South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

 

Olivo suspects Marlins blame him for pitching woes

 

Catcher suspects he's fall guy for pitching woes

By Juan C. Rodriguez

 

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

 

August 31, 2007

 

 

Miguel Olivo celebrated his ninth wedding anniversary Thursday. His wife, Gloria, flew in from the family residence in northern California for the occasion.

 

 

 

"Try to relax my mind, have a good time with her," Olivo said. "You can never forget your family, because those are the only people that are with you all the time."

 

Olivo feels like a forgotten man. The Marlins' starting catcher the past two seasons, Olivo has seen a significant decline in playing time. Initially, a groin strain he suffered Aug. 16 sidelined him for the better part of four games.

 

Though Olivo is now healthy, he hasn't started back-to-back games since the injury. His suspicion is his time with the Marlins is ending.

 

"I don't know if they have plans for me or not," said Olivo, as the Marlins prepared to open a three-game series against the Phillies tonight at Dolphin Stadium. "The way it looks, no.

 

"If [manager Fredi Gonzalez] wants to play me he will. He knows the kind of player I am, and everybody goes through tough situations. I don't think that's a reason to sit me like this, but I understand. The team is losing, and if [Matt] Treanor is hot and hitting, amen. ? I'm not saying this is over because you never know what could happen here, but that's how I feel."

 

One American League scout who recently spoke with the Marlins said the decision-makers are split on how to proceed with the catching situation. One faction believes Treanor has proved he can handle the pitching staff and whatever deficiencies he has offensively can be addressed elsewhere in the lineup. The other line of thinking is Treanor already is in his ideal role and the team is best served with another primary catcher.

 

Treanor has put together an impressive season, batting .284 with a .378 on-base percentage in 134 at-bats. Whether he could sustain those numbers over 450 at-bats is another matter, but the Marlins may be ready to find out.

 

"He's done a terrific job of hitting the ball, making those adjustments and handling the pitch calling," Gonzalez said. "He's earned a shot at catching a little more."

 

No one is going to confuse Olivo with Pudge Rodriguez offensively or defensively, but he does possess an intriguing skill set. No one is better at throwing behind runners. Physically, he may be among the strongest players in the game. He can run. He's good for 15 homers a season.

 

The flip side is Olivo again is among the league leaders in passed balls. Good luck knocking him down on plays at the plate, but half a dozen times Olivo has dropped catchable throws from fielders.

 

Another factor suggesting the Marlins will look elsewhere next season is money. Olivo will be arbitration-eligible again after earning $2 million in 2007. Treanor will be arbitration-eligible for the first time, but his salary will remain in six figures.

 

"The only thing I can say is if I did something wrong, nobody in this world is perfect," Olivo said. "When the team is losing they have to blame somebody, and I think they blame me. That's how it looks. I can't say if they're losing because of me or if the pitchers aren't throwing well because of me. We're losing games and I'm the catcher. Maybe it's my fault. I don't know what they think."

 

With catchers always in demand, Olivo, 29, won't lack job opportunities next season. At this point, he is all but convinced it will be elsewhere.

 

"They haven't told me anything directly, but I'm not stupid," Olivo said. "I'm an intelligent person. ? I'm a grown man and responsible for what I do. A lot of teams know the kind of player I am. There are a lot of teams that need my energy."

 

 

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Olivo sucks, but he's not the problem. At least not the MAIN problem. The poll on the right says it all.

well he is about the feeling he is is having.... he wont be back next year with us.

The problem I am having with this team we have seen in two players. Miguel Olivo thinks he is being looked at as the one to blame. He thinks his play is acceptable and seems that his energy should be what the team looks at, not his play. Mike Jacobs is pissed because he gets replaced by Jason Wood. Two players that have lost the mindset that they nede to earn their job every day. They are more concerned and vocal about their pride than they are their statistics. Have you heard either talk about the team? Dan Uggla has talked about his hitting and non-hitting, far more often than he talks about important games. Scott Olsen from day one said we would have five 16 game winners, never has said we'll be a 500+ team.

