catchers - Blog

For first time in long time, Nats have young catching depth

December 07, 2021, 5:41pm

Mark Zuckerman

Nationals

For first time in long time, Nats have young catching depth

The Nationals of the last half-decade boasted as veteran-laden a roster as you'd find in baseball. Yes, there were a handful of young, rising stars mixed in, but general manager Mike Rizzo always made a point to surround them with heavily experienced players who weren't about to get caught up in any moment that became too big for them. And nowhere on the field was this more true than behind the plate. The Nats featured almost exclusively veteran catchers for years, from Kurt Suzuki to Yan...

0 Comments

Tags:

catchers drew millas israel pineda keibert ruiz mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime riley adams tres barrera featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest

0 Comments

Avila eager to work with Nats pitchers again, seek first ring

February 03, 2021, 5:41pm

Mark Zuckerman

Nationals

Avila eager to work with Nats pitchers again, seek first ring

The thought of reuniting with Max Scherzer six years since they were last batterymates in Detroit certainly was appealing to Alex Avila. As was the opportunity to catch Patrick Corbin and Jon Lester again after previous opportunities in Arizona and Chicago, plus the chance to work with Stephen Strasburg for the first time in his career. All of that made the Nationals attractive to Avila as he prepared for free agency last fall. But none of that familiarity with the pitching staff was as...

0 Comments

Tags:

alex avila catchers free agency mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest

0 Comments

Why the Nats keep finding themselves in need of catchers

January 30, 2021, 10:04am

Mark Zuckerman

Nationals

Why the Nats keep finding themselves in need of catchers

The Nationals' acquisition Thursday evening of Alex Avila was no surprise. Which is to say, we'd known for months they were going to need to acquire a catcher from outside the organization to replace Kurt Suzuki and share the job with Yan Gomes. Whether it was Avila or one of the other available free agents, the Nats had to get themselves another catcher this winter, one way or the other. Why? Because they didn't feel like they had a viable in-house candidate for that job. And truth be told,...

0 Comments

Tags:

alex avila catchers kurt suzuki mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime pedro severino spencer kieboom wilson ramos yan gomes featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest

0 Comments

Nats hoping two new catchers will be better than one star

February 04, 2019, 6:37pm

Mark Zuckerman

Nationals

Nats hoping two new catchers will be better than one star

As spring training fast approaches, it's time to break down the state of the Nationals roster, position by position. The series continues today with the catching corps ... The Nationals didn't get enough production from their catchers the last two seasons. Of this, no one can deny. Matt Wieters, well-liked as he was by members of the pitching staff and the rest of the clubhouse, simply could not hit well enough to justify as much playing time as he received. Trouble was, none of the Nats'...

0 Comments

Tags:

catchers kurt suzuki mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime pedro severino raudy read spencer kieboom yan gomes featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest

0 Comments

Nats know they need better production from catchers in 2018

February 05, 2018, 3:37pm

Mark Zuckerman

Nationals

Nats know they need better production from catchers in 2018

As the start of spring training fast approaches, we're breaking down the state of the Nationals roster, position by position. The series continues today with the catching corps ... The Nationals knew they'd be undergoing a change at catcher in 2017 after Wilson Ramos departed via free agency, and they knew it would be difficult to make up for Ramos' All-Star production. Little did they know just how difficult, though, or how precipitous the dropoff would be. The club's initial plan involved...

0 Comments

Tags:

catchers mark zuckerman matt wieters miguel montero nationals nationals pastime pedro severino raudy read featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest

0 Comments

Nationals catchers face tall task in replacing Ramos

February 04, 2017, 7:41pm

Mark Zuckerman

Nationals

As the start of spring training fast approaches, we're breaking down the state of the Nationals roster, position by position. The series continues today with the catching corps ... How do you replace an All-Star catcher who hit .307 with 22 homers, 80 RBIs, an .850 OPS and threw out 37 percent of opposing base stealers? The answer is: You don't. The Nationals will feel the loss of Wilson Ramos this season, and there's not much they can do about that. After five years battling injuries and...