Baseball in Fort Wayne

Posts Tagged ‘Catchers’

With the Boston Red Sox seemingly parting ways with Jason Varitek, David Ross joining the Braves and having the Yankees snagging the now former Red Sox catcher, Kevin Cash, today, former Wizards catcher Goerge Kottaras is seemingly the incumbant Red Sox catcher. For now anyway.

Kottaras sports a hefty .200 batting average in 3 games and 5 at-bats at the major league level after having made his MLB debut last season. He was once a highly regarded prospect. In 2004, Kottaras played in the Olympics as first baseman and backup catcher for the Greece team. He collected three hits to help the team come from behind and defeat Italy 11-7. It was the team’s first and only win.

The following year, he did well at High-A, batting .303 before his promotion to Double-A Mobile. He was traded to the Boston Red Sox in September of 2006 to complete an Aug 31 trade for David Wells. That year, Kottaras was a Futures Game selection. During the game, he slugged a two run homer off Phillip Hughes and also collected an RBI off of Homer Bailey.

Yet, since that time, his average has been pretty much on the decline. Having spent two seasons at Triple-A Pawtucket, he got his chance very late in the 2008 season as a September callup, but the bench was pretty much full of backup catchers at that point and there was no sure thing he’d see any MLB action. Fortunately he did, and perhaps he was able to make a good impression on Francona and others.

But one has to suspect that the Red Sox will sign a catcher before (or two) before Spring Training. I’ve speculated in the past that they might try to pry away one of Texas’s young catchers, and latest word I have heard says that they were recently scouting Jarrod Saltalamacchia. There are a few catchers on the free agent market still, including two former Wizards, Jarvier Valentin and Chad Moeller (whom I thought was on his way to Baltimore). Might they take a chance on Ivan Rodriguez?

See Also: Wizards Where R They? George Kottaras

Photo by Chad Gramling

Luke Carlin looks to be the first former Wizard to make his Major League Debut in 2008. He was called up yesterday, while another former Wizards catcher, Colt Morton was sent down to Double-A San Antonio after having been sorely misused during his stay on the roster.

“I got a little nervous,” said Carlin, who until Friday was a backup catcher for the Triple-A Beavers. “The last time I got called in the office, I was released (from Detroit in 2003).”

The 27-year-old, switch hitting Carlin was hitting .387 with 3 home runs and 11 RBI’s in 11 games for Portland. While with Fort Wayne in 2003 and 2004, Carlin appeared in 44 games and had 144 at-bats. He scored 12 runs on 33 hits with 15 bases on balls. If Black actually puts him in a game, Carlin will become the 63rd Former Fort Wayne Wizards player to debut in Major League Baseball.

The New York Yankees saw their primary backup catcher, Jose Molina injure his left hamstring during last night’s game. Molina had been filling in for starting catcher, Jorge Posada who is dealing with injury woes of his own. The two injuries could land a call-up for former Wizards catcher, Chad Moeller.

Molina had to come out of the game in the eighth inning for pinch-runner Wilson Betemit as the Yanks’ tried to mount a rally against the rival Boston Red Sox.

The Yankees will make a roster move to bring in another catcher for Monday’s game at Tampa Bay — likely Triple-A backstop Chad Moeller — but have not yet decided if Molina will need to go on the 15-day disabled list [Souorce: MLB.com].

Moeller, 33, was the subject of a handful of similar stories this spring that praised him as the classic veteran catcher who is content to fill the desired role.

Moeller has been in this situation before. He’s not going to be a starter in New York, but the Yankees want him around to fill in if need be . . . It means I’ve been doing it a while,” Moeller said. “For me it’s a good thing. It means they haven’t told me to go home yet. Situations are always out there and you have to find the one that fits. This one, it seems to fit so far. I don’t know how it’s going to play out and I don’t have to. I don’t know where I’ll be at the end of the season . . . you just don’t know where you’re going to be and you just go out and try to do the best you can.” [source: The Citizens Voice]

Moeller, the eight-year major league veteran has a .224 career average, but a .282 average in the minors.

Moeller was selected by Minnesota Twins in the 7th Round (187 overall) of the 1996 draft. While in Fort Wayne during the Wizards 1997 season, the backstop hit .289 with a .386 on base percentage. He scored 58 runs with 111 hits in 384 at-bats. He also had 9 home runs and 39 runs batted in while swiping 11 bases and drawing 48 walks.

He’s spent time in the big leagues every year since his debut in 2000, including time with the Dodgers and Reds last season. He has also been on the Major League roster of the Diamondbacks and Brewers.

UPDATE: As expected, the Yankees called up Moeller, who was inserted in the Yankees’ lineup on Monday, making his New York Yankees debut. “I just never know,” Moeller said. “I just thank the Lord every day that I get to do something I enjoy and as long as he wants me to keep doing it, I’m just going to keep going. When my body says stop, it’ll probably be a clear answer.” In four at-bats, he had a hit, a run and two strike-outs.