2025 Prospects Thread

[Donn Beach]

Can you have 2 catchers that split time between DH and C? That is a very good problem to have. Give Ford 2 pitchers and Raleigh the other 3, and have them both hit every day. Use Garver as a 3rd catcher for the rest of the year for emergency, you are paying him anyways, although it’s not a big deal to give up the DH when the alternative is Garver hitting…

Again, Raleigh could be having the greatest season for a catcher ever, you're going to make him split time with a rookie?

No, I’m going to make sure he’s in the lineup every fucking day and makes it through the season by having him split his time between C and DH which is what he’s already doing. Do you prefer that it’s Garver he’s that with instead of a rookie? If you weren’t so busy trying to be contrarian you might understand what was actually said.

Cal doesn't seem very comfortable dhing this season. We are getting incredible production out of him as things are, I'd leave it alone. Questioning your ideas does not make someone a contraian.
Hitting as a catcher .293 /.416/ .725 1.140/ 219wRC+
Hitting as a dh..........125/ .204 /.271/ .475/ 14wRC+

[Juliooooo]

Again, Raleigh could be having the greatest season for a catcher ever, you're going to make him split time with a rookie?

No, I’m going to make sure he’s in the lineup every fucking day and makes it through the season by having him split his time between C and DH which is what he’s already doing. Do you prefer that it’s Garver he’s that with instead of a rookie? If you weren’t so busy trying to be contrarian you might understand what was actually said.

Yeah, if I'm understanding you correctly, you want to increase Cal's at bats as a dh, sounds like a plan to me
Hitting as catcher .293 /.416/ .725 1.140/ 219wRC+
Hitting as dh...........125/ .204 /.271/ .475/14wRC+

Small sample. He’ll be fine as a DH. Let’s put him in the bench every day and just have him pinch hit instead. He’sa 2.000 OPS as a pinch hitter.

[Donn Beach]

Sure it's a small sample size, so let's test it by making it larger. Cal is in position to put together one of the greatest single seasons ever as a catcher but let's not care about that, Cal's legacy. You want to bring Ford up, okay, I just don't see messing with Cal as the way to do it. Cal is dialed in, leave it alone

[Juliooooo]

Sure it's a small sample size, so let's test it by making it larger. Cal is in position to put together one of the greatest single seasons ever as a catcher but let's not care about that, Cal's legacy. You want to bring Ford up, okay, I just don't see messing with Cal as the way to do it. Cal is dialed in, leave it alone

He is already playing some at DH anyways. Would you have preferred he sat in the bench last night because he’s not hitting as well at DH? You are basically saying you prefer Garver stay there and have Polonco at DH than bring Ford on and give him a chance. Pure brilliance on your part. Let’s stick with that.

The whole fucking point is there is a way to have them both here and both in the lineup, and since you are already paying Garver, just put him on the bench as emergency catcher.

[Donn Beach]

Yeah he is dhing some at this point, i'm assuming that's to give him some rest from catching. I didn't say a thing about preferring polanco or Garver. But at this point Cal is baseballs most valuable catcher, that's where his value is.

Raleigh is on pace for a 9.6 WAR season, which would be one of the best catching seasons by WAR all time. Only three catchers in MLB history have produced at least 9 WAR in a single season: Buster Posey in 2012 (9.8), Bench in 1972 (9.2) and Piazza in 1997 (9.1).

Taking starts from him as a catcher reduces that value. I don't understand reducing Cal's value in order to bring up a prospect that very likely won't give you anymore value than Cole Young is giving you at this point which at this point -0.3 WAR. I really don't understand that, but I'm not the gifted baseball strategist that you are

[Juliooooo]

Yeah he is dhing some at this point, i'm assuming that's to give him some rest from catching. I didn't say a thing about preferring polanco or Garver. But at this point Cal is baseballs most valuable catcher, that's where his value is.

Raleigh is on pace for a 9.6 WAR season, which would be one of the best catching seasons by WAR all time. Only three catchers in MLB history have produced at least 9 WAR in a single season: Buster Posey in 2012 (9.8), Bench in 1972 (9.2) and Piazza in 1997 (9.1).

Taking starts from him as a catcher reduces that value. I don't understand reducing Cal's value in order to bring up a prospect that very likely won't give you anymore value than Cole Young is giving you at this point which at this point -0.3 WAR. I really don't understand that, but I'm not the gifted baseball strategist that you are

I brought up the idea of bringing up ford and having him and Cal both catch and DH. I also gave the idea of maybe having ford take 2 pitchers. Rather than saying you prefer to have Cal catch more than 60 % of the time (he’s been catching about 75% of the time it seems based on his current DH vs catcher numbers) you just shit in the idea entirely.

Yeah, Cole young hasn’t started hitting well yet, but that’s expected to start and have an adjustment. The alternatives are every bit as bad and don’t have the upside. At some point you have to realize the guys like Polanco and Garner just suck, and you have to give the young players a chance. When those players are hitting about .125 over the last 5 weeks, that’s as good of a time as any.

The whole point is there is a way to have ford and Cal both in the lineup, and you really aren’t losing much of he struggles at first because the alternatives (Polonco and Garver) are atrocious and it’s time to move on and give ford his chance.

The other point is you are too busy intentionally being a contrarian to understand these nuances in conversation. You can still have Cal the same amount as he is now (although I think with more time at DH his numbers would even out) and still bring ford up.

[Donn Beach]

Go ahead and get both Ford and Cal in the lineup but I question reducing Cals games catching since that's what creates his greatest value, particularly this season. Im doubtful of that creating more overall value. And just on a HR level I don't see doing that to Cal. But what do I know, maybe dipoto views it as their best option. At some point they're going to have to deal with it or trade Ford. I could see them coming up with a plan to sell Cal the beginning of next season but it's hard for me to see doing it the middle of this one with Cal on pace to be setting records as a catcher.

The other thing could be Cal falling off, selling him on the additional rest angle

[Juliooooo]

Go ahead and get both Ford and Cal in the lineup but I question reducing Cals games catching since that's what creates his greatest value, particularly this season. Im doubtful of that creating more overall value. And just on a HR level I don't see doing that to Cal. But what do I know, maybe dipoto views it as their best option. At some point they're going to have to deal with it or trade Ford. I could see them coming up with a plan to sell Cal the beginning of next season but it's hard for me to see doing it the middle of this one with Cal on pace to be setting records as a catcher.

The other thing could be Cal falling off, selling him on the additional rest angle

Bring up Ford. Let Wilson and Cal decide how many games he's catching. I think he'll do fine hitting from DH long term, and it really depends on how much of a drop of there is defensively for Ford at catcher. If there isn't then there isn't much drop off from the team if Cal can hit from DH, which I think he will.

As for Ford, he deserves his chance, and Polanco and Garver aren't doing enough to keep him from getting a chance in some capacity.

[Donn Beach]

The dodgers made a very similar move, cutting Barnes and promoting Dalton Rushing, see how he cuts into Will smiths at bats at catcher. They aren't going to be playing either of them at dh

[Juliooooo]

The dodgers made a very similar move, cutting Barnes and promoting Dalton Rushing, see how he cuts into Will smiths at bats at catcher. They aren't going to be playing either of them at dh

I guess its similar, but they have Ohtani at DH, so they will have to take AB from Smith to play Rushing and they won't be able to get Rushing AB when hes not catching, other than occasional PH.