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Three C's

Edgy MD
Dec 15 2022 03:43 PM

One of the moves I've expected this offseason is for the Mets to move one of their catchers — Nido or McCann — to clear the decks for Francisco Álvarez.



Not moving one or both of them, or bringing in another vet catcher, I figured, was a sign that Álvarez would return to Syracuse to start the season. I didn't really expect this.



But in the absence of any developments, I've thought about a third way a little bit this week. Maybe the plan is to open with three catchers, allowing Álvarez to initially split time perhaps three ways with his veteran teammates, while DHing against lefties, getting into the lineup 2/3 of the time, and hopefully more further down the road.




[TABLE][TR][/TR]

[TR][/TR][TR][TR][/TR][TR][/TR][TR][/TR][TR][/TR]
[TH]Advantages:[/TH][TH]Disadvantages:[/TH]
Lineup Strength![list]
  • [*]Álvarez available as a righty DH certainly means Les Ruf. Likely, it means far less Ruf. Isn't this really what we want?
    • [/list]    [/TD]    		[TD]Lineup Strength!
    [list]
  • [*]Three catchers means that much more of the two catchers who haven't performed with the bat. Is this really what we want?
    • [/list]
    Development!
    [list]
  • [*]Álvarez gets to find himself against major league pitching as a hitter without worrying too much until later about bearing the burden of being a #1 catcher.
    • [/list]    		Development![list]
  • [*]Playing 65-70% of the time in the big leagues is possibly less useful to his development than playing 80-90% of the time in AAA.
    • [/list]
    [TD]Depth!
    [list]
  • [*]Little reason to ever fear running out of catchers.
    • [/list]    [/TD]    		[TD]Depth![list]
  • [*]One less infielder or outfielder on the roster.
    • [/list]    [/TD]
    [TD]Maneuverability!
    [list]
  • [*]Little reason to not pinch-run or pinch-hit for a catcher when the situation calls for it.
    • [/list]    [/TD]    		[TD]Maneuverability!
    [list]
  • [*]Three catchers hurts that team speed. I mean, great, you can pinch-run for a catcher, except with whom, when your bench is loaded with catchers?
    • [/list]    [/TD]
    [TD]That old team chemistry!
    [list]
  • [*]As their roles diminish, McCann and Nido continue to find meaning in mentorship opportunities. And Álvarez, delighting in the generosity of spirit his elders offer, learns what teaminess is all about.
    • [/list]    [/TD]    		[TD]That old team chemistry!
    [list]
  • [*]Álvarez resents sharing time with older, lesser talents, and they feel like dead men walking seeing the future overtake them.
    • [/list]    [/TD]
    [TD]Conservative but mindful deployment!
    [list]
  • [*]Álvarez gets some protection against righties, but not so much that he fails to develop.
    • [/list]    [/TD]    		[TD]Conservative but mindful deployment!
    [list]
  • [*]Being a catcher who doesn't catch that often could undercut his cahnfidence.
    • [/list]    [/TD]





    Obviously, it's just a thought that I'm taking out for a spin. More of an option than a likelihood. A lot of time for further moves remains, including probably a couple of AAAA catchers brought in to muddy the picture.

    Lefty Specialist
    Dec 15 2022 04:44 PM
    Re: Three C's

    McCann really needs to be traded to anybody for anything. Then Alvarez can split time with Nido.

    Edgy MD
    Dec 15 2022 04:49 PM
    Re: Three C's

    [YOUTUBE]qy2IyPb7X8c[/YOUTUBE]

    Johnny Lunchbucket
    Dec 15 2022 04:51 PM
    Re: Three C's

    I'm afraid McCann has crossed over to the "guy who will get booed on opening day" status. It's probably best to move him but it's also hard to break in a rookie catcher see Thole or d'Arnaud. So I can see a 3way especially if the covid era 28 man roster till may whatever lasts.

    G-Fafif
    Dec 15 2022 07:00 PM
    Re: Three C's

    Fourth C has signed:



    https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/narvaom01.shtml

    G-Fafif
    Dec 15 2022 07:01 PM
    Re: Three C's

    [tweet]https://twitter.com/anthonydicomo/status/1603569102735511553[/tweet]

    Edgy MD
    Dec 15 2022 07:17 PM
    Re: Three C's

    Interesting move. It certainly reads like the end of the (7) line for McCann. Wasn't expecting a new guy on an MLB deal, but getting one for a year is a good hedge.



    Narváez is kinda in the Álvarez mold. Medium size but really broad across. Not as meaty as Francisco, but kinda. Both are Venezuelan as well.



