What is Wolf's problem with Lucroy?

[greeg35]

Someone mentioned this in the IGT and its something that has been bugging me since last year. I'm getting really tired of all the histrionics every time Wolf is pitching and Lucroy is catching. I have a hard time believing it is Lucroy's problem since everyone else seems to be able to do OK with him. Its not just the shaking off and trips to the mound, its the obvious exasperation on Wolf's face several times a game (if not an inning). If I were Lucroy I'd want to knock his block off.

Does someone just need to sit Wolf down and say knock it off or get a simpler sign system? How complicated does a sign system need to be (especially when there aren't people on base)?

[brwrsfan]

I have no idea...seems to me that Wolf is struggling and wants to place the blame on someone.

 

I'd be fine giving Wolf a different catcher...unfortunately that would mean Nieves at the moment and that would suck to have him start every 5 games. Whatever it is, Wolf needs to get over it or figure out how to work with Lucroy.

[CheezWizHed]

Last year when Lucroy was called up, he was thrown into a bad situation, having to learn each pitcher quickly. Wolf was obviously struggling at the beginning of last year and probably blames (or at least associates) it a little on Lucroy catching.

 

So had Lucroy caught Wolf yet this year? I don't get to watch the games... http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/frown.gif But every box score of Wolf's that I've seen has someone else catching him.

 

I would think the two would work well together, but Wolf may be superstitious about Lucroy catching him now.

[TooLiveBrew]

So had Lucroy caught Wolf yet this year?

 

I know Lucroy caught him on April 14th @ PIT, a 6 IP, 3 H, 10K/2BB, 0 ER outing. I agree that it has really gotten old to see Wolf acting up on the mound.

[trwi7]

So had Lucroy caught Wolf yet this year?

 

I know Lucroy caught him on April 14th @ PIT, a 6 IP, 3 H, 10K/2BB, 0 ER outing. I agree that it has really gotten old to see Wolf acting up on the mound.

Also caught him against St Louis.

 

[1992casey]

This is just a theory, but it seems that Wolf's system of signs makes him a hard pitcher to catch. Last year, Lucroy was brought up prematurely. This year, he missed the opportunity to catch Randy during spring games. It would make sense that it's simpler to allow the backup catcher to concentrate on Wolf while allowing Lucroy to concentrate on everything else, including his hitting.

[Joseph]

We in Cincy have this issue with Bronson Arroyo. When he first came over he wouldn't throw to Jason LaRue [much to my wifes chagrin]. Then once LaRue was gone and Ramon Hernandez came along, he didn't want to throw to him. I don't know if he just wants to be 'special' or thinks he's Greg Maddux with his own personal catcher or what.

 

Now we really have a tandem catching situation it appears that our spanish speakers prefer Hernandez while our english speakers prefer Hanigan.

[1992casey]

If you go way back to the beginning of the Ned Yost era, every Brewer starter had a "personal" catcher. Later on, there was a season where Ben Sheets' personal catcher was Chad Moeller. Of course, people on the message boards read between the lines that Ben wouldn't pitch to Damian Miller. I think a more accurate assessment was that Ned needed to find a way to give Damian a day off, and offering Sheets the choice of pitching to Moeller was a way to do that.

 

As the season went on, Ben pitched some games where Miller caught. And Ben named his son after Damian (Miller Bennett Sheets, after two of his catchers).

[tstads20]

One of the things I recall hearing is that a lot of veteran pitchers like to kind of call their own games, and it appears as though Wolf is one of those guys. I think the difficult sign theory is a good one, and it kind of adds into it, but I also think Wolf and Lucroy just have a different idea of what gameplan they should go for.

 

Nobody really knows for sure other than them, and I doubt we'll ever really get any answer. I have no problem with Wolf having a different catcher...just as long as it's not Nieves, which unfortunately it is right now.

[colbyjack]

Pitchers always call their own games. Catchers just make 'suggestions' based on their familiarity with their pitchers.

[bork]

TH mentions this in today's Notes.

"He's a great kid and works his tail off," said Wolf. "He's trying to do the best he can. It was a matter of trying to find what I needed to throw to get outs. I think we both knew I wasn't very sharp. It was one of those times where you're trying to find ways to get guys out. That brought on a few more conferences.

"With how hard he works and what he puts into what he does out there, I think we'll be OK. I don't think anybody else thinks like me, so it's nothing against him. I don't want anybody to think like me. That's a curse I wouldn't want to put on anybody."

JS Notes

[logan82]

Let's see, Wolf has a good amount of money so he would be considered eccentric instead of crazy.

[TooLiveBrew]

"I don't think anybody else thinks like me, so it's nothing against him. I don't want anybody to think like me. That's a curse I wouldn't want to put on anybody."

 

I like Randy Wolf quotes. The Force is with him.

[crewcrazy]

When Wolf first came in last year, I remember Bill Schroeder mentioning just how complicated Wolf's signs were, and how hard that is on every catcher. I don't think it's just a "Wolf thing" where he's a pain to work with, though...a lot of veteran pitchers seem to be that way.

 

There are times where he looks annoyed with Lucroy when he calls him out for a visit, but like Wolf is quoted as saying above, a lot of that probably has to do with frustration of things not going well on the mound.

[brewmann04]

Randy learn to throw strikes and stop blamming the Catcher,You are the one pitching and the one in control of the game.

[rluzinski]

This really sounds like a non-issue to me. Wolf wants to throw HIS pitch; it's nothing personal towards Lucroy. Bores the hell out of us fans but...

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

It sounded a lot better after reading the quotes from Wolf. He's got his way of doing things, and he gets that it's a little off. He's also seemed to be better with Lucroy despite the trips...he's not screaming at him like last year...the quantity of trips aren't down, but the body language is better. My guess is RRR has had some positive influence here.

[cwolf2012]

stop blamming the Catcher

http://noisetosignal.org/files/imagepicker/s/Seb%20Patrick/zurenarrhpart1-blam.png

 

So, I don't have a whole lot more to add to this. I find Wolf to be an entertaining guy off the mound, and I think that's why he's avoided me raging about him thus far in his contract. He seems just a little bit off and it makes for some entertaining quotes. But, I suspect that brazen honesty he shows probably causes him to be a little bit too hard on a young catcher.

[Hammer]

Not having Lucroy in there yesterday was a joke! It's too bad that Wolf insists on being a better hitter than his catcher...

[Invader3K]

If Wolf pitches better with someone other than Lucroy, can't Lucroy just always get his off day when Wolf pitches? I guess I don't see what the big problem is.

[CheezWizHed]

My main problem this weekend was that Rivera got a start, Lucroy got a start, and then Nieves got a start... I'm ok in giving Lucroy one day off in 5, but the golf between him and the other two is wide... he should be starting as much as possible.

[brwrsfan]

I'm with the Cheez here....it's not that Lucroy didn't catch Wolf that bothers me. He needs a day off here and there. It's the fact that over the weekend, he only played in ONE game. He's our best hitter average wise on the team and without him at the bottom, our lineup has a giant blackhole in it from 6-9. If you insist on having someone else catch for Wolf, which is fine, but then don't sit him down other days for no real reason.

 

Plus, as mentioned, the dropoff from Lucroy to Nieves is THIS big. It's just awful. After yet another hitless performance yesterday, I believe Nieves average has now dropped to .150. That's less than half of Lucroy and his .320ish average. I don't know who Nieves knows or what secrets he has, but the man has no business being on a major league team.

[Nottso]

I'm also in agreement. Let Rivera be Wolf's "personal catcher," let Lucroy start every game not pitched by Wolf, and let Nieves go.