That's an interesting and good point you make.  I had not thought about that, though I do remember Victor was set up there on the outside corner.  I don't know if Victor was just trying to emphasize to Lee to throw it toward the outside corner or what.

Personally, I thought Lee should have thrown it off the corner because both he and Victor should have known that Konerko will take the ball the opposite way.  I thought Lee could have made a better pitch, but in reality, considering what you said, perhaps Victor's set-up location gave Konerko an idea of where the pitch would be and that's why he swung at it and crushed it.  Obviously that was a big blow to us in that ballgame and was obviously Lee's down point of the night.

I agree that Victor's catching does need work; at first, I thought it was just his arm and the running game, but I'm starting to wonder if Victor really calls that good of a game.  From the 2005 pitching staff's performances, you would think Victor would have a little something to do with that, but at times, Victor's catching skills do seem a bit rudimentary, for lack of a better term.

I don't know - I could see Victor moving to 1B in the future, but if that occurs, then what do you with Garko, Aubrey, Head, etc.?  I don't think they all can move to the OF like Mulhern has already done, not with Gutierrez, Francisco, Cooper, Snyder, etc. also in the upper reaches of the farm system.

Could Victor move to 2B like Biggio did earlier in his career?  I know Crowe is going to eventually be groomed for that position, but it will probably be a few years before Crowe is ready to contribute at the ML level as a 2nd baseman.  Perhaps Victor could fill a hole there, though I don't think he has the best of range.  He couldn't make it as a shortstop, so I doubt he could become a 2nd baseman either.

He obviously can't be the DH, not with Hafner here.  So, what defensive position is best for Victor Martinez?  Or do you rotate Hafner, Martinez, Garko, and Shoppach in the future between 1B, DH, and Catcher (not Hafner, of course)?

Just a thought and my 2 cents. :-)

Take care and have a great day!

Not defending the 0% throw-out rate, but it seems there may be some bad luck as well. I really would like to see the pitchers help him out more.

Go C.C.! Keep 'em off the bases today!

I am frustrated, however, because while Victor's bat is an effective weapon 3-5 times a game, his catching deficiencies (if any) theoretically affect every pitch.

The question is, does he have deficiencies and if so can they be corrected?  Is he just suffering from an early season mental block that he will get over soon and begin throwing out his historical 20-25% of base stealers, and once he throws some out, the opposition will cut back on their steal attempts?

Also, why are we keeping Shoppach on the bench? Why not play him in Buffalo so we can see how good he is?  Surely Tim Laker could sit on the bench as well as Kelly, with the added advantage that Laker can also pitch an inning in a hopelessly lost game (2.0 ip, 0.00 era).

My gut feeling is that Victor does not have the physical tools to be a major league catcher. If he can handle another position, he should be moved in the next year or so.  For one thing, catchers should not catch more than 130 games a season. Wedge is not doing this and Victor (and the team) may suffer for it in the future. Sitting Victor for 30+ games means we lose his bat (though he's available for PH duties). Also catchers are prone to injuries that require them to miss games or, if they play, can affect their swing.  We will get more out of Victor in the long run if he plays a different position.  And yes, I understand all the arguments against moving him, but if he is a poor thrower, poor handler of pitchers, and makes frequent mental mistakes (like setting up too far outside) he is counteracting the value of his bat.

I hate to bash Victor.  His bat and team leadership are awesome.  I could see him chasing a .400 BA some season.  I love the guy!

I think first of all that it's obvious that it would have to be an offseason move, and it would have to be a full-time move.  He would just have to become a second-baseman, period.

But I think it also doesn't really make sense unless you have a great catcher ready to step in -- and we don't.  You don't do a move this radical unless it works as a long-term move -- i.e., you don't do it just to sign Bengie Molina for a couple of years.  It's a huge decision.

Shoppach is a quality young player but not a premium one -- I doubt even if given a starting shot that he would emerge as "core player" caliber.  Garko of course is not considered a serious option defensively (and both bat righthanded, so no cute platoons).

I think the likely drop in production out of the catcher spot probably can't be justified compared to what our other 2B options will be -- even if they're not great.  But it is intriguing.

Note, this is all based on some of our OF/1B prospects panning out to be quality major leaguers (if they don't V-Mart could end up at 1B, but this is still a remote possibility).

Or the other possibility is that we trade V-Mart and keep Hafner. Either way, if both of them are putting up the numbers they have been, we should be able to get a king's ransom for either, say a #1/#2 SP, closer, or power hitting OF and maybe some prospects too..

Just my thoughts ....

Dean