The Catching Situation

by ~ May 26th, 2009 at 8:09 pm

Kenji Johjima is expected to be out of action for 6-8 weeks.  Normally this might be cause for celebration, but with Jeff Clement still being bothered by a swollen knee the Mariners are left with two backups and no worthy starter on the 25-man roster.

Turns out that Guillermo Quiroz was picked over Jamie Burke because Don Wakamatsu wanted to go younger (it feels like Quiroz has been around forever but he’s still just 27), a move that probably puts Burke in a Crash Davis-esque role for the remainder of his tenure with Seattle.  Quiroz hasn’t done a thing with the stick since his prospect days with Toronto when he smoked 20 homers on his way to a .889 OPS for AA New Haven as a 21 year old in 2003, but he’s supposed to be a good defender and someone who can handle the pitching staff.

It’s all you can really ask for out of your backup catcher, but when your starter is Rob Johnson (.188/.219/.261) the whole situation is a little frustrating.  Johjima wasn’t exactly getting it done at the plate either (.250/.275/.376), but that doesn’t make it any easier to see a position go from suck to suck-tastic.

Fortunately the plan is to get Clement back behind the plate and (presumably) up to the big leagues as soon as possible with Johjima out, but what if it takes a while for the swelling and pain in his knee to subside?  Two months of a Johnson-Quiroz tandem may be too much to take.

Jeff Clement, get healthy.  Adam Moore, keep hitting.

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  • moethedog

    No fire sale. Please!

    I keep reading about a fire sale for the M’s now. I hope not. Washburn will go..his value has peaked. Somebody wants him. But I hope they don’t trade Bedard. A Felix and Bedard 1-2 punch is formidable. That’s what good teams are built on. If you trade Bedard…you just spend the next couple of years loooking for another Bedard.

    I like Vargas, a bunch.

    I suspect Branyan will get some interest. He has been great…but they should get what they can for him. Especially IF help! LH hitting 1B guys they have a bunch of in Tacoma. I love the Carp kid down there. Hits .300+ with lots of gap power and walks another .100. But keep Branyan as long as you can…

    Beltre…..I like him in the lineup at 3rd..but he’s hitting crappy (beginning to come out of it…well, not after today)..and he’s being paid for one something-fueled year in LA. Get what you can for him.

    Yuni is the worst starting SS in the game. Terrible, terrible, terrible fielder…no bat. Send him down the road.

    Lopez is a hacking hack of a 2B. You can live with him as a 8 or 9 hitter if he fields, which he isn’t doing this year. I can live with him, but barely. I can’t live we he and Yuni stinking up the field together….Jeez, bring Chris Woodward up.

    I was up on Wlad…no I’m down, again. Dump him…bring up one of the AAA guys…they seem like they can hit. Gut is fine in center..hits allright and saves a ton of runs. I’m a big Ichiro fan.

    I like a bunch of the young arms, too.

    Get what you can for Washburn, Branyan, and Beltre. Dump Yuni..send him anywhere…for anything. If you get an offer for Lopez…jump at it.

    BTW….2B, 3B and SS go a combined 0-13 today. And we still win.

    This team doesn’t need a fire sale. It needs two more bats. Find one in a trade..bring one up.

    Keith

  • moethedog

    And don’t trade Ichiro for goodness sake!

    He’s the face of the franchise…is totally professional…and should stay!

    Keith