Huh. That was a longer break than I thought. Thanks for the kind words in the comments. Yes, I'm not as motivated to post as I have been in the past, but rest assured I won't end the blog with a ghosting. First I'll try a couple new things if I really can't keep up what I've done in the past. Then I'll let you know if that ain't working for me.
Speaking of what I've done in the past - Off-season position reviews.
The Nats catcher situation was bad. Having your catchers hit .227 / .270 / .323 with at best mediocre defense is pretty terrible. Hopes that Keibert was a victim of past injuries and his solid start was the "real" Ruiz were dashed on the rocks of the rest of the season. A Ruiz concussion mid-season forced more time for Riley Adams, who actually played more games at the position than anyone, but he lost his pop making him a worse hitter than Ruiz. After the All-Star break, Drew Millas starting playing about every 3rd game and did pretty well but broke a finger at the end of August and was done for the season
Presumed Plan :
I'm not sure it's clear. If I were to guess I would say they are eyeing playing Drew Millas a lot more, even possibly letting him have a limited starting role (think 120 games) and jettisoning of one of Ruiz/Adams, likely Adams. It's possible that the one that stays behind doesn't even start the season in the majors and instead the Nats bring up a seasoned C to back-up/mentor Millas.
Reasoning behind Presumed Plan :
The plan for catcher that seemed so sure in 2021 has gone off the rails. Ruiz, who was solid all-around around that time, has regressed in all facets of the game. He simply cannot be assumed to have a starting position anymore. Adams, who was seen as a reasonable back-up, adding the punch that Ruiz never had, has lost that punch. While he's held his skills behind the plate, those were never good in the first place. At 30 mid-season next year you can't be thinking there's a renaissance happening.
So Millas wins the position by default. He did well in a brief audition. He's at a make it or break it age on if he'll ever be worth something to this team. The Nats have plenty of other issues to deal with that if they have an internal option they are likely to go with it. He's a solid defender with a good eye and looking at baseball in general they could do a lot worse that having a guy like that behind the plate as long as he can hit in the mid .200s.
As for the back-up idea. I think Ruiz/Adams serving as back-up does nothing for them or the team. You want Ruiz to figure out his issues, if that's possible, so that means playing time. He should be in the minors. However, his contract might keep him up with the team. If not, a guy like Luke Maile - very solid defender for many years, could fit in well giving Millas the best chance to succeed.
My Take :
Ruiz looks like toast and the Nats can't spend anymore serious major league time hoping he gets it. And him as a back-up - bad hitter, bad defender - makes zero sense. So a test of the new regime will be where Ruiz ends up. If his contract keeps him in DC that's a strike against them. I definitely prefer a veteran here - the type of vet Ruiz didn't really have himself with Adams serving as primary back-up for the past 3 years.
Adams should be gone. It's that simple. Without the power I'm not sure what he offers other than a warm body. He had a good long trial here. It didn't work out.
While I think Ruiz will have a chance to earn a spot - I also think Millas is simply better and unless he shows he's not recovered from his injury he should have the role. That is unless the team spends money or trades for something here but I doubt that.
7 comments:
Welcome Back. I check in every day!
YAY !!!! Harper is back ... doing the Snoopy Happy Dance !!!!
Despite your unhealthy attachment to the Yankees, Harper, you are loved and appreciated.
Very glad to see you back, Harper! This blog is one of the best parts of the internet. I hope the hiatus was just a combination of the team being kind of dull and you being good kinds of busy, and not anything more worrying than that.
Re the catchers -
I think the main problem, just like last year, is that neither Adams or Ruiz can be optioned. And the depth in the system behind those two and Millas is unplayable. We saw Stubbs for 1 game and then they brought in Alfaro, who was of course terrible. That's how bad the depth is. Loma is the prospect furthest along, and he needs at least another half season in the minors and would probably benefit from 1.5 or even 2. If Loma were closer, or if we had a better AAAA player to step in as C3, I think the team would find it much easier to move on from Ruiz or Adams or both.
That said, I think both those guys have a pretty good chance of going unclaimed and neither has the 5 years of service needed to reject an outright assignment to Rochester. So I too was expecting to see Adams cut, but I thought they'd include him with the main batch earlier this month. Maybe they want to settle his arb1 salary and then pass him through waivers. Or maybe they're waiting for Ruiz to show he's completely through his the conclusion issues. I don't know.
I do like the idea of giving Millas C1. He's not great, but just having his framing be average or slightly above is huge improvement. And I think I recall that he had pretty good stats with the challenge system in AAA, which will be an added wrinkle next year. Bringing in a veteran backup would be lovely, but I'm not quite as out as you are on Ruiz filling that role. Backup catchers get plenty of ABs, so if Ruiz is going to figure anything out, that's a good a platform as any for him to try. I'd be pleasantly surprised if the team brings in someone better, but I expect a Millas / Ruiz combo. (And I'm at least a little worried we'll see Ruiz/Adams one more time. The logic of "Millas has options. We need at least 3 catchers. And Millas isn't an all star or anything, so let's keep him in AAA and delay any irreversible decisions." doesn't sound very compelling to me, but I can imagine it landing as shrewd realpolitik to a certain brand of FO executive.)
good to have you around Harper! I pretty much agree with your take on this. I really don't see Adams on the team this year and Ruiz has been awful. My guess is Adams get DFA'd. Millas seems like the best they have, maybe there's a catcher that comes in a trade either 40 man roster crunch or a bigger get in a Gore trade.
At this point, it's a sunk cost with Ruiz. I agree with SMS that both Adams and Ruiz should be DFA'd and if they don't make it through waivers, so be it. Give Millas the starting job and sign someone like Diaz or Caratini to be the veteran backup that you expect to still get ~40% of the ABs
The information I see is that Ruiz can be sent to AAA. All he needs to do is to clear waivers, which is automatic since no one will take his contract. Then he continues to earn his monstrous salary in the minors. Or he could work out some sort of financial settlement and take his talents elsewhere.
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