Olivo at C, someone in LF, Willingham on the bench where he belongs

Olivo at C, someone in LF, Willingham on the bench where he belongs

 

HotRodTodd with the zing. :plain

Olivo at C, someone in LF, Willingham on the bench where he belongs

 

 

:banghead

 

You really are mindless.

Olivo at C, someone in LF, Willingham on the bench where he belongs

 

did he eat your children or something?

 

jeez, you are an idiot

Olivo at C, someone in LF, Willingham on the bench where he belongs

 

You should be banned. You're just saying this sh*t to get a rise out of people. :thumbdown

MIAMI -- A number of ifs are weighing into who will win the Marlins' starting catcher position.

 

If he hits, free agent pickup Miguel Olivo has a strong chance of securing the spot.

 

If he fields, the nod very well could go to Josh Willingham, groomed the past few seasons for this opportunity.

 

And if neither of them shows any consistency, don't rule out Matt Treanor logging his share of starts behind the plate. A steady influence who has the respect of the pitchers, Treanor is strong defensively, but ideally is viewed as a backup.

 

In a totally revamped Marlins roster, the catcher position promises to be one of the most interesting battles in Spring Training.

 

Catching has long been a strength of the organization.

 

In the 1990s, the position was anchored first by Benito Santiago, who was eventually replaced by Charles Johnson, a three-time Gold Glove Award winner and key figure on the 1997 World Series title team. In 2003, the signing of free agent Ivan Rodriguez gave the club a bona fide star who stepped up and was a World Series hero. The past two seasons, All-Star Paul Lo Duca filled the spot, providing leadership, clutching hitting and heart.

 

Now that Lo Duca has been dealt to the Mets as part of the organization's "market correction," the dramatically younger Marlins have no clear-cut catching front-runner.

 

Based on experience, it would appear that the job is Olivo's to lose. Developed in the White Sox system, he has played in 307 career games. In 2003, Olivo appeared in 114 games for Chicago, but he's never fully flourished in a starting role.

 

Traded to Seattle in 2004, Olivo had his ups and downs. Last season, Olivo was batting .151 in 54 games for the Mariners before he was dealt to the Padres, where he showed improvements at the plate.

 

The knock on him offensively is he will hack away, gaining a "free swinger" label by some scouts. Still, in 37 games with the Padres, Olivo batted .304 (35-for-115) and had a .487 slugging percentage. Regarded as having 15-20 homer per season power potential, he combined to go deep nine times in 2005.

 

Because he is a quality catch-and-throw backstop, Olivo has the makings to be a regular.

 

Still, he faces a tough battle with Willingham, regarded as a pure hitter who has yet to get a chance to prove himself.

 

The biggest question for Willingham is defense. A converted third baseman who also has played some left field, the Florence, Ala., native simply doesn't have much experience behind the plate.

 

"He has never had consistent [at-bats] in the big leagues," Marlins general manager Admin Beinfest said. "We really do think he can hit. He has hit everywhere in the Minor Leagues. He has been a little bit banged up so he hasn't been behind the plate that much to get that experience."

 

Willingham spent a couple of months on the disabled list with a stress fracture to his left arm last July, but he is healthy for the start of spring.

 

When Marlins pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 18, Willingham is expected to work extensively with manager Joe Girardi and bench coach Gary Tuck, who is regarded as a catching guru.

 

A former catcher, Girardi has had high praise for Tuck dating back to when they both were in the Yankees organization. Once a catching instructor in New York, Tuck is credited with helping mold Jorge Posada into an All-Star.

 

"Joe believes in [Willingham]," Beinfest said. "He knows he's a hard worker. We would like to give him ABs this year to see if he can do the things offensively that we think he can do. Joe's confident he can work with him behind the plate."

 

During Spring Training, Willingham and Olivo will each have plenty of chances to win the job. If both show signs they can handle the job, there could be a split of playing time, similar to the Marlins' 2002 squad. That year, Mike Redmond appeared in 89 games while Johnson played 83 games.

 

If Willingham struggles defensively -- and there is a chance he could be switched to left field -- Treanor would become a more primary backup option. Treanor hit .201 in 134 at-bats last year, and he doesn't have a big-league homer in 189 at-bats.

 

Called up briefly in 2004, Willingham turns 27 in February. He's appeared in a total of 28 Major League games and has just 48 at-bats. In 16 games last year, he hit .304 with no homers and four RBIs.

 

But at the Minor League levels, he has shown power, batting .324 with 19 homers and 54 RBIs in 66 games with Triple-A Albuquerque last season. At Double-A Carolina in 2004, Willingham belted 24 home runs with 76 RBIs, along with a .281 average in 112 games.

 

"He's a very talented offensive player that put up big numbers," Girardi said. "He has not had the chance to probably catch enough games to make a fair judgment if he can be an everyday catcher. But the work ethic is there, and that's something that you cannot always teach."

 

Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

 

Just posted on the official website

 

Link