Comments on Memories Of Kevin Malone: 2009 Season In Review: Catchers

I'm not blaming the pitching staff for anything, i...

2009-11-01T12:41:45.611-10:00

I'm not blaming the pitching staff for anything, i'm just stating the facts that they have poor records at holding runners and throwing balls in the dirty.

I give no credit for CERA, because it's meaningless.

FanGraphs article shows that he was a top five defender in the majors for the past two years. It's the most complete study i've seen. It takes into account the context of the pitching staff.

That Driveline Mechanics article is not a WOWY (With Or Without You) study, as it readily admits in the introduction.

Why would it make sense to judge without the context of the pitchers? If Yadier Molina caught for Chris Young and allowed 10 SB to 2 CS, does that mean he's a bad throwing catcher? No. It means Chris Young takes 5 seconds to get to the plate.

I don't see how anybody can take any study seriously that DOESN'T take into account the pitcher's ability.

I'm sure you won't respond to this, but i'd like to know why I should take your assertions seriously when they come without any context.

We're blaming the pitching staff for his weak defe...

2009-11-01T12:31:35.303-10:00

We're blaming the pitching staff for his weak defensive abilities? Oh. and I suppose Martin is getting credit for the top CERA in the league?

This fangraphs article shows what a sham the guy really is, and the notion that he's a good defensive catcher is a ludicrous one. Anyone who watches the game can see the guy can't block a ball in front of him to save himself.

http://www.drivelinemechanics.com/2009/10/13/1082419/2009-catcher-defense-filling-in

Alireza-Maybe, but all indications for normal play...

2009-10-27T18:00:36.943-10:00

Alireza-Maybe, but all indications for normal players would seem to indicate a deteroration in skills.

Penos-Yes, there is a stat on that, but it's not measured to average or in context, so it's meaningless.

CS% is meaningless too. If you catch 75% of the runners but all your pitchers slidestep and they are all on pitchouts with James Loney running, it doesn't mean you're a good thrower. :o

Penos-I think he didn't hit his first home run bec...

2009-10-27T17:58:47.828-10:00

Penos-I think he didn't hit his first home run because he was too busy plugging his model gf and doing yoga shit like Vince from Entourage.

MSTI-Hahaha. I just noticed. :o

Table-I never thought Martin was a 25 HR/.330 guy. He never needed to be.

Shit, with his overall package, i'm totally fine with .275/.375 and 10 HR. Just not fucking .250 with 3 HR.

Chad's got it right on - I was comparing Martin to...

2009-10-27T03:09:26.118-10:00

Chad's got it right on - I was comparing Martin to his expectations, not the league average. If I did it that way, no one who's not Pujols or Lincecum gets an A.

League average catcher? Sure, why not. But huge failure based on what we thought he could be? Definitely.

Well, what i'm saying is that he's still a league ...

2009-10-26T18:34:14.553-10:00

Well, what i'm saying is that he's still a league average catcher even at this point.

MSTI is saying that if you compare what he did to the lofty expectations, it's an F.

It's like if Albert Pujols hit .280/.380/.500. Is that still good? Yes, but it's an F compared to his expectations. :o

bluetrain-It would seem that way, but it affects e...

2009-10-26T18:32:35.021-10:00

bluetrain-It would seem that way, but it affects everything. Outfielders play deeper, pitchers pitch different, any power he did produce was more likely a factor of the park than actual skill, which is scary.

Alireza - Plus, he is great at handling the pitchi...

2009-10-26T18:07:59.499-10:00

Alireza - Plus, he is great at handling the pitching staff. I like Russell behind the plate, although he seemed a bit tired at the end of the season and into the playoffs, especially when it came to blocking pitches in the dirt. It seemed like a lot of balls got away from him (is there a stat on that?).

He just couldn't hit.

Penos - Can't stand him? The guy who carried the ...

