shown power and solid defensive skills in a 10-year Major League career that began in 1996 with the Angels. They drafted and signed him out of Georgia Southern.
Greene, 34, batted .254 in 126 at-bats with the Rockies in 2005, with seven home runs and 23 RBIs. He was limited to just 38 games after suffering a strained right hamstring on June 5 against Cincinnati.
A native of Augusta, Ga., he played for the Angels, Blue Jays, Yankees, Rangers and Rockies, batting .248 with 69 home runs and 200 RBIs in 475 games. He produced a career-high 14 homers in '99 with the Angels and delivered 10 homers in three consecutive seasons (2002-04).
An excellent student of the game, Greene is expected to push for playing time in San Diego as the season progresses.
The long-term projections are highly encouraging. The club considers catching one of its deepest positions in the organization.
George Kottaras, considered by some the team's best position prospect, could be ready as soon as 2007, with Colt Morton and Nick Hundley also looming on the horizon.
Source: http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/
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