Is it time to upgrade over Urias and McCann?

[Gofannon]

6 hours ago, Just Regular said:

And you get to be in movies!

 

Jeff Tackett was also part of the single-worst baserunning display I've seen in my entire life.  No exaggeration.  I was at the game with a friend who was at her first baseball game ever, and she asked me what was going on.  I still have no idea.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1993/04/18/three-man-jam-at-third-costs-the-orioles-7-5/7eb4c3d6-545f-481a-89f4-9bc0036ad89a/

[Greg Pappas]

7 hours ago, Greg Pappas said:

I get that he's a beloved guy, a veteran presence, and has worked with our staff for a year and a half roughly, but at some point the juice isn't worth the squeeze.  If a 57 OPS+ bat and worsening defense is not poor enough to move on from, what is? Regardless, I feel most are right... Elias will hold onto him. 

I quoted myself, because I wanted to share something with you all.  I have memory issues.  Nothing full blown or anything, but I don't recall things nearly as well as I once did.  I mention this because it occurred to me that I posted a very similar thing about McCann last year, and he performed notably better in the 2nd half.  At least I believe so.   It's not that I feel I'm exactly wrong about McCann, but rather that he showed himself to be better just last season and could do so again.  I hope so.

Memory issues are nothing to be ashamed of, though I'd be pretending if it didn't bother me.  I've been dealing with this for maybe five years or so, though it gets worse every year.  At 59, that's younger than most that have such issues.   I'm sure in a forum as populated as this one, there could be others going through what I am.  It is what it is... it's life, and I hope you're all doing your best with it. 

[Hallas]

McCann looks cooked but he's in his last year and our options at backup C aren't great unless we're willing to trade for one.  But I'm not giving up a lot for a backup C.

 

I'd like to find a replacement for Urias.  He didn't look great last year and he's being thrust into a role that he's not really cut out for right now.  I don't think he's getting the 2022 magic back.  Maybe Westburg can go to 3rd full time and one of our 5 AAA 2nd basemen can work in with Mateo at 2nd.

[dystopia]

I’m not sure you’ll find much better than McCann for a backup catcher. Its not exactly a productive position. 

[sportsfan8703]

The only way McCann goes somewhere is if somehow a Catcher with options hits the DFA market, we claim him, and down the road McCann gets hurt and said catcher wins the job.  In the playoffs, we’ll see Adley catching every game. That’s our big advantage. Adley’s bat at the catcher spot. 

Urias for Mayo/Holliday is what the long term goal should be for August. Urias is a fine regular season player, but this team can go to another level offensively if Mayo/Holliday can get to a .750 OPS in the MLB the rest of the season. Similar to how we developed Gunnar last year. 

[Frobby]

Offensively, l think McCann is what he is.  If you look at his 2023 game log, you’ll see that he was sub-.600 OPS most of last year, except that he had a 10-game stretch in August where he got very hot and raised his OPS from .564 to .692, and then he had a .525 OPS for the rest of the season once that streak was over.  So, I’m not expecting much more from McCann with the bat than what we’re currently seeing.  Every so often that stiff, grooved swing of his connects with a baseball and he hits the ball hard somewhere.   Most of the time, it doesn’t.  

Defensively, there are some indicators that his performance is down, particularly in pitch blocking.  But it’s a small enough sample that I don’t know if it’s really meaningful.  

The team is 11-6 when McCann starts and the pitchers have a 3.78 ERA when he’s behind the dish (2.90 when it’s Adley).   I think that’s good enough that the team isn’t going to be in any big hurry to “upgrade” from McCann.   He’s been a good mentor for Adley and seems well liked and respected in the clubhouse.   So long as they’re winning when he catches, they’re going to stick with him IMO.

 

[Frobby]

As to Urias, I think he’s on much thinner ice.  I’d say he has another 30 days to get his bat in gear.  If he doesn’t, I think either Holliday or Mayo will take his spot.  

[OriolesUpAndDowns]

I believe McCann  is also involved in a company called Big League Bucks with a couple of the younger guys.  Based off Instagram accounts, he seems to be loved inside the clubhouse.  He is the backup catcher, so I don't really expect much of anything out of that position.  If he is a solid teammate and not a liability behind the plate, he is over achieving in my opinion.  

I doubt there is anyone significantly better that would outweigh his loss in the clubhouse.  

 

[interloper]

4 hours ago, Frobby said:

As to Urias, I think he’s on much thinner ice.  I’d say he has another 30 days to get his bat in gear.  If he doesn’t, I think either Holliday or Mayo will take his spot.  

I still don't know. If he's DFA'd, he's the kind of guy that gets claimed like, within seconds. He's useful to both bad teams because he's under control for awhile, and good teams who need a decent UTIL IF replacement. 

[Frobby]

9 minutes ago, interloper said:

I still don't know. If he's DFA'd, he's the kind of guy that gets claimed like, within seconds. He's useful to both bad teams because he's under control for awhile, and good teams who need a decent UTIL IF replacement. 

I am one of the bigger Urias fans here.  I think he was criminally underrated the last couple of years, and I’ve resisted the calls for his head based on a few cold weeks.  But he doesn’t get forever.  

[Moose Milligan]

I'm still not quite sure what the expectations of a backup catcher are.  IMO, McCann is pretty great when it comes to it...decent at defense, a good clubhouse guy and respected by his teammates.  Can occasionally get into one and put it over the fence, but that's about it.

Like, if you're a good catcher, you're probably starting somewhere and you're not stashed on someone's bench.  I don't know if there's a significant backup out there who'd be significantly better.

