Mariners Insider
You will find news, observations, anecdotes, analysis and photographs on this blog. The purpose is to keep readers informed, but also give them a feel for the team and its players, and a place to go to read about baseball.

Contributors:

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.
E-mail Ryan.

Larry LaRue has covered the Seattle Mariners and Major League Baseball for The News Tribune since 1988. E-mail Larry.

Blogroll
Category
Calendar
July 2009
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
 << <   > >>
      1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31  
Archives
Search this Blog:
XML Feeds
What is RSS?
Misc
Who's Online?
  • MrSinister Email
  • BabyBones Email
  • smoothsayer Email
  • gregoryrobinson Email
  • artman77 Email
  • Guest Users: 670
Mariners Insider
Friday, September 19th, 2008
Now Catching For The Mariners in 2009 ...
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 04:34:52 pm

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.

Categories: General • 5 comments

COMMENTS:

kurtisballard @ 18:05 - Friday, September 19th, 2008 Email
this isn't even an issue without the contract extension. with it, we have a huge dilemma. at this point you can't cut the guy and take that big of a loss. the only option is trading him and that's impossible at this juncture. our only hope is that he can regain some form of hitting in the first month or two in 2009 and trade him then. if not, then you have a sunday catcher making 8 million a year.
ibew191 @ 20:57 - Friday, September 19th, 2008 Email
I hope his career ends in Seattle similar to how Kaz Sasaki's ended. He bows out gracefully.
Squid @ 23:49 - Friday, September 19th, 2008 Email
As much as I dislike Joh as the everyday catcher, neither do I see Clement as a major leaguer at that position. He MAY have the bat, but he plays another position. In addition to his questionable skills handling pitchers and throwing out runners, his knee injury with just light duty at the position makes his durability a huge question mark.

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.
moo @ 02:44 - Saturday, September 20th, 2008 Email
Larry, a few posts back you mentioned the M's were showcasing KJ in hopes of a trade. Does that mean that Japanese ownership is now willing to trade him?

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.
wabubba68 @ 08:06 - Monday, September 22nd, 2008 Email
Build this team around the best defense possible up the middle (C, 2B, SS, and CF).

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.

Comments are not allowed from anonymous visitors. Please login or register to comment.