From Larry LaRue:

“Right now, Johjima is the No. 1 catcher,” Jim Riggleman said. “He’s throwing runners out, and in the last six weeks he’s come on at the plate and as a catcher. I think we’re starting to see what this team saw his first few years.”

Where I’m with Riggleman: His swing mechanics are much improved in recent weeks, he’s hitting the ball the other way better than I can ever remember, and he’s walking more than he ever has in his MLB career.

Where I’m not with Riggleman: Johjima is only hitting .211/.300/.338 in the last six weeks and has been throwing out fewer baserunners this season than at any other year since joining Seattle.  He’s also been downright terrible at blocking pitches, something he’s never been great at.  I remember talking to someone a season or two ago about how Johjima looks like he’s scared of the ball as soon as it hits the dirt, and that is still the case today. 

We’ve seen Riggleman overrate his players and fail to believe the stats all season, most notably when he was defending Jose Vidro’s inclusion in the everyday lineup.  That said, I do see improvement in Johjima offensively, and since we’re stuck with him for three more seasons it would be nice if he could revert to his old self.