Yankees Catching is a Mess

This article is being syndicated by the Yankee blog (Yankees Fans Unite) The article was written by Jamie Fisher. You can visit Yankees Fans Unite by clicking this link: http://yankeesfansunite.com/

Joe Girardi has made it clear that he prefers a defensive-first catcher.  Offensive backstop Jorge Posada was switched to DH and shown the door and Jesus Montero was never given a chance and traded before the season. Even the backup catcher of the last three years, Francisco Cervelli was replaced this ST because of his defensive shortcomings.  What we are left with is a tandem of Russell Martin and Chris Stewart that has been one of the worst units in the American League.

Yankee catchers are in the bottom three in the AL in every offensive category combining to hit .204/.296/.340/.635. Both Stewart and Martin have been positively rotten at the plate. Martin has a 72 OPS+ (100 is MLB average) and is hitting .178 for the season with a .297 OBP and .347 SLG%.  Stewart has a respectable .270 BA but his OBP is even worse than Martin’s (.295) and has only 3 extra base hits for a .311 SLG% and atrocious 63 OPS+. Only Tampa Bay has worse hitting catchers in the A.L.

But the offense might be bearable if they were getting great defense but that has not been the case lately. Martin has allowed more Stolen Bases (39 in 51 attempts) than every A.L. catcher except noodle-armed Jarod Saltamachia and Stewart has allowed 10 of 14 to steal.  Stewart was brought on for his defense yet has made 4 errors and had 5 Passed Balls in 197 innings caught.  Compare that to Martin’s 4 errors and 4 PBs in 525 innings and it’s clear Stewart has not been good defensively.

Martin’s season has been atrocious all year but he was hitting better in late May-early June when he hit .343 with 4 HRs over an 11-game period that raised his season OPS to .781.  It seemed Martin had found his stroke and was ready to build on that.  But shortly after that he injured his back in a collision at the plate and it’s clearly hindering him.  He sat out several games but it obviously wasn’t enough because he has not had a hit in his last 27 ABs and has just 3 hits in his last 44 ABs.  He’s also not playing good defense.  Tampa bay clearly identified him as a weaknes and set out to exploit him.  In Game 2 they stole 5 of 5 bases against him including a Little League steal of home.  he also dropped the ball on a play at the plate and threw a ball into CF for 2 errors.  In the final game they stole 3 more bases including one instance when Ben Zobrist got such a bad jump off the pitcher that Martin froze and didn’t know if he should throw the ball to 1st or 2nd but did nothing and Zobrist strolled into 2nd.

I don’t think there is a better Catcher on the market for Cashman to acquire right now.  However, it is clear that Martin is not himself right now and he is a detriment to the team.  Whether it’s his bad back causing this, general mid-season fatigue or if he’s starting to let his offensive troubles hinder his defense – it’s clear Martin needs a break.  I believe they need to either DL Martin or just sit him for a while.  Call up Cervelli from Triple A to give Martin a rest and see if Cervelli can spark something.  He’s only hitting .248 in AAA but his energy can provide a jolt and pitchers always like throwing to him.  In his 3 years with the Yanks, he’s hit a solid .272 with a .338 OBP% and 84 OPS+.  Not great offensive #s but better than what the team is getting now and Cisco has always had a knack for getting the big hit.  He’s hit .315 with a .376 OBP with RISP and a remarkable .450 with the bases loaded.

At this point can Cervelli be worse than what the team has now?  And if Martin isn’t 100%, let’s give him the time he needs to heal since he’s definitely capable of being a solid catcher offensively & defensively if he’s healthy.  Right now, I’m just glad he turned Cashman down this Spring when he offered a 3 year deal. Is there any Catcher on the market that can even help? Carlos Ruiz is awesome but why would Philly trade him? What do you think? Should Cash make a trade for a catcher, go with Cervelli for a while or ride it out?