Is Wieters a disappointment?

[CA-ORIOLE]

CA - I like your posts so I'm not going to continue this sidetrack down petty lane.

Oh come on. Just a little fun.

[Bradysburns]

Disappointment doesn't have much to do with facts... it has more to do with subjective expectations.

If you expected Matt Wieters to be the greatest catcher the world has ever seen, disappointment is an apt word. If you expected him to be one of the best catchers in baseball and an anchor for a pitching staff that 25 other clubs would kill to have, then "disappointment" is petty and ignorant.

So he has not been what many of us hoped for, or even expected. I think we can all agree on that. Using the term disappointment, I agree, is going too far. He's been so amazing in the non-offensive areas, I don't think many of us expected how great he would be there. So... an interesting case with him.

Still, I guess I am wondering about the idea of locking him up with a ginormous long-term contract. Last year, I might has said hell yes, but the longer the offense stays in 3rd gear, the more leverage I think the Orioles (or any team) will have. On the other hand, he could still break out offensively.

[Spoonless]

I was hoping against hope for some actual analysis - as in, what he does defensively and with handling pitchers makes up for it.

None of which you provided in your own post.

I'm not really disappointed. Did he fail to live up to the lefty expectations thrust upon him? Sure. He's still a better than average hitting catcher, and an exceptional defensive catcher. So overall, I'm not disappointed, but obviously when you compare him to the expectations held, he could be considered one.

It's kind of like how someone can be a very good or even excellent player and still be "overrated".

[El Gordo]

[Bradysburns]

Oh come on. Just a little fun.

Yeah, a little. So... Duquette calls you right now and says, "Let's lock this kid up. What offer should we open with?" Where do you start?

[CA-ORIOLE]

Yeah, a little. So... Duquette calls you right now and says, "Let's lock this kid up. What offer should we open with?" Where do you start?

I'd might extend him a couple years beyond team control (2018 at the most). A lot of that would depend on price. Maybe 5/60 (2014-2018). I'm sure that's probably too low, but that's where I'd end. I've always been more in the "catch him into the ground" mode and am concerned he'll break down. If I saw more potential on offense, maybe I'd have a different perspective.

[waroriole]

Offensively he's a disappointment. Defensively he's vastly exceeded expectations. Overall, he's what we expected: a very good player.

[luismatos4prez]

3rd in WAR at catcher in the last 3 years. No, I'm not disappointed.

[BaltimoreO's]

Not worth 10m a year like he's gonna get.

[BohKnowsBmore]

Not worth 10m a year like he's gonna get.

You realize that $10M/year puts him at less than $3M per WAR over the last couple of years (less than $2M/WAR in 2011), right?

[BaltimoreO's]

You realize that $10M/year puts him at less than $3M per WAR over the last couple of years (less than $2M/WAR in 2011), right?

Sorry i don't give defensive catchers 10m a year.

[OFFNY]

Sorry i don't give defensive catchers 10m a year.

That's great.

If Angelos and Duquette give Wieters $10 Million a year, you won't have to pay him a dime.

[Camden_yardbird]

If the rest of the team hadn't developed like it had, then yes. But he seems to complement the rest of the team. If AJ hadn't developed into an offensive force, then maybe we would see a Wieters who spent more time building offensive skills that the obvious work he has put in defensively. Some might argue its not a zero sum game, I tend to believe it is.

[El Gordo]

Not worth 10m a year like he's gonna get.

Wieters has been a 3.5 WAR player or better and will continue to be for sometime. So his production on average is about 18 M per. I'd say that's worth more than 10M.

[El Gordo]

Sorry i don't give defensive catchers 10m a year.

What's the most you've ever paid one of your catchers Casey?