Dioner Navarro Might Be Heading to the DL

by R.J. Anderson on Jul 11, 2009 10:12 PM EDT

tboraysRays waiting on tests to decide if Navarro to DL & Jaso up or cross fingers tmrw w/ Dillon as backup C, wait on Navi

At this point the difference between Dioner Navarro and Michel Hernandez is absurdly marginal. If you would've told me I could type those words three months ago, I would've called you silly. You never want to see injuries, especially to the head, still the fact of the matter is that Navarro simply is playing poor baseball. Joe Dillon may get in a game just yet! That or the Rays can bring up John Jaso.

Jaso can hit. .256/.340/.399 at Triple-A Durham which probably projects better at the big league level than the Rays current tandem (currently hitting .235/.262/.345) but he probably fields just as well as Dillon would behind the plate He walks, doesn't strike out much, and doesn't show a ton of power; just getting on base at a 30% clip is an upgrade at this point. Oh, and he's left-handed and hits righties better.

We'll see, either way, Michel Hernandez is your starting catcher for the final game of the first half.

Update: Lancaster checks back in and says the Rays don't foresee a DL trip for Navarro.

Tweet Comment 25 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Awful

I was at the game and couldn’t believe how ill-prepared Michel Hernandez was. Not only did he strike out too easily he allowed routine pitches to get past him allowing runners to take extra bases that turned into runs. When he did manage to find the ball he stood there with it in his hand as the A’s were pulling off a double steal.

by FiveAce on Jul 11, 2009 10:27 PM EDT reply actions

eh i'm not gonna blame michel hernandez for any of this. he came in the game in the middle of an at-bat.

by walkoffwalk on Jul 11, 2009 10:37 PM EDT up reply actions

someone else told him to pick up a ball with his catcher's mask?

So long, Sweet Lime!

by PlayOnWords on Jul 11, 2009 10:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Longo didn't cover 3rd on that double steal attempt

Maybe they play was to second though

by nolesblogger on Jul 12, 2009 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't like laziness

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

by reachin on Jul 11, 2009 11:10 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

Then why do you have your icon be Lil Wayne

Cuz he is a lazy lyric writer.

Swav or Die
For the lulz

by SRQman on Jul 11, 2009 11:16 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

He doesn't

write…

by reachin on Jul 12, 2009 12:07 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

He still sucks then

Swav or Die
For the lulz

by SRQman on Jul 12, 2009 12:10 AM EDT up reply actions

To each their own

who is considered good

by reachin on Jul 12, 2009 1:55 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Lupe, Talib, Common, etc.

by nolesblogger on Jul 12, 2009 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Common's Like Water For Chocolate was the bomb

So much jazziness

SOSH AUCTION to K ALS

by Sandy Kazmir on Jul 12, 2009 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions

6th Sense is sick

I like all his albums, though Electric Circus and UMC aren’t as good as the others

by nolesblogger on Jul 12, 2009 1:56 PM EDT up reply actions

I know Navi has been playing terrible baseball,

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

by plasticman on Jul 12, 2009 12:59 AM EDT reply actions

Whine more. Please.

That seems to be the only thing you do on here.

by R.J. Anderson on Jul 12, 2009 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions

My comment was a reminder to remember the person involved here.

If that can only be whining your mind, so be it.

by plasticman on Jul 12, 2009 1:11 PM EDT up reply actions

He didn't get hit in the throat or anything. He got his bell rung.

Into the Wall : Sarcasm for the Soccer Guy

by ReasonableDoubt on Jul 12, 2009 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions

It looked very bad when it happened and Navi at minimum got a standing eight count...

If the jaw isn’t broken it will be great news, but still will take some time to recover. Concussed catchers are not very effective, so Jaso/Michel might be better for awhile.

by Doyouseeit? on Jul 12, 2009 1:05 AM EDT reply actions

Head injuries = play it safe

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

Swav or Die
For the lulz

by SRQman on Jul 12, 2009 1:14 AM EDT reply actions

GameCalling: the primary value of the

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.

"You came into my life, you came into my heart, you came into my family"

by bgfour on Jul 12, 2009 8:25 AM EDT reply actions