February 19, 200620 yr JUPITER, Fla. -- Team or country? It's a difficult decision confronting Marlins catcher Miguel Olivo. In the mix for a starting job with Florida, Olivo also is weighing whether to play for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. It's a tough call for the 27-year-old who is in his first season with the Marlins. Because he is with a new team, Olivo would like to devote his full attention to learning the pitchers and getting acclimated to a different environment. But he's torn, because he also wants to be part of the WBC. "I want to represent my country, but for me, I want to spend more time with the team to get to know the young pitchers," said Olivo. Olivo said Sunday that he is leaning "85 to 95 percent" to staying with the Marlins. "It's going to be tough, because I'm the No. 1 catcher in the Dominican," Olivo said. "It's tough because I want to spend time here and learn everything that happens here before I go there." Players are set to report to the WBC on March 3. So if Olivo does decide to play for the Dominican, he will have just under two weeks in Marlins camp. The longest players will be away is 18 days. "I want to stay here," Olivo said. "I have to see what's going on." Manager Joe Girardi is leaving the choice up to Olivo, who is competing with Josh Willingham and Matt Treanor for the starting job. "That's his choice," Girardi said. "I called him and I told him, 'It's a special thing that you're invited to play. If you want to play, you go play. I'm not going to hold that against you. I'd want to play. It's the first one. Make your country proud.'" Should Olivo play in the WBC, Girardi points out he will be going against top-level competition. "He's fighting for the everyday spot [here]," Girardi said. "It's not like he's not going to be playing against good competition. He's going to be in a position to be improving his game by playing [in the WBC]. What do you think??
February 19, 200620 yr If he is the #1 catcher in DR then I think he should go and if he is going to be a back up he should stay.
February 19, 200620 yr I say go to the WBC. It isn't such a bad thing that he get some MLB-level play. He may have similar role on the WBC as on the Marlins squad this season.
February 19, 200620 yr Author I say go to the WBC. It isn't such a bad thing that he get some MLB-level play. He may have similar role on the WBC as on the Marlins squad this season. Well said...
February 19, 200620 yr Wouldn't any of the Molina's be the #1? I think he should stay with the club, catcher is too vital of a position to have the new guy learn on the fly during the season.
February 19, 200620 yr Let's face it, more than anything Olivo's decision is going to be predicated on whatever decision is made about Josh Willingham being the starting catcher or left fielder. I really doubt Olivo would take up to two weeks off if he thought he was giving JW an upperhand in the battle for who's behind the plate.
February 19, 200620 yr Let's face it, more than anything Olivo's decision is going to be predicated on whatever decision is made about Josh Willingham being the starting catcher or left fielder. I really doubt Olivo would take up to two weeks off if he thought he was giving JW an upperhand in the battle for who's behind the plate. Exactly. This is also a great chance for him to win a startinig catching job in the MLB. If it were me I'd stay at ST as that affects my livelihood.
February 19, 200620 yr What can he do in Jupiter that he cannot do in WBC play? I think WBC Video would make its way to Joe. Think of it as maximizing playing time for everyone.
February 19, 200620 yr If he's gonna be the everyday catcher, it's important he gets used to catching all of our pitchers.
February 22, 200620 yr Author JUPITER, Fla. -- Count Miguel Olivo out of the World Baseball Classic. At least that is the stance the Marlins catcher is taking now regarding the upcoming tournament, in which he had been considering playing for the Dominican Republic. Olivo on Wednesday said he will not take part in the Classic, opting instead to devote his time to winning the Marlins' starting catching job. For a few days now, Olivo has been leaning strongly to staying in Jupiter. Now his decision appears to be final. But in the eyes of manager Joe Girardi, the door remains open for Olivo to change his mind. "I talked to him today," Girardi said. "And I said, 'Your spot on this team is going to be the same if you play or don't play. It's an honor to be chosen to play in that. If you want to play, go ahead. And I'm going to cheer for you. But if you don't want to play, then you do that. But I don't want to know yet. I don't want you to come and tell me something and then change your mind.' "So as far as I know, maybe that's something he told you. But in my head, he is able to change his mind, because I'm not asking him to make a decision. It's not an easy decision." Olivo actually tried approaching Girardi on the subject Wednesday, but the first-year manager didn't want to hear the news. "He started telling and me and I said, 'I don't want to know yet,'" Girardi said. "This is a big decision." Olivo is regarded as the top catcher in the Dominican Republic, and he recently played winter ball in his native country. After spending last season with the Mariners and the Padres, Olivo signed as a free agent with the Marlins. With Florida's roster comprised of so many young pitchers, Olivo wants to familiarize himself with his new team. Olivo is competing with Josh Willingham and Matt Treanor for the starting spot. "It wouldn't hurt his chances any," Girardi said. "The only thing is, he would have to catch up knowing the pitchers. But he's going to get a chance to know a lot of the pitchers." March 3 is the date for all players involved in the Classic to report to their respective countries.
