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Ryan Divish has been with Tacoma News Tribune since 2006, covering the Tacoma Rainiers and high school sports. Divish played baseball at Dickinson State University and also earned a journalism degree from the University of Montana.
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Larry LaRue has covered the Seattle Mariners and Major League Baseball for The News Tribune since 1988. E-mail Larry.
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No matter who the general manager or manager is by spring training, one of the more complicated questons the Seattle Mariners face is behind the plate.
Kenji Johjima, who began the 2008 season as a 31-year-old with a career .289 big-league average, signed a three-year contract extension in April.
Jeff Clement was just beginning to make strides - at the plate and behind it - when knee surgery ended his season last month.
And then there's Jamie Burke, Rob Johnson and, not far behind, Adam Moore.Some might see that as a wealth of catching, but it's unlikely the Mariners can carry more than two next year.
Johjima and Clement are catchers, and using either as a first baseman or full time designated hitter isn't in the immediate future.
Clement's knee surgery will keep him off the field until December. The team doesn't see him as a first basemnan or DH yet, and doesn't want him to think otherwise.Similarly, Johjima is eating up the lion's share of September starts despite the presence of Johnson.
Why?"Right now, Johjim is the No. 1 catcher," Jim Riggleman said. "He's throwing runners out, and in the last six weeks he's come on at the plate and as a catcher. I think we're starting to see what this team saw his first few years."
If Joh's No. 1 going into spring, where is Clement?Can the team platoon them and get the most from either?
And if you're Burke, Johnson or Moore, is your future somewhre other than Seattle?
Not only don't the Mariners know the answers, they don't yet know who will be answering them.
COMMENTS:
Defense and handling pitchers is the #1 job of the catcher. That position can hit .180 if they are great behind the plate and the rest of the offense does its job. Jamie Burke could catch on a WS winning team.
At the time of the extension, conventional wisdom was that he was extended because of ownership. Was that untrue & it was actually all Bavasi? Or has ownership changed their mind? If so, why?
Inquiring minds want to know!
IF Lopez stays at 2nd, & IF Ibanez doesn't come back, I would suggest looking at Clement at DH, with Johnson & Burke sharing catching. I may be mistaken, but hasn't Burke hit over .270 both years with the M's? He reminds me of another Jamie, Mr Moyer.
Rob Johnson becomes the #1 catcher with Clement/Morse fighting for the 1B job. The loser at 1B, becomes the full-time DH. As for Johjima, he becomes the highest paid backup catcher in major league history...Burke gets traded or released...deal with Adam Moore when he is truly ready for the majors in a year or two, in the meantime it's never a bad thing to have good, young catchers in the minor league system.
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