Of Abalone Shells, Backup First basemen and Adam Melhuse

Regarding a right-handed first baseman, there's always Julio Franco; you might get him cheap; he can mentor the younger players; and be a crowd favorite; I bet he still has a .265 average left and is great off the bench... Viva la Julio Franco....

From the previous thread and as one of the seis, I can assure you all that there is no joy in seeing guys pull up injured. You're right in the previous thread, sean - many, if not most of the young guys do still need time before coming up.

That's just one of the risks we've taken with the '1 year veteran' contracts in the name of filling out the roster and trying to be somewhat competitive in 2008. The bad news is the guys getting hurt aren't the '1 year vets' that I was more concerned about. Having multiple injuries will unfortunately require the team to repeat previous years' need to shuttle guys back and forth from the minors to Arlington and prevent them from consistent work at their appropriate level. That to me is what is most disappointing about the start.

It is still early, though.

What's ABSOLUTELY baffling and troubling to me is why Gerald Laird isn't just crowned "The Catcher", and let young stud, switch-hitting power hitting Salty to man firstbase, and with tutelage from a Steve Smith-type coach, learn all the rudiments of the position, a la Texiera, who became a top-flight first basemen defensively (a former third basemen moved to first). I think he'd be a lock there for years to come. We know he was the jewel of the Atlanta Braves farm system....PLUS, my main point, is that Gerald Laird bunts, moves runners over, throws runners out like Pudge did, keeps runners honest at first by throwing behind them, he steals bases himself, he takes the extra base, and before our "genius" manager told Gerald before last season to "not worry about his hitting," and Gerald had a subpar year offensively; heretofore he was a very accomplished hitter and won the job outright from Rod Barajas only to go down with an injury early in the season. It's obvious he can (and will) hit, and he can do so many things too, like catch and call pitches, and now we are putting a classic switch-hitting, power-hitting first basemen in the mix to compete with Gerald. THIS IS STUPID folks. Oh, well....Not much this "braintrust" has done on the MAJOR LEAGUE level, has made much sense to me.

And the beat goes on.....Gerald should be starting catcher and Salty should solve our first base "problem."--in my most humble opinion.

I agree with Bingo. Salty should be the solution to the first base problem.

I was really hoping to see Botts in the DH role today. Not Mench.

I agree bingo.....Laird should be catcher. People forget he was told to concentrate on other things last year, and the team could learn alot about bunting and moving runners from him.

Hey BrianT, I wasn't trying to come across as saying the rebuilders are rejoicing with the injuries so far, No one wants anyone to get hurt. Plus, we all know we'll only go as far as the rotation will take us, this year or otherwise.

As far as position players go, I'll bet we wind up trying to find spots for guys and those with options will be in OKC regardless of their ST performance. I hate to be a nay-sayer but Salty just did not look comfortable at 1B last year. Maybe the same level of coaching that Botts is getting would fix that and he would be the answer. As I in the past and Bingo just said, Tex did it so why can't Salty. I do think there is a bit buy-in that needs to happen on Salty's part and maybe this whole thing is part of his "education" so he can learn that he really doesn't want to catch.

I agree with others, one of the oldest axioms of baseball is strong defense up the middle and it starts with position #2. Laird on past performance alone should at least have the inside track if not the job outright. Teagarden on the horizon just seems to strengthen the argument that Salty needs to find another position. Maybe he becomes the "Utility DH" that can play a couple of positions if necessary. Being a switch-hitter someond like that is taylor-made for this team.

Of those scenarios I'd rather see Laird traded. Hopefully there's a market for him late in the spring. I don't think he'll take well to being relegated to a back up role. Melhuse seems more likely to be a better resource for Saltalamacchia as a mentor type who isn't going to upset the locker room when he only plays once a week.

Salty appears to have the kind of bat that could make him an All-Star at catcher while Teagarden struck out 39 times in 102 at bats and only caught 14 games at AA. I'd rather see Teagarden catch everyday in the minors and do something offensively at AAA before moving Salty away from the catcher position. It may be an issue to revisit in a few months, but I don't see any urgency to move him right now.

Exactly, hefe.

Laird's biggest limitation is his inabilty to hit RHP well. He is a career .221 hitter with a 616 OPS against right-handed pitching. That's why he was exposed last year going full time, because about 75% of AL starters are right-handed.

The only way Gerald will ever perform like he did in 2006 again is if he can be protected against RHP like his was in '06. And since Salty is a switch hitter, there's really no need for a catcher who is limited to duty against LHP on this ballclub.

