With all the hand-wringing going on over which putrid veteran catcher to sign, the Mets should go with Thole and Santos.
The more I think about Josh Thole, the more I like the idea of him as the primary starting catcher in 2010.
First off the guy can hit--just flat out rake--he sprays the ball to the gaps and is a great fit for Citi Field. He killed it in Venezuela after hitting .321 with the Mets as a September call-up.
The reason most fans don't want to see Thole as the starter in 2010 is his defense. But truth be told, his defense has improved, and one more year in the minors vice a year in the majors is of marginal difference.
Let's get his bat up here now.
Would Thole and a .370 OBP be preferable to Molina and a sub-.300 OBP? (he had a .285 OBP last year in 491 at-bats)
Could the Mets use more energy and enthusiasm?
Can't you just see Thole bonding with Beltran, Wright, Bay, Francoeur, and our young starters?
Look at Thole's last 7 games as a starting catcher with the Mets in 2009--the team went 6-1 with an ERA of 3.00.
Thole can be our Jason Kendall or Butch Wynegar--if we're lucky he can be our Ted Simmons.
All of these guys were catching and playing major roles for their clubs in their early 20s.
It's Thole time.
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3 comments:
I like the idea of pairing Josh Thole with Henry Blanco, but I'm a bit concerned that his inexperience behind the plate will hamper his rapport with an already-shaky pitching staff.
going to try and have dinner with him in February... I just hope the Mets let him play AAA for another year so he can ocncentrate with the system's catching coaches, plus work with Antonini, Gee, Nieve, Niese, and probably Mejia and Holt later on in the season
I like Thole too. I'm with you on that.
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