First off, I know I didn’t bother to previously mention that Milo said he’s retiring after this year. He should have been tossed when Drayton took over as the only thing he really sounds enthusiastic about is his golf game, people he’s met and whatever ad he’s currently reading in the whatevereth inning you can’t figure what the score at youdon’tknow. And his 2 sidekicks can follow him right out the door.
Second off, I didn’t bother to mention that supposedly Brett Wallace is going to be “in the mix” to play third base because I was too busy laughing. He got shifted to first, in spite of his not high power numbers, back at his second minor league Organization. And it wasn’t because they had some Mike Schmidt blocking him. It’s because he’s just not very good. Someone told me I ought to look up Ron Cey (The Penguin), so I did. (Now why on earth is it that when I hear “penguin” I never think of the Bad Guy in Batman, the pittsburgh sports team or Mr. Popper, but of Bugs Bunny – and I don’t wanna link to you tube because that is an invitation to get deluged with sp am, which I already get enough of – including stuff in other languages??? WHY??? and invitations to add inches, which by the way, is a total LIE, because they don’t explain how a full grown woman can get taller, but I digress…)
Where was I?
Oh yeah, The Penguin. Well, I can’t find any videos of him actually RUNNING or FIELDING. So naturally, I asked my mama, who actually saw him play and remembers him, to compare him to Brett Wallace. Mama said he was a significantly smaller man, both height and weight, and that even now, Ron Cey could beat Brett Wallace in a footrace, spotting him 10 feet. He was also a very nimble fielder and played third until he was 36 years old. And I checked out every image I could find from him when he was playing, even as an old guy with the C*bs and lemme tell you, the guy did NOT have a big butt or big thighs. Their idea of got the butt sure was different in the early 80s is all I got to say – he was actually pretty slim. Brett Wallace wouldn’t be slim if you starved the boy for 2 months.
And now, to your regularly scheduled discussion.
You already knew that the catchers reporting are Jason Castro (who is supposed to be ready to go after reconstructive knee surgery last year and foot surgery in December) and Quintero and Chris Snyder (Who SAYS, naturally, that He’s In The Best Shape Of His Life and that his back has completely healed after surgery last year) and Carlos Corporan.
Best I understand, Snyder is supposed to be the fallback in case Castro isn’t ready to go or can’t hit. We all know what Corporan is/isn’t, which is real too particular good.
So I would guess that inviting Rene Garcia who couldn’t hit at LANCASTER, the hitters’ heaven (.591 OPS over 331 PA) is to have a warm body to, you know, like catch pitches because pitchers have to throw to SOMEbody. Reminds me – if a catcher isn’t very good at receiving, I wonder if that negatively affects the Organization’s perception og the pitcher he’s catching.
Chris Wallace, age 23, a homeboy from Cy-Fair and U of H, was promoted last year to AA after killing the ball at A ball to a tune of a .906 OPS. No Lancaster Hitters Heaven for him. He had a leeeetle more trouble at Corpus, going 30 fer 123 with 6 doubles and 4 homers – and get this – 12 walks. I don’t know how he is as a defensive catcher, but he’ll be the starter at AA this year, unless for some reason, he’s promoted straight to AAA because the Organization decides to go with 3 starting catchers (don’t ask me to explain THAT one).
Chris was drafted in the 16th round of the 2010 draft, AKA “filler” so he isn’t a pimpee like Jason Castro was has been Designated For Success, suckage or not. So if he makes it up the ladder, he will have earned it. Youneverknow. He could be inspired by JD Martinez, another guy who was Designated Filler when drafted, who, shall we say, rebelled. Chris just might could tear the cover offn the ball in ST, youneverknow. Of course, if he has NOT been Designated For Success, ST success just might could seriously piss off the Organization AKA Luke Scott in 06 or CJ in 2010…
Because sometimes, the Organization is a lot more concerned with having been right about some minor leaguer’s projection than they are with finding out that they have lucked into an unexpected treasure.
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