February 22, 200620 yr You don't think four articles on Willingham being polished to catch had anything to do with Olivo's decision do you? Girardi is right in the way he's handling it. The press has inadvertently made a tough choice that much harder by shining their spotlight on Willingham.
February 22, 200620 yr I applaud him for wanting to stay for a meaningful reason and I think that what Girardi said is respectful as hell. Can't wait to see what he can do with encouragement and low expectations. Olivo could really be a pleasant surprise.
February 22, 200620 yr well considering one of the most important things as a catcher is learning your pitchers...and that he is fighting for a job on the Marlins essentially... he made the right decision. job > exhibition
February 22, 200620 yr Can't wait to see what he can do with encouragement and low expectations. :plain :plain :plain :plain f*** low expectations. Let's try to get the most out of these guys. It's like telling your high school son or daughter you expect them to score a 1050 on the SATs (or something worse). If you expect high results (1400+) then they will work their asses off to get there. If they don't make it, you can tell them you're proud of them for busting their asses to get a score they wanted to be happy with and that they did well anyway. These guys are talented and could do pretty well. Why act like it's alright if they finish 50-112 when it shouldn't be?
February 22, 200620 yr Can't wait to see what he can do with encouragement and low expectations. :plain :plain :plain :plain f*** low expectations. Let's try to get the most out of these guys. It's like telling your high school son or daughter you expect them to score a 1050 on the SATs (or something worse). If you expect high results (1400+) then they will work their asses off to get there. If they don't make it, you can tell them you're proud of them for busting their asses to get a score they wanted to be happy with and that they did well anyway. These guys are talented and could do pretty well. Why act like it's alright if they finish 50-112 when it shouldn't be? I was talking about Olivo. No one is expecting the world of him and he will be hardly the center of attention.
February 23, 200620 yr Can't wait to see what he can do with encouragement and low expectations. :plain :plain :plain :plain f*** low expectations. Let's try to get the most out of these guys. It's like telling your high school son or daughter you expect them to score a 1050 on the SATs (or something worse). If you expect high results (1400+) then they will work their asses off to get there. If they don't make it, you can tell them you're proud of them for busting their asses to get a score they wanted to be happy with and that they did well anyway. These guys are talented and could do pretty well. Why act like it's alright if they finish 50-112 when it shouldn't be? Either someone's full of Catholic guilt and/or is in desperate need of therapy.
February 23, 200620 yr I guess you can count me among the few that thought he'd be best off playing for his country in meaningful games instead of in exhbition games against B squads of other teams (see what I did there?). Either way it's his decision to make, but the fact that this is a tough decision shows us how far the WBC has to go to catch up with the World Cup.
February 23, 200620 yr Can't wait to see what he can do with encouragement and low expectations. :plain :plain :plain :plain f*** low expectations. Let's try to get the most out of these guys. It's like telling your high school son or daughter you expect them to score a 1050 on the SATs (or something worse). If you expect high results (1400+) then they will work their asses off to get there. If they don't make it, you can tell them you're proud of them for busting their asses to get a score they wanted to be happy with and that they did well anyway. These guys are talented and could do pretty well. Why act like it's alright if they finish 50-112 when it shouldn't be? Either someone's full of Catholic guilt and/or is in desperate need of therapy. :lol No guilt. I did quite well. :thumbup
February 24, 200620 yr For Olivo, it's Marlins first, Classic second By Juan C. Rodriguez South Florida Sun-Sentinel Posted February 23 2006 JUPITER ? Joe Girardi cut off his catcher before he could finish. Wednesday, Miguel Olivo tried telling his manager he wouldn't play for his native Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. A week away from the deadline to submit final rosters, Girardi thought it best Olivo not reveal his intentions in case he changed his mind. Olivo did so anyway to the media. A day after Dominican General Manager Stan Javier visited him in Jupiter, Olivo decided to stay put this spring. "I already spoke with Stanley," Olivo said. "I told him I couldn't leave my job. I'm still not established here, and I don't want to leave for two weeks without having a permanent job. ... I want to go because I'm Dominican. I feel bad about it. What I told them was to forgive me, but they have to understand that my job and my career and my family come before everything." Girardi told Olivo that playing in the WBC wouldn't hurt his chances of being the Opening Day catcher. "It's an honor to be chosen to play for that," Girardi said. "In my head he's still allowed to change his mind because I'm not asking him to make a decision. ... This is a big decision, and there's no reason to make it too early." http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl-mar...ports-headlines
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