 

This team is very self-absorbed with their own jobs and statistics which we can all understand but when you add veterans and players that have been there and done that and willing to do whatever it takes to win you end up with players like Aaron Boone, Wes Helms, Jason Wood, Kevin Gregg....or how about Craig Biggio moving wherever the team needed him? Or ex-Marlins like Mike Redmond and Mark Redman. Or 1997's Darren Daulton and Jim Eisenreich.

honestly, i didn't think olivo plated too poorly last season, and even earlier this season. but as of late, he can't hold on to a tennis ball with a velcro glove.

Just saying, like with Dan Uggla, the reason you hear him talk about that is because he's always asked that. You get the responses from the questions the reporters ask, not some random statement. If somebody asks Uggla about his hitting struggles/hot streak, he's going to respond about his hitting. The 16 game win comment was in response to if the rookie pitchers would go through a sophmore slump. There's no point in talking about the team when you get asked questions about individuals.

Just saying, like with Dan Uggla, the reason you hear him talk about that is because he's always asked that. You get the responses from the questions the reporters ask, not some random statement. If somebody asks Uggla about his hitting struggles/hot streak, he's going to respond about his hitting. The 16 game win comment was in response to if the rookie pitchers would go through a sophmore slump. There's no point in talking about the team when you get asked questions about individuals.

 

And if I remember correctly when Olsen said that he was talking about every member of the staff, not himself exclusively.

The problem I am having with this team we have seen in two players. Miguel Olivo thinks he is being looked at as the one to blame. He thinks his play is acceptable and seems that his energy should be what the team looks at, not his play. Mike Jacobs is pissed because he gets replaced by Jason Wood. Two players that have lost the mindset that they nede to earn their job every day. They are more concerned and vocal about their pride than they are their statistics. Have you heard either talk about the team? Dan Uggla has talked about his hitting and non-hitting, far more often than he talks about important games. Scott Olsen from day one said we would have five 16 game winners, never has said we'll be a 500+ team.

If Scotty was right about us having 5 16 game winners, it would've been almost impossible to not be a .500 team.

Olivo will be gone next year anyways.

 

I would like for us to go back to our old pitching coach as well there was no reason at all we switched except for Joe.

with respect to olivo i personally dont blame the guy for the marlins woes but the truth is the guy is not a good catcher , and when i say catcher i actually mean he cant catch the ball to save his life . The drops at the plate have cost us , the passed balls have costs us , but the next time he catches just watch how many times he does not catch pitches cleanly . maybe someone should show olivo how a glove works because it always looks as if he forgets to open his glove to catch the ball

with respect to olivo i personally dont blame the guy for the marlins woes but the truth is the guy is not a good catcher...

 

Olivo has had an awful year defensively but it's not his fault when pitchers can't throw the ball where they are supposed to. I don't mean that it's an excuse for his defensive woes but rather the lack of success of the pitching staff generally. I'm drawing a blank (perhaps Barone, could have been Dontrelle or just about any of them) on what starting pitcher I watched in his last appearance throw pitch after pitch after pitch belt high, center of the plate, and certainly not the location his catcher had called for. I don't even remember if Olivo or Treanor was catching. There's lots of blame to go around and Olivo certainly is responsible for his share but pitchers not locating the ball is for me at the top of the list.

 

I don't know if you blame the pitching coach or the pitchers themselves. It's not the pitch selection either, it's the execution. If it means Kranitz goes, so be it, if it means a new approach it has to change. So yeah, Olivo is the reason for his own undoing, but he's not the guy offering up four doubles in a row or giving a Matt Diaz or fillintheblank beachballs to hit.

Lord knows how many strikes Olivo has cost pitchers because of his inability to frame a pitch (even down the middle). Seems like he slaps at every breaking pitch when he tries to catch it.

