and that play (catchers mask in hand) was just that

but how about some concern for his well being besides the possibility of some upgraded offense?

If he needs a break let him take it. It might be good for him to relax a little.

average MLB catcher is to the pitching staff and calling a winning game, not offense. (this is one of the skewed, or lost, appreciations of catching)

back in the day, while catchers like Roy Campanella and Yogi Berra hit higher in the lineup, most catchers batted eighth before the pitcher. Many were guys with low batting averages who hit the occasional longball, but their value to the team was rated defensively.

yes, you want to have a guy who can hit, too, but the most important thing to pitchers is not how the catcher hits…Roger Clemens named the best catcher in the game for HIM: Brad Ausmus…

since Piazza and fantasy ball, offense is now primary in the minds of many, but to the guys that the game revolves around, the guys who get credit for wins and losses—the Pitchers, it’s how the catcher calls the game and assists the pitcher that counts.

It’s one of those stats that needs development, but would be hard to measure….if the number of runs a catcher saved the team by gamecalling and defense were added to his offensive numbers, the rankings would be quite different and the Ausmus’s of the world would be better paid.

I haven’t studied the Rays options in depth on that one, but it’s worth a look when we consider Navi’s replacement.

Navi’s value to the team as the primary Starting Catcher may be hard to replace in mid-season…then again, maybe one of the guys available is right for the job…..if there is no one available, then the Rays coaching staff and other players will have to adjust and compensate, which young teams might be able to do better than older ones!

sorry about the blog, but pitching and catching determine the outcome of games more than offense. the fantasy generation generally doesn’t care about THOSE stats and intangibles, because they don’t count in fantasy.