Can we put a fork into the whole idea of veteran catchers automatically being able to “call good games” simply by virtue of the fact that they’re old? I didn’t see DiFelice’s start on the day that he caught E-Jax, when he supposedly did a good job, but I haven’t seen any magical improvement in our starters since during the games that I've seen. I’m not saying that he isn’t decent at "calling games", but having a 38 year old behind the plate isn’t automatically an asset, and just because you're a veteran doesn’t mean your presence automatically makes everyone else better. There are veterans who contribute positively to the clubhouse and are assets to the team, and DiFelice may well be one of them, but I’m sick of hearing every off-season that the team needs to get more "veteran presence". That term, as it is used generally, is ridiculous. Not every single damn old guy can be an asset just because they’re old.

I personally see no difference in “veteran presence” when the team starts Riggans behind the plate, and he might actually work better with pitchers since he’s been in the organization for so long and worked with a lot of them before. Again, for as highly as I think of Riggans in that regard, one shouldn’t be kept over the other solely because of how much better they supposedly make their battery mates. IMO, Riggans should be kept around when Navarro returns because he is younger, and thus has more to potentially offer the team in the coming years. He should also stick because he’s better defensively, and probably on offense too. DiFelice is a known quantity whose current level of production won’t be sustained. He’s a good guy to have in the organization, but now is Riggans' time. He's waited so long to get an opportunity to stick in the major leagues, and now that he's finally healthy he should be given that chance.