I doubt very many teams need olivo's "energy". Nothing is more energizing then striking out and not catching the ball... please.

i have always been one to defend olivo and i do think he has great potential asa acatcher with his speed and his great arm. hsi power number are good for a catcher but i think that after those comments it is almost certain that he will be gone..i like him alot and i think that with the proper coaching he can be a great catcher

i have always been one to defend olivo and i do think he has great potential asa acatcher with his speed and his great arm. hsi power number are good for a catcher but i think that after those comments it is almost certain that he will be gone..i like him alot and i think that with the proper coaching he can be a great catcher

Last year he had the proper coaching (Tuck) and he was fine behind the plate. This year, with no coaching, he has regressed.

the primary thing a catcher needs to do is catch the ball

 

Olivo cannot do this

Out of 171 qualified players in all of baseball as of yesterday, Juan Uribe had the lowest on base percentage at .269, which is almost unfathomable. It literally hurts me to fathom it.

 

Olivo, who does not qualify because the Marlins coaching staff is treating him tremendously unfairly and he is missing a few at bats, has a .256 OBP. He has walked 8 times. His home runs certainly don't make up for that. Nothing makes up for that. Working for UNICEF and donating to the Bill Gates Foundation would not make up for that.

 

I don't know how to measure his energy- and I'm sure he's right that it would just be fantastic, among the league leaders- but he has 10 errors, tying him for 3rd worst among catchers. Those who rank above him have logged 100 and 200 innings more respectively. Lots more innings. Lots more opportunities for Olivo to mess up. Which he would.

 

Ok, so, yeah, he can throw runners out and hit an occasional home run (.398 slugging percentage...but I'll allow it as counter-evidence anyway) but does that make up for leading the majors in passed balls (14) and being third in errrors (10) and being last in OBP (.256! .256! .256!) and also striking out 98 times in limited at bats. His K/BB is over 12:1.

 

He is not THE problem with this team, but to say that we have one problem would be a little naive and simplistic this year. This team has many, many problems of which Miguel Olivo is undoubtedly a large one. I don't think he affects the pitchers too much, but every part of the game that he plays he plays badly. He may, and I'm just putting it out there for further discussion, be the worst player in the major leagues in terms of offense/defense and AB affecting the team.

 

But he has good foot speed for a catcher so I guess I should get off his back.

 

And good energy.

i have always been one to defend olivo and i do think he has great potential asa acatcher with his speed and his great arm. hsi power number are good for a catcher but i think that after those comments it is almost certain that he will be gone..i like him alot and i think that with the proper coaching he can be a great catcher

great?

 

Olivo ain't 24 anymore... next year he is going to be 30

 

THIS is his upside...

I am not trying to pick on Olivo, Jacobs or Uggla specifically. I just mean that the atitude becomes contagious. Freddi always says, the guys are busting their butts, playing hard. Never have we heard that we are playing as a team, as a unit. Come on...am I the only one that thinks sometimes the failed sacrafices are because the player at bat wants a shot to hit? How long did this team allow Reggie Abercrombie to screw the cutoff man and air mail it to home plate?

 

Jacobs believes he is a starting first baseman when at this point he is in the lower tier when ranked against the league. Uggla has decided that he is a home run hitter and will not mold himself into a # 2 hitter which is what the team wants. When he is slotted at #6, he can't hit... so he gets rewarded by going back between Hanley and Cabrera to get fat pitches to hit. Sorry, breaking out of a slump takes hitting singles the other way....not home runs on 3-1 pitches because they don't want to pitch to Cabrera. Learn to become a hitter, not a slugger Dan. And Olivo does not want to look at the facts. .265 OBA and his awful glove does not make up for his gun behind the plate. Last year he was a clutch hitter, but he was not a good hitter.

 

Below are stats from ESPN. OBA in key situations. How kills rallies late in the game? Who kills rallies when men are in scoring position? Yup, Jacobs, Olivo and Dan Uggla. Olivo is gone next season. I think Jacobs comments to the press probably will land him elsewhere and I know we have a lot of Dan Uggla fans but if we can deal him and bring in a Dustin Pedroia (Scoring Pos. OBA .366 / Close & Late OBA .397) we'd be much better at the top of the order. Hanley, Pedroia, Cabrera, Willy...maybe the Sox/Ralins would work to include a dissapointing Coco Crisp in a deal...then we add a veteran catcher and away we go

 

OBP with runners in scoring position:

Josh Willingham .459

Jason Wood .457

Miguel Cabrera .444 .