Yet for some mysterious reason, Laird has "the inside track" now on the catchers job over Salty, a younger player with a much higher ceiling. And it doesn't make much sense, because it goes against our rebuilding plan. We need to find out what Salty can do now, before we're forced to make a decision between him and Teagarden - trying to beat the dead horse and resurrect Laird doesn't help that cause at all. We've got to find a way to get rid of him, instead of caving into his whining about playing time.

To the last two comments: I don't fully understand the comments at all concerning Gerald Laird having a "ceiling." Every player has a "ceiling." Some claimed Sammy Sosa couldn't hit righties....seems strange, since, cumulatively against both lefties AND righties, in just 2/3 of a season, that he still hit 21 HR's and drove in 92. What might he have hit pray tell if he hadn't been benched for Mr. No-Glove, No-Hit Jason Botts? Same goes with Gerald Laird. He beat out Rod Barajas primarily for hitting, a couple of years back, and due to our "GENIUS" Manager who told him to not worry about his offense, just worry about your defense...and that's what happened. So what if Gerald doesn't hit righties as good as lefties. Ichiro doesn't hit lefties as well as righties either, so what's the argument exactly? Laird can catch circles and ovals around anyone else--he handles pitchers well, he calls a good game, the pitchers like him, he throws behind runners at first to keep them close, he throws runners out at second at a very, very good clip, he steals bases, he takes the extra base, he bunts, he sacrifices--what more must a guy to do? On the Major League level, besides Gerald, we aren't blessed at the Catcher spot, besides Teagarden who isn't ready....it is ridiculous to want to trade away (or with our less-than-stellar Management "brain-trust," give him away). Salty is a power guy, a switch-hitter, and with some competent fielding teacher, can give Salty what he needs to be a real stud at first base for several years. Salty should play first, and a competent Catcher like Gerald Laird should catch.

One more point: Jason Kendall couldn't hit a homerun to save his life, BUT, he is a sterling catcher who plays excellent defense and is gritty. He can't throw anywhere near what Gerald Laird can, but Kendall, too, has a "ceiling." My point is simply, that every player has a ceiling. And point two mirrors what Sean said above, that being strong up the middle is key, and Laird is amongst the Major League's best. So WHY ON EARTH would y'all want to trade him? Do we want every single position to be in flux and every single position to be filled by a Free Agent re-tread who bides time until youth arrives? By the way, youth is ALWAYS "around the corner", so to speak, and I don't trust every position, and especially a key position like Catcher, to some "prospect" who might be ready in a couple of years. We will always be in R-E-B-U-I-L-D mode if we can't keep players who are proven, competent and who we can build around....and catcher is one of the cornerstones to build around. Thus, I cannot understand those who want to trade Gerald and hope for the best that someone might come up on the horizon to play that key position. I would like some decisions on the MAJOR LEAGUE level to be as competent as those recently on the minor league level. Trading away valuable commodities constantly, either because Liverpool Tom is too cheap to be believed and not pay our established players OR through genuine ineptitude in making decisions on the MAJOR LEAGUE level.

To the last two comments: I don't fully understand the comments at all concerning Gerald Laird having a "ceiling." Every player has a "ceiling." Some claimed Sammy Sosa couldn't hit righties....seems strange, since, cumulatively against both lefties AND righties, in just 2/3 of a season, that he still hit 21 HR's and drove in 92. What might he have hit pray tell if he hadn't been benched for Mr. No-Glove, No-Hit Jason Botts? Same goes with Gerald Laird. He beat out Rod Barajas primarily for hitting, a couple of years back, and due to our "GENIUS" Manager who told him to not worry about his offense, just worry about your defense...and that's what happened. So what if Gerald doesn't hit righties as good as lefties. Ichiro doesn't hit lefties as well as righties either, so what's the argument exactly? Laird can catch circles and ovals around anyone else--he handles pitchers well, he calls a good game, the pitchers like him, he throws behind runners at first to keep them close, he throws runners out at second at a very, very good clip, he steals bases, he takes the extra base, he bunts, he sacrifices--what more must a guy to do? On the Major League level, besides Gerald, we aren't blessed at the Catcher spot, besides Teagarden who isn't ready....it is ridiculous to want to trade away (or with our less-than-stellar Management "brain-trust," give him away). Salty is a power guy, a switch-hitter, and with some competent fielding teacher, can give Salty what he needs to be a real stud at first base for several years. Salty should play first, and a competent Catcher like Gerald Laird should catch.

