Should Mike Rivera catch Manny Parra?
by Kyle Lobner on Apr 27, 2009 2:00 PM CDT
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PrintManny Parra dropped to 0-4 yesterday, and while he managed to escape with just one earned run in five innings, he allowed eight baserunners, including three walks, and two unearned runs. Even with the semi-successful outing, Parra's ERA is still 6.52 and he's still throwing strikes just 57% of the time, including first pitch strikes to just 7 of 24 batters he faced yesterday.
Maybe it's time to try something new and shake things up a bit. What if Mike Rivera was allowed to catch Parra?
A different face behind the plate might be a welcome change of pace for Parra. Certainly, game calling ability is part of the gritty veteran stereotype placed on Kendall, but it's pretty difficult to quantify, and when a pitcher isn't really doing anything well, how much worse can it get? Best case scenario: Having a fresh perspective behind the plate gives Parra an opportunity to shake off his early struggles and begin anew. Worst case scenario: Parra is the same pitcher and the Brewers give their sub-.500 OPS catcher an extra day off.
Certainly, the Brewers would not be losing much at this point by giving Jason Kendall more time off. Kendall is hitting just .184/.276/.204 in 2009 (OPS+ of 27), and his defense, widely credited as a major source of his value in 2008, hasn't reached that level in 2009. Kendall is just 2-for-15 throwing out basestealers, down over 30% from last season and down 15% from his career average. He's also already made 3 errors, half as many as he made all of last season.
Furthermore, in a small sample size, Mike Rivera has demonstrated the ability to hit. He has just 97 plate appearances as a Brewer over the last three seasons, but has hit .299/.358/.483.
A side note: I sent a text question to the booth during yesterday's game asking what players like Brad Nelson, used to playing every day in the minors, do to stay sharp for the limited action they're seeing during the season. I should have asked what Mike Rivera does, and why everyone else in baseball isn't copying it: among hitters who consistently go a week or more between plate appearances, there's probably not a more effective hitter in baseball.
And, for whatever it's worth, when Parra threw his perfect game in AAA in 2007, Mike Rivera was his catcher.
Simply put, with Manny Parra continuing to struggle, I don't see a compelling reason not to let Mike Rivera catch Manny Parra for a couple of starts and see what happens. What do you think?
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Welcome to the Dark Side my friend
I’m in favor of anything that gets Kenall out of the lineup. So yes, Rivera gets my vote
"That's not a weird stat. Rickie is a run-scorer," Yost said. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter," Yost told reporters. "See, you guys have no concept. He's a run-scorer. So there's nothing weird about it. That's what he does."
I probably would have written this either way.
But the fact that it might keep you from climbing on my back every time Kendall screws up is a nice bonus. :-)
"The reports are that he is getting better. The definition of better is nebulous."
enjoy it
And I don’t think you get this enough, but I really appreciate all the hard work you put in here. It takes way too much time, and I know you wouldn’t do it if it weren’t for the love. So Thank you.
"That's not a weird stat. Rickie is a run-scorer," Yost said. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter," Yost told reporters. "See, you guys have no concept. He's a run-scorer. So there's nothing weird about it. That's what he does."
by Hyatt on Apr 27, 2009 3:07 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Thanks Hyatt
It’s always good to be appreciated.
"The reports are that he is getting better. The definition of better is nebulous."
Mike Rivera knows how to handle a pitching staff
and he calls a good game. Of course he should play as much as possible.
by Marty McSuperFly on Apr 27, 2009 2:33 PM CDT reply actions
It's part of my ongoing protest against these things that can't be measured
When people can’t think of anything good to say about Kendall (or any catcher), they say he calls a good game, and handles the pitching staff. Unless a guy is a complete ass, like AJ Pierzinski or Michael Barrett, teammates will say that about any starting catcher. So…..I’m just getting out ahead of the curve. If Mike Rivera were to play every day, eventually people would start talking about how well he handles the pitching staff. Since he’d likely generate more offense than Kendall, it’s possible that it wouldn’t be necessary, though.
by Marty McSuperFly on Apr 27, 2009 3:59 PM CDT up reply actions
exactly
It seems that if he’s a good guy, they say that he handles the pitching staff well. But if you are Johnny Estrada or Miguel Olivo, you don’t.