Salvy Perez's backup is Freddy Fermin.  I don't know anything about Freddy Fermin, I'm guessing you probably don't either.  He's got a .643 OPS this season, an 84 OPS+.  He did hit well last year in 235 plate appearances, though.  He'd probably be an upgrade from McCann but is it worth the hassle to try and trade for him?  The Royals are respectable this year, why would they want to move him?  He might be viewed as Perez's eventual replacement.

Austin Barnes is hitting .200 for the Dodgers as Will Smith's backup and a .562 OPS.  His career average is .218 with a .684 OPS

Garrett Stubbs is hitting .114 as JT Realmuto's backup catcher, his career is .208 with a .597 OPS

The immortal Chadwick Tromp is the backup catcher for Little D in Atlanta.  He's hitting .194 with a .489 OPS and for his career he's hitting .215 with a .599 OPS.

Tucker Barnhart is hitting .195 with a .584 OPS for the Diamondbacks behind Gabriel Moreno.

So what in the name of Jeff Tackett are people expecting here?  The backup catcher complaining has been one of the more puzzling things on this board for a number of years.  Even if McCann was let go or traded, I don't think his replacement would be a significant upgrade...at least, not significant to stop people from complaining after they realize that McCann's replacement isn't that great, either.

[Moose Milligan]

13 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I am one of the bigger Urias fans here.  I think he was criminally underrated the last couple of years, and I’ve resisted the calls for his head based on a few cold weeks.  But he doesn’t get forever.  

Agreed.  I like Urias overall and he's been great for this team.

Like a lot of players, I think getting consistent at bats helps.  He's not getting them now, which is understandable and that's hurting his cause.  Still versatile in the field.  

[Greg Pappas]

52 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

I'm still not quite sure what the expectations of a backup catcher are.  IMO, McCann is pretty great when it comes to it...decent at defense, a good clubhouse guy and respected by his teammates.  Can occasionally get into one and put it over the fence, but that's about it.

Like, if you're a good catcher, you're probably starting somewhere and you're not stashed on someone's bench.  I don't know if there's a significant backup out there who'd be significantly better.

Salvy Perez's backup is Freddy Fermin.  I don't know anything about Freddy Fermin, I'm guessing you probably don't either.  He's got a .643 OPS this season, an 84 OPS+.  He did hit well last year in 235 plate appearances, though.  He'd probably be an upgrade from McCann but is it worth the hassle to try and trade for him?  The Royals are respectable this year, why would they want to move him?  He might be viewed as Perez's eventual replacement.

Austin Barnes is hitting .200 for the Dodgers as Will Smith's backup and a .562 OPS.  His career average is .218 with a .684 OPS

Garrett Stubbs is hitting .114 as JT Realmuto's backup catcher, his career is .208 with a .597 OPS

The immortal Chadwick Tromp is the backup catcher for Little D in Atlanta.  He's hitting .194 with a .489 OPS and for his career he's hitting .215 with a .599 OPS.

Tucker Barnhart is hitting .195 with a .584 OPS for the Diamondbacks behind Gabriel Moreno.

So what in the name of Jeff Tackett are people expecting here?  The backup catcher complaining has been one of the more puzzling things on this board for a number of years.  Even if McCann was let go or traded, I don't think his replacement would be a significant upgrade...at least, not significant to stop people from complaining after they realize that McCann's replacement isn't that great, either.

Good post.  I was wrong to bring it up.

[RZNJ]

1 hour ago, Greg Pappas said:

Good post.  I was wrong to bring it up.

Forget  it!     Oops.

 

 

Seriously, hang in there.  Going through a few things myself this past year.  Hopefully, that joke will not go over like a lead balloon.

[Spy Fox]

2 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

I'm still not quite sure what the expectations of a backup catcher are.  IMO, McCann is pretty great when it comes to it...decent at defense, a good clubhouse guy and respected by his teammates.  Can occasionally get into one and put it over the fence, but that's about it.

Like, if you're a good catcher, you're probably starting somewhere and you're not stashed on someone's bench.  I don't know if there's a significant backup out there who'd be significantly better.

Salvy Perez's backup is Freddy Fermin.  I don't know anything about Freddy Fermin, I'm guessing you probably don't either.  He's got a .643 OPS this season, an 84 OPS+.  He did hit well last year in 235 plate appearances, though.  He'd probably be an upgrade from McCann but is it worth the hassle to try and trade for him?  The Royals are respectable this year, why would they want to move him?  He might be viewed as Perez's eventual replacement.

Austin Barnes is hitting .200 for the Dodgers as Will Smith's backup and a .562 OPS.  His career average is .218 with a .684 OPS

Garrett Stubbs is hitting .114 as JT Realmuto's backup catcher, his career is .208 with a .597 OPS

The immortal Chadwick Tromp is the backup catcher for Little D in Atlanta.  He's hitting .194 with a .489 OPS and for his career he's hitting .215 with a .599 OPS.

Tucker Barnhart is hitting .195 with a .584 OPS for the Diamondbacks behind Gabriel Moreno.

So what in the name of Jeff Tackett are people expecting here?  The backup catcher complaining has been one of the more puzzling things on this board for a number of years.  Even if McCann was let go or traded, I don't think his replacement would be a significant upgrade...at least, not significant to stop people from complaining after they realize that McCann's replacement isn't that great, either.

Caleb Joseph taught us that backup catchers are supposed to hit a HR in five straight games!

Or wait, maybe they're supposed to go a full season without an RBI.