One more point: Jason Kendall couldn't hit a homerun to save his life, BUT, he is a sterling catcher who plays excellent defense and is gritty. He can't throw anywhere near what Gerald Laird can, but Kendall, too, has a "ceiling." My point is simply, that every player has a ceiling. And point two mirrors what Sean said above, that being strong up the middle is key, and Laird is amongst the Major League's best. So WHY ON EARTH would y'all want to trade him? Do we want every single position to be in flux and every single position to be filled by a Free Agent re-tread who bides time until youth arrives? By the way, youth is ALWAYS "around the corner", so to speak, and I don't trust every position, and especially a key position like Catcher, to some "prospect" who might be ready in a couple of years. We will always be in R-E-B-U-I-L-D mode if we can't keep players who are proven, competent and who we can build around....and catcher is one of the cornerstones to build around. Thus, I cannot understand those who want to trade Gerald and hope for the best that someone might come up on the horizon to play that key position. I would like some decisions on the MAJOR LEAGUE level to be as competent as those recently on the minor league level. Trading away valuable commodities constantly, either because Liverpool Tom is too cheap to be believed and not pay our established players OR through genuine ineptitude in making decisions on the MAJOR LEAGUE level.

Posted by: bingosinatra@yahoo.com | February 28, 2008 12:12 AM

P.S...sorry guys and gals, I hit "POST" twice. My bad.

everbody forgets who will be the stating first base in 2009 and that would be chris davis so trade laird and let salty catch.just think of the 2,3,4 hitters in 2009 hamilton,davis ,salty oh boy

I know you weren't sean. Didn't mean to imply that I thought you did.

I'm with hefe and lonestar on Salty. I support giving him the opportunity to contribute at C.

Bingo makes a strong point, and I support his position when the replacement of a veteran with youth is a marginal upgrade. A recent example would be the 'Byrd to the Cubs for Murton' deal - we get younger, but the improvement is marginal, so getting younger doesn't improve us much (in fact it pushes competitiveness even further out in the future). Of course, my theory on this topic relies on scouting, which can be subjective. That seems to be where the differences of opinion begin.

In this case I believe that the potential to upgrade the C position is significant enough to bring Salty in to catch. I would like to see Salty catch close to full time, and Laird should get an opportunity somewhere else. I continue to support packaging him and a couple of our extra relievers for an OF prospect +. (If he went to Toronto he could pair up with Barajas in the platoon that was pretty succesful a couple years back as was noted above)

I respect what Laird has done here, but we're rebuilding now.

OK I admit to being old school - good baseball teams have catchers that know how to call a game and intimidate base runners. If they can hit as well that's great but it is not primary. I recall when the Rangers brought Pudge in as catcher they didn't know whether he could hit major league pitching but they knew for sure he could catch.

Perhaps Salty will be a good major league catcher, however, he currently isn't. Runners have stolen 37 bases in the 47 games where he has caught for the Braves and Rangers. Since he prefers catching to playing first base where he would be better prepared to contribute as a power hitter then he needs to learn to catch in the minor leagues.

Laird is a good catcher and the Rangers need to keep him. He caught 39 runners trying to steal in 2007. Only two other catchers in the ML had higher totals.

Gerald Laird is good at throwing out potential base stealers and limiting the opposition’s running game, but he also made 12 errors last year, second most among AL catchers and tied for fourth highest in the majors, so let’s not act like he’s some Gold Glover back there.

There’s a lot more to catching than throwing out base runners and if it’s true when Bingo says that “he handles pitchers well, he calls a good game, the pitchers like him,” then why is everything I read about his handling of pitchers make it seem like an area that needs improvement instead of an area of strength? That was Washington’s whole issue with him last spring. He wanted Laird to work on his in-game handling of the pitching staff and to get better at framing pitches. In the minds of some, including Laird himself, that absolves him of any offensive responsibility outside of that of a NL pitcher.

If the pitching staff have been raving about how much they love working with Gerald then I’ve missed it.

Since we seem to be focusing on the catching position, I want to throw some things out. I have done a bit of that at various levels but all amateur. I will not pretend to know what MLB catching is all about but I know what foul balls feel like.

Laird may have commited 12 errors last year but he also led the league in assists (25 more than Pudge BTW), 2nd in double plays from a catcher. I watch virtually every game and most of his errors are throwing. The guy on the bag has to help you out too.

Another BTW -- Salty committed 9 errors at 1B in 24 games and 2 while catching in 22 games. Not a knock on the guy, he's young and hasn't had the time in the minors that some have had. This just screams get him some coaching.

Bottom line is, on this team, with this roster, Laird makes more sense behind the plate right now. Salty as an offensive talent needs to find a position less taxing on the body so he can contribute at a high level for a longer period.

But as someone pointed out earlier, it is still very early in ST and who knows. A hot spring by Laird and an injury on another team and his stock rises significantly. No one has broke camp, no cuts have been made, so we just need to see how it plays out. I'll be out there in March so I'll get a first hand look.

If the pitching staff has been raving about how much they dislike working with Gerald then I’ve missed it.