    Narvy is good when he's good, but stinky when he's stinky. Last year he was stinky, so cross your fingers.

    nymr83
    Dec 15 2022 08:07 PM
    Re: Three C's

    If the plan is to get Alvarez ABs as the righty handed DH, you need to carry a third catcher. I'm fairly sure the rule that you lose your DH if you move him to another position is still in effect, so you can't carry 2 catchers and use him at DH.



    Right now, 3 catchers would be my plan as I think Alvarez is the best RH DH option in the organization. He probably doesnt catch very often though in that alignment, because that would leave the Mets with 2 offensive black holes on their bench that day (Plus Vogelbach who is terrible against lefties)

    Edgy MD
    Dec 15 2022 08:36 PM
    Re: Three C's

    It's American League rules. Benches don't really matter much anymore.



    Beyond that, benching a better hitter and starting a lesser hitter to make sure the hitting quality is high on your bench is a little backwards, isn't it?

    Fman99
    Dec 16 2022 03:01 AM
    Re: Three C's

    I honestly want to see Baty and Alvarez at 8/9 in this lineup for a few months to see what they can do. I feel like the top 7 guys (this is presuming Escobar/Vogelberg DH platooning most days - so Nimmo, Marte, Lindor, Alonso, McNeil, Canha, and EscoVogel), assuming they're all healthy and on the field, should be able to carry the offense while those two learn the ropes.

    Johnny Lunchbucket
    Dec 16 2022 05:59 AM
    Re: Three C's

    I'm sure Nararez is meant to be Alvaez's sensei. McCann can be some other team's sensei for a white catcher

    smg58
    Dec 16 2022 08:17 AM
    Re: Three C's

    I don't get this. Narvaez has had two dreadful seasons out of three, which makes the difference between him and McCann negligible. That money would make a bigger difference in the bullpen. Of course, that's assuming Cohen's pockets have a bottom...

    A Boy Named Seo
    Dec 16 2022 10:41 AM
    Re: Three C's

    Yeah, JCL's sensei idea is the only one that makes any sense? He's better than McCann, so that's good. But you can be better than McCann and still be kinda crappy, as I'm learning by looking Narváez's stats.



    A platoon of Nido and Omar features below league average splits on both sides. I'm... uh, confused.

    Edgy MD
    Dec 16 2022 12:07 PM
    Re: Three C's

    I get it. They're looking for a short-term hedge against Álvarez' development rate and a mentor for Álvarez all in one. Better options rarely come on one-year deals.



    Spend a few moments with the current alternatives — Kurt Suzuki? Sandy León? — and this deal might look a little better.

    A Boy Named Seo
    Dec 16 2022 12:38 PM
    Re: Three C's

    Edgy MD wrote:

    I get it. They're looking for a short-term hedge against Álvarez' development rate and a mentor for Álvarez all in one. Better options rarely come on one-year deals.



    Spend a few moments with the current alternatives — Kurt Suzuki? Sandy León? — and this deal might look a little better.


    Yeah, I can get with that perspective. I was clearly pining for more, but have no idea who or what that is.



    I do like that it signals a cautious approach with Alvarez. If he does supplant either or both of these guys, then great. Everything is icy blue on Navarez's baseball savant page except for pitch framing (a very red 89). Nido looks similar, except with a better pop time and an even brighter red 93 at framing. If nothing else, we should have pretty decent defense from the catchers, and if things go well, league average offense from a Navarez/Nido (and sometimes Alvarez) thruple. Outside of 4 or 5 catchers in baseball where you expect more, maybe this is enough for 2023. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    MFS62
    Dec 16 2022 12:56 PM
    Re: Three C's

    A Boy Named Seo wrote:

    Everything is icy blue on Navarez's baseball savant page except for pitch framing (a very red 89). Nido looks similar, except with a better pop time and an even brighter red 93 at framing.


    Not familiar with that scalar. Is red (or a high number) good or bad?

    Later

    A Boy Named Seo
    Dec 16 2022 01:23 PM
    Re: Three C's


    A Boy Named Seo wrote:

    Everything is icy blue on Navarez's baseball savant page except for pitch framing (a very red 89). Nido looks similar, except with a better pop time and an even brighter red 93 at framing.


    Not familiar with that scalar. Is red (or a high number) good or bad?

    Later


    Yeah, Navarez is in the 89th percentile for pitch framing and Nido the 93rd. Both very good.

    Lefty Specialist
    Dec 16 2022 02:04 PM
    Re: Three C's

    McCann shouldn't be sending out any dry cleaning at this point.