"That's not a weird stat. Rickie is a run-scorer," Yost said. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter," Yost told reporters. "See, you guys have no concept. He's a run-scorer. So there's nothing weird about it. That's what he does."
If by good, you mean white.
Probably shouldn’t get into this but I can’t help feeling that there’s something to it.
---
Juuuust a bit outside!!
http://www.rightfieldbleachers.com
I noticed you purchased his BR page.
Nice work by you.
"The reports are that he is getting better. The definition of better is nebulous."
He may be a backup
But that doesn’t mean he deserves to be an orphan
by Marty McSuperFly on Apr 27, 2009 4:00 PM CDT up reply actions
With Kendall's decline in defense and even bigger decline in offense
it wouldn’t hurt to try it for just a change of pace. But I’m gonna have to agree with with Tristarscoop and say that Manny’s lack of success is because of his lack of high socks.
High socks + Rivera = W (just ask Dave Bush)
"my goodness"
didn't he try
the tucked up pantlegs/high socks thing yesterday?
he didn’t try changing his number yet.
by PagsBrewCrew on Apr 27, 2009 2:46 PM CDT up reply actions
No
He was wearing full length pants. One of the first things that I looked for
by Saberilliterate on Apr 27, 2009 3:13 PM CDT up reply actions
My question is why was Kendall even in the game
They had played a very long game the night before and it was a Sunday early get away game common sense tells you Rivera should have been in the line up. Especially since you were going to play Nelson who has not gotten a hit yet(I know small sample) but if you are going to sit Hart you should not leave Kendall in there since he is like a second pitcher at this point.
Let me spell it for you Cub fans O N E H U N D R E D A N D O N E Y E A R S
I know Rivera isn't likely to get into a game as a pinch hitter
But if you’re sitting Kendall, Kendall is even less likely to get in than Rivera would be normally, because not only is he your only other catcher, he’s your regular that’s getting a rest.
As such, you’d want Kendall’s days off to come when all other seven regulars are playing, to maximize bench depth, not when Hart (and Hardy) already have the day off and are only available for pinch-hitting duty.
Ultimately, it doesn’t make sense to me to give more than one regular the day off at the same time, regardless of who they are, because they’re more restricted off the bench than your usual subs, in addition to being better than them.
"I didn't realize his velocity was that high," said Macha, noting that radar readings aren't flashed during exhibition games.
Co-starter
I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to Rivera being a co-starter, catching 2 or 3 games out of every 5. Obviously I’d like to see him start period but this is a good baby step.
Seriously, he can’t be any worse than Kendall has been to this point.
I *would* be surprised
Those offensive, defensive and error numbers are pretty amazingly poor. The Brewers could put in their emergency catcher and get results about as good. A trained catcher like Rivera couldn’t put up numbers any worse than Kendall. Given that he’s called 7.1 innings of no-hit ball in his most recent start, he’s no goober behind the plate, either.
There’s a reason Rivera doesn’t have a starting job, though.
Is it durability?
Is it his mind-numbingly low speed?
Is it the fact that he’s been playing way out of his mind, and is due to come back to earth?
I’m not sure, but if a team was confident in his ability to be a starting catcher, why isn’t he a starting catcher?
Inertia?
"I didn't realize his velocity was that high," said Macha, noting that radar readings aren't flashed during exhibition games.
This is my guess.
"The reports are that he is getting better. The definition of better is nebulous."
For the same reason as any back-up
It does seem a little odd, but I think it’s been more of a problem of poor timing than poor performance. The man in front of him always seems to be a decent catcher and has never really gotten a chance to showcase his skills as a starter in the big leagues. The closest he came was in 2006 when he was catching with Damian Miller (and Rivera hit .268 that year with 158 PA).
In 2005 Rivera appeared in 150 minor or independent league games, so he’s certainly capable of catching plenty of games in any given year.
One unspoken point to be made is the increase in production that Kendall will likely see over the course of the year. If the Brewers get 20 extra points in batting average from Kendall, because he’s making 100 starts instead of 130 starts, it’s a good deal.