2009-10-26T17:36:16.147-10:00

Penos - Can't stand him? The guy who carried the team for more than a year and a half while playing the toughest position on the field at a very high level.

1) A league average hitter at catcher is an all star

2) Martin can hit over .300 if he is not dreadfully unlucky and poorly handled

3) His defense is absolutely elite.

Get him back to his pre-Mattingley approach and give him decent rest and Russ will be just fine.

dsheridan88 - I agree. I can't stand Russell Marti...

2009-10-26T16:54:19.371-10:00

dsheridan88 - I agree. I can't stand Russell Martin, but even I have to admit MSTI went a bit overboard with his F grade. Yes, Russell had a disappointing year, and I don't see him being anything better than a league-average catcher. It's not his fault though. Russell has been absolutely abused over the last three seasons.

lFunny MSTI commented here... They just killed Mar...

2009-10-26T16:17:33.926-10:00

lFunny MSTI commented here...
They just killed Martin on their site....bit over the top in my view.
Not that anyone cares about my review of reviews, but...
MOKM 1
MSTI 0

Kensai, I hope Memories of Kevin Malone and MSTI a...

2009-10-26T10:23:10.050-10:00

Kensai, I hope Memories of Kevin Malone and MSTI are not going to be in sync with all of their 09 reviews. I will still read them both :)

I never understood the idea that Martin had 25 hom...

2009-10-26T10:20:41.880-10:00

I never understood the idea that Martin had 25 homer power, or could hit 330. Even though he came close in 07, I've always seen him as more of a 285. 370. 435 guy. But that is enough to make him a star at the catcher position.

It will be interesting to see if Ned has the balls to lock him up long term now when his value is low. Or if Martin would be willing to sign such a contract.

Martin was incredibly unlucky this year. Lots of ...

2009-10-26T06:22:00.211-10:00

Martin was incredibly unlucky this year. Lots of line drives into gloves. That said, even though he is not specifically a power hitter, he should have been hitting for more power and should definitely be hitting fastballs better. This is a guy who whacked a 99 or 100 MPH heater from Matt Lindstrom in 2008. His problems this year were pretty clear. He watched too many fat pitches, especially hanging breaking balls, then lengthened his swing and missed heat. The power is obviously still there, given his performance in the WBC and Spring Training, but Martin thrives when he has that compact, level swing that is kind of like using the bat as a tennis racket or a whip. I still think something Don Mattingley did with him is the root cause of this, because there is a marked difference between Martin pre-Mattingley and after Don took over after the ASB last year.

bluetrain - As illustrated by post-humidor Coors; high, dry fields can affect all kinds of offense. The conditions sap a significant amount of movement from pitches, which is why a guy like Derek Lowe gets murdered at Coors. So yes, singles hitters can be significantly aided.

Just a question on your review of Ellis. I agree ...

2009-10-26T04:58:51.617-10:00

Just a question on your review of Ellis. I agree he has no power, and that he does make contact, but how does that help his batting averag in ABQ? Thin air only helps power hitters, it doesnt help you hit singles does it? I just dont see how ABQ could help, but then again, I dont know that it doesnt

You ganked my bit! Just kidding. Love the hit zo...

2009-10-26T03:46:15.457-10:00

You ganked my bit!

Just kidding. Love the hit zone charts.

I find it surprising that he had a career high in ...

2009-10-26T03:39:06.463-10:00

I find it surprising that he had a career high in line drive percentage.

Unluckiest son of a bitch on earth.

Russell Martin didn't hit his first homerun until ...

2009-10-26T03:29:33.216-10:00

Russell Martin didn't hit his first homerun until June 20. I think this was a huge factor in this terrible offensive season. Before, and after he hit that homerun, he was swinging for the fences a lot. It really kept him from swining the bat naturally. Although he hit 19 homeruns in 2007, he's not a power hitter. I think he needs to realize this moving forward. He'll have more success if he understands that he's a contact hitter.