Dodgers Preview: Catcher
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by user The Beast
Having young catchers around in Los Angeles is no big deal. It's how long they stay and develop is the question. In the 90s, the Dodgers traded away Franchise catcher Mike Piazza as he was just entering his prime. In 2004, they traded away Paul Lo Duca who was also in his prime.
Now, Russell Martin is that young potential All-Star catcher. Martin has impressed players, coaches, and management well enough for Ned Coletti to trade away fellow rookie Dioner Navarro to Tampa Bay. Navarro was suppose to be that franchise catcher, but he did not meet expectations.
Now Martin, 24, is clearly the man behind the plate for the Dodgers. Last season, Martin hit .282 with 10 homers and 62 RBIs, after spending the entire month of April at Triple-A Las Vegas. His 62 RBIs were the most for a Dodgers catcher since Lo Duca had 72 in 2001.
Martin also ranked in the top 10 among National League rookies in average, runs, doubles, triples, RBIs, walks, total bases, on-base percentage, total bases, slugging percentage and extra-base hits. Pretty good, huh? Against left-handed pitching, he also hit .366 with a .521 slugging percentage.
In addition to his offense, Martin also posts solid defensive numbers. The Dodgers went 71-43 with Martin starting behind the plate and 17-31 with anybody else. His catcher ERA was 3.93, third in the league.
The Dodgers have also signed former Philadelphia Phillies catcher Mike Lieberthal to help tutor and backup the young Martin.
Overall Grade: B+. Martin was consistant through the entire season. He should be even better in his second season. If Martin goes down, the Dodgers should be okay with Lieberthal.