In the end, the question is why not give him a chance?
For the same reason...
For the same reason that DiFelice is in the bullpen and Jeff Suppan isn’t washing dishes in one of his restaurants.
If Kendall’s option hadn’t been automatically picked up last year, I have no doubt that Rivera would be starting 120 games this season.
The simple fact (regardless of whether it is right or wrong) is that the payroll figure is dictating who is starting vs. who is in the reserve role. In both DiFelice and Rivera’s case.
by Saberilliterate on Apr 27, 2009 4:48 PM CDT up reply actions
As it's been pointed out before
Parra pitched a perfect game in AA ball
who was his catcher? Mike Rivera
The two apparently had some magic that game. Whether that can translate to the big leagues or not is something that has yet to be determined. But why not give it a try once or twice.
err
two corrections
mentioned in passing in the article near the end
and it was AAA, not AA
by PagsBrewCrew on Apr 27, 2009 2:47 PM CDT up reply actions
I've been thinking this for a while
With the success Rivera had with Manny in the minors, why not at least give it a shot?
Couldnt hurt
The small sample size is the aspect of this that makes it so risky.
If you expanded out with Rivera playing 40% of the time vs 20%, figure thats about 250-260 plate appearances. The last time he played that much in a season he only hit .215/.259/.431 between Nashville and Milwaukee when he had 397 plate appearances.
I just wonder if his age would hamper things as well. If he came crashing down to earth as the number might suggest with that increased amount of playing time, would he be better than Kendall if you offset the defense? Its a toss up. I think at best this idea would be a band aid.
I’m not a big fan of Salome, notwithstanding his start in AAA, he would probably be a better option offensively than Rivera would be. The other problem then is that the small market Brewers are “stuck” with a mid range contract sitting on the bench for more time than they would wish.
Hey, someone used real numbers to support my belief!
Thank you for putting in the work I was too lazy to do.
I think at best this idea would be a band aid.
Sometimes a band aid is better than bleeding all over the floor.
"The reports are that he is getting better. The definition of better is nebulous."
refraining from inappropriate joke.
you’re welcome
"That's not a weird stat. Rickie is a run-scorer," Yost said. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter," Yost told reporters. "See, you guys have no concept. He's a run-scorer. So there's nothing weird about it. That's what he does."
Grit
Perhaps Macha fears that if Kendall sits on the bench for too long all that grit will build up and becoming an unstable force capable of blowing the roof off Miller Park. Seriously though, let’s not forget their history in Oakland…
http://www.inbetweenhops.com/2009/02/macha-vs-kendall-round-2.html
"You combine the fact that they're good at everything and we're good at nothing, it's not going to be a very pretty outcome." -Ryan Braun
I’m more confident in Kendall to turn things around than I am in Rivera to keep things up, and I think playing Rivera most of the time will reveal his true identity, while robbing Kendall of the time needed to turn things around.
Either way, not a great situation for le cru.
Turn it around to what?
The sparkling .651 OPS from last year? The .610 the year before? That’s not offense. That’s offensive.
by Marty McSuperFly on Apr 27, 2009 5:21 PM CDT up reply actions
I’m of the belief that not everyone needs to contribute offensively to have a successful year. I was thinking more in terms of the defense. I don’t think we’ll be getting much consistent offense out of our catching position this year, regardless of who the starter is.
Your posts get highlighted at 2 recs instead of 3 because of affirmative action
"I didn't realize his velocity was that high," said Macha, noting that radar readings aren't flashed during exhibition games.
by battlekow on Apr 27, 2009 9:32 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
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NL Central Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. Louis
|
23 | 19 | .547 | 0 | Won 1 |
|
Cincinnati
|
22 | 19 | .536 | 0.5 | Won 3 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
20 | 22 | .476 | 3 | Won 1 |
|
Houston
|
19 | 23 | .452 | 4 | Won 1 |
|
Milwaukee
|
17 | 25 | .404 | 6 | Lost 1 |
|
Chicago
|
15 | 27 | .357 | 8 | Lost 7 |
(updated 5.22.2012 at 11:48 AM CDT)
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