Diamondbacks’ La Russa excited about team’s ‘unique’ catcher position
Feb 23, 2015, 11:21 PM | Updated: 11:22 pm
Miguel Montero became the everyday catcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2009, and in five of the last six seasons tallied no fewer than 413 at-bats.
An All-Star twice over that span, his presence meant catcher was one position that lacked intrigue. It was Montero’s job, plain and simple.
This season will be different.
Montero was traded to the Chicago Cubs in the offseason, and to replace him the D-backs will turn to Tuffy Gosewisch, Oscar Hernandez, Peter O’Brien or Gerald Laird, who was recently signed to a minor league deal.
The 31-year-old Gosewisch has appeared in 55 Major League Games, including 41 last year for the D-backs.
Hernandez and O’Brien, on the other hand, have combined for zero at-bats at the big league level.
“Our catching situation is really unique,” D-backs chief baseball officer Tony La Russa told Burns and Gambo on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Monday. “For one thing, if you play well behind the plate defensively you don’t have to score as many runs.
“Last year Tuffy did a real, real good job — has never had an opportunity to catch as more than just a backup.”
More of a defensive-minded catcher, Gosewhich is a career .213 hitter with one home run and seven RBI to his credit.
He’s not nearly the hitter Montero is, but La Russa said the decision to make the trade was more about the team needing to acquire pitchers than anything Montero did or did not do.
There was also the presence of O’Brien, who was acquired from the New York Yankees in exchange for Martin Prado last summer. Last season, in both High-A and Double-A, he hit .271 with 34 home runs and 74 RBI.
At 24 years old, he is looked at as a power bat who may be able to catch, in time.
“We saw him in the Fall League,” La Russa said. “This young man has got dynamic talent.”
La Russa added that many within the Yankees organization lamented parting with O’Brien.
“Peter can hit he ball out of the park,” he said. “He’s got a great stroke, but he’s also very intelligent, he’s willing to work and we all can’t wait to see him play, starting next week, in games. We think he’s got a chance to be a very good, winning-type catcher.”
Then there’s Hernandez, the 21-year-old the team took with the first selection in the Rule 5 draft. By rule, if he is not on the D-backs’ 25-man roster he will be offered back to Tampa Bay, his original club.
“Do our fans want to have fun? Come out in the next week when we start working out and start watching this kid catch the ball, throw the ball,” La Russa said. “This guy has got major league tools defensively, we’ll see if he can hit.”
With Laird, the D-backs have a 12-year MLB veteran who spent the last two seasons in Atlanta with the Braves. In his career, he has hit .244 with 38 home runs and 238 RBI.
The position is not without talent, but there is no sure thing in the group. That may be a concern, but if nothing else, there is plenty of intrigue to see what the D-backs can get out their catchers in 2015.
“I think between that threesome and then we protected ourselves with a guy that was on our 2011 Cardinal championship team, Gerald Laird,” La Russa said. “Our fans — I’m telling you, when you see our games there’s going to be uniqueness, there’s going to be a lot of guys fighting for positions. It’s going to be exciting.
“Tuffy, this is the opportunity of a career for him, you’ve got two young guys trying to make it, and you’ve got Gerald Laird, who we know would be a terrific guy on the club.”
