Sep 01 2009
Catching wins championships…
If Baseball is 90% pitching, surely the catcher represents 40% of that equation; therefore the catcher is likely the single most important position on the team. As part of the pitching battery, the catcher has to work with all twelve different pitchers on a club. The catcher has to know all of the varied capabilities of each hurler, factor in the opposing teams batter tendencies, set a precise if subtle target, all in the heat of battle. In the playoffs, given the choice of playing Ortiz versus Varitek (with Victor Martinez as DH), this blog says Varitek should play and Ortiz sit. They both have roughly the same batting average, and Ortiz has hit eight more home runs on the season, but Big Papi plays no defense, and as they say, defense-and more particularly pitching, and most specifically catching- wins championships!
Listen to the Ghost of Johnny Most discuss the Celt's 2008 Season
