The argument for keeping both Nieves & Kottaras when Lucroy comes back

[bylo tesi me]

The Question I have is Nieves's Defense really all that great? He may be slightly better than Kottaras, But if Mevin/Roenicke decide to let Kottaras go, they might as well let Nieves go also and call up Rivera, who I think is just as good as Nieves and may contribute an occasional timely hit once in a while. Or perhaps Maldonado, who's at least young and may have some upside.

[greeg35]

I was very skeptical of his defensive value coming in (figured he was just being assigned the obligatory "veteran grit" factor) having watched him though, I am impressed by how "nimble" he is back there and he seems very good at blocking pitches in the dirt. That has some value; but not nearly enough to offset his crappy bat vs Kottaras or his arm which doesn't seem that impressive.

[Warning Track Power]

The reason I prefer Kottaras over Nieves is obvious and that is his ability to hit MLB pitching and with the occasional pop. I wouldn't mind Nieves, even if he hit .210, if he truly was a defensive wizard behind the plate. But Nieves' defensive skillset is not enough for me to overlook the bat that Kottaras brings to the bench.

 

Having said that, I am still not sure if keeping Kottaras and Nieves over Almonte when Hart returns isn't the way to go, even if it does make us relatively light in backup IF and RH PH. I like the idea of Kottaras being able to be used as a PH with pop without the fear of burning the backup C. Still batting that around in my head.

[PrinceEatMeat]

The Question I have is Nieves's Defense really all that great? He may be slightly better than Kottaras, But if Mevin/Roenicke decide to let Kottaras go, they might as well let Nieves go also and call up Rivera, who I think is just as good as Nieves and may contribute an occasional timely hit once in a while. Or perhaps Maldonado, who's at least young and may have some upside.

I think the reason for them playing Maldonado everyday down in AAA is to see if he'll have value to us next year, and down the road, as a solid backup catcher. I would guess that we won't see him this year. If someone gets hurt after one of our catchers is let go, I would guess Rivera would get the call.

[TooLiveBrew]

I wouldn't mind Nieves, even if he hit .210, if he truly was a defensive wizard behind the plate. But Nieves' defensive skillset is not enough for me to overlook the bat that Kottaras brings to the bench.

 

I just wanted to point out that Tangotiger's Fans Scouting Report, which FanGraphs has wonderfully incorporated into its player pages, shows Nieves as having a very poor arm for a catcher -- and just in general being a subpar defender. He might be marginally better than Kottaras at blocking pitches, but not nearly enough to offset the vast difference in offensive ability. Yes, the disclaimer about the Fans Scouting Report is that the total career ballots for Nieves is 21, however, the fans that are aware of the Tangotiger FSR tend to be a well-informed subset imo (& there don't tend to be many ballots from fans outside of the giant markets like NY).

 

To explain further why I wanted to post this, I'm just sick of hearing BA & Rock mislead Brewers fans by gushing about how Nieves is such an excellent defensive catcher every time he's playing. It's bad misinformation.

[joepepsi]

Whatever happened to Angel Salome?

[TooLiveBrew]

http://brewersfandemonium...ining-boxes#reply-694271

 

On a slightly related note for the curious, I contacted "coach" a month ago and asked him about Angel Salome, what, if anything, happened and what went on this offseason. A brief response --

 

Nothing new, he was taking a break from baseball but it now looks like he might get back in and take the bull by the horns we will see soon.

[PrinceEatMeat]

It's really a bummer that Salome lost it mentally. He really could've been a great offensive catcher. He might be in the bigs right now for all we know. Oh well, at least Lucroy developed.

[TooLiveBrew]

Social Anxiety Disorder /= "lost it mentally". Ask Zack Greinke.

[PrinceEatMeat]

At least Greinke was able to overcome it. Hopefully Salome can do the same.

[CheezWizHed]

If there was a clear favorite, the other person would've been let go today.

 

Not true. The only thing that was clear is that both were more valuable to the team than Reed.

[liveforoctober]

Are there any teams who are injured at the catching position right now who would deal anything for GK or WN? I can't think of any injuries off the top of my head ...

[PrinceEatMeat]

Are there any teams who are injured at the catching position right now who would deal anything for GK or WN? I can't think of any injuries off the top of my head ...

I'm sure Ned Yost would take one of them off our hands. He loves crappy catchers.