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| The bat makes up for the glove
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There's some talk that Jorge Posada is contributing to the Yankees' pitching woes:
One unsettling fact for the Yankees is the difference when Jorge Posada catches. With Posada behind the plate, the Yankees' pitchers have a 6.31 E.R.A. The combined E.R.A. with Francisco Cervelli, Jose Molina and Kevin Cash is 3.81 . . . Posada, 37, has handled many exceptional pitchers in his career. Although some, like Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina, have preferred other catchers, Posada does not have to apologize for his resume. Posada takes his job seriously and is an emotional engine of the team.
Yet Burnett, in particular, seems to struggle with him. In Burnett's four starts pitching to Posada, opponents have batted .330. In nine starts with the other catchers, the average is .223.
This not just media chatter on a day off, as Burnett himself is on record questioning Posada's pitch selection, albeit in somewhat diplomatic terms.
Not that any of this matters, because there are two numbers that are going to determine who catches for the Yankees going forward. The first is .940, which is Posada's current OPS, and which more than makes up for whatever impact his pitch choices have on his starters' ERA. The second is 1, which is the number of minor league options Francisco Cervelli has left, meaning that when Jose Molina comes back from the DL, Cervelli will most likely be enhancing the ERAs of the Scranton-Wilkes Barre pitching staff, not the one in New York.
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Are you sure Cervelli only has a single option left? He wasn't called up until September last year when the rosters expanded so they shouldn't have had to use an option for him at all then. This should have been the first year he was on the 40-man and spending time in the minors, thus the need for the option. Right?
Anyway, I agree with your point. Cervelli is nice and all, but Molina will resume the backup catcher job when he's healthy. However, thanks to his work this year Cervelli should have first dibs at the backup job next year, and should be a decent backup option — good defense, with some contact and OBP skills, but no power at all — for the next few years.
As for Posada, I think Joba especially has to learn to trust him more. Joba's last start saw Joba shake off more than a fair share of pitches that Joba called, and we all saw what resulted from that. It's not like Posada is some neophyte catcher. He's caught for David Cone, for Roger Clemens, for David Wells. He's got a receiving resume to match with the best of them. Pitchers need to get over it. Hell, Sabathia seems to have no problem with Posada. Of course Sabathia used to have to deal with Victor Martinez, who was probably the worst defensive catcher since the later part of Mike Piazza's career.
You may be right about that Adam. When I wrote that I really didn't think too hard about how long he'd been up, but since I've heard about him for so long I just made a quick judgment that he probably only has one left.
Aghreed on all other points.
it's to bad Cervelli may be heading back down as he symbolizes the "new" Yankees- plays with passion and has fun out there. I have enjoyed watching him and he was fantastic Sunday, against his "idol".
"The first is .940, which is Posada's current OPS, and which more than makes up for whatever impact his pitch choices have on his starters' ERA."
It does? You know this how?
Sorry if I assumed that a catcher hitting at all-star levels has more impact on a team than his pitch calling does. Of course, if you have some evidence that a catcher's pitch calling adds more runs to his pitchers ERA than his bat does to his team's side of the scoreboard, I'd certainly like to see it.
C'mon Craig.....just use the numbers above...
In simple math.....
ERA with Posada 6.31
ERA without Posada 3.81
(subtract) 2.50
So you're telling me that Posada can make up two-and-a-half runs for each 9 inning game all by himself? I'm not exactly Bill James here (though I once paid to hear him and Rob Neyer speak), but I doubt that Posada can somehow "create" 2.50 runs each game to "make up for" his catching shortfall.
Unless you tell me that the yankees are outscoring their opponents by more than 2.50 runs per 9 innings, then Posada must be hurting his team.
That assumes that Posada's pitch calling/defense is the only variable.
I think of another variable off the top of my head: Chien Ming Wang. Wang's been pitching historically bad this season, and for the most part Posada has been the one catching him. When Posada was put on the DL and Molina/Cash/Cervelli took over Wang was also on the DL with Phil Hughes left to replace him. Posada also caught for relievers like Edwar Ramirez, Damaso Marte, and Jonathan Albaladejo who were utterly terrible earlier this season and thanks to that ineffectiveness have since either been demoted or placed on the DL.
"Sorry if I assumed that a catcher hitting at all-star levels has more impact on a team than his pitch calling does. Of course, if you have some evidence that a catcher's pitch calling adds more runs to his pitchers ERA than his bat does to his team's side of the scoreboard, I'd certainly like to see it"
Don't do the lawyerly debating move here: you made an assertion, back it up.
Short CC:
CC: Posada's name is actually spelled Pee-sada!
Total: Do you have evidence of that?
CC: Do you have evidence it's not?