Aaron Boone .417

Matt Treanor .417

Hanley Ramirez .363

Jeremy Hermida .359

Mike Jacobs .333

Joe Borchard .317

Miguel Olivo .283

Dan Uggla .275

 

OBP in Close & Late Situations:

Aaron Boone .488

Hanley Ramirez .416

Cody Ross .414 .

Jeremy Hermida .396

Josh Willingham .338

Matt Treanor.333

Alejandro De Aza .316

Jason Wood .313

Miguel Cabrera .307

Alfredo Amezaga .301 .

Miguel Olivo .300

Todd Linden .286

Mike Jacobs .280

Dan Uggla .270

Dustin Pedroia?

 

are you high?

 

Boston's new golden child?

You sorta feel bad for the guy the way he's fallen off the grid, but you can't help but feel even worse for the fish losing all of those games, which is not to say that he cost us every game, but he did cost us several.

Dustin Pedroia?

 

are you high?

 

Boston's new golden child?

C'mon, you know the Sox are just dying to unload a cost controlled home grown talent that is one of the top players at his position. DON'T YOU!!!??

I am not trying to pick on Olivo, Jacobs or Uggla specifically. I just mean that the atitude becomes contagious. Freddi always says, the guys are busting their butts, playing hard. Never have we heard that we are playing as a team, as a unit. Come on...am I the only one that thinks sometimes the failed sacrafices are because the player at bat wants a shot to hit? How long did this team allow Reggie Abercrombie to screw the cutoff man and air mail it to home plate?

 

Jacobs believes he is a starting first baseman when at this point he is in the lower tier when ranked against the league. Uggla has decided that he is a home run hitter and will not mold himself into a # 2 hitter which is what the team wants. When he is slotted at #6, he can't hit... so he gets rewarded by going back between Hanley and Cabrera to get fat pitches to hit. Sorry, breaking out of a slump takes hitting singles the other way....not home runs on 3-1 pitches because they don't want to pitch to Cabrera. Learn to become a hitter, not a slugger Dan. And Olivo does not want to look at the facts. .265 OBA and his awful glove does not make up for his gun behind the plate. Last year he was a clutch hitter, but he was not a good hitter.

 

Below are stats from ESPN. OBA in key situations. How kills rallies late in the game? Who kills rallies when men are in scoring position? Yup, Jacobs, Olivo and Dan Uggla. Olivo is gone next season. I think Jacobs comments to the press probably will land him elsewhere and I know we have a lot of Dan Uggla fans but if we can deal him and bring in a Dustin Pedroia (Scoring Pos. OBA .366 / Close & Late OBA .397) we'd be much better at the top of the order. Hanley, Pedroia, Cabrera, Willy...maybe the Sox/Ralins would work to include a dissapointing Coco Crisp in a deal...then we add a veteran catcher and away we go

 

OBP with runners in scoring position:

Josh Willingham .459

Jason Wood .457

Miguel Cabrera .444 .

Aaron Boone .417

Matt Treanor .417

Hanley Ramirez .363

Jeremy Hermida .359

Mike Jacobs .333

Joe Borchard .317

Miguel Olivo .283

Dan Uggla .275

 

OBP in Close & Late Situations:

Aaron Boone .488

Hanley Ramirez .416

Cody Ross .414 .

Jeremy Hermida .396

Josh Willingham .338

Matt Treanor.333

Alejandro De Aza .316

Jason Wood .313

Miguel Cabrera .307

Alfredo Amezaga .301 .

Miguel Olivo .300

Todd Linden .286

Mike Jacobs .280

Dan Uggla .270

 

There's a difference between what your team/organization wants out of you and what you can do and are as a player. Uggla does not belong in the 2 spot. Now, he needs to make adjustments so that he can cut down on strikeouts and bring his average up, but he will hit 20-30 hrs. A guy with that kind of power, no speed, and strikes out a lot, does not belong in that spot. He's just been ill used imo. If he had started hitting in the 280s again like I thought he would at the beginning of the season one would reconsider, but he just hasn't.

I feel bad for him. He's a nice guy. It sucks that he feels that way.

He brought it on himself, and to be honest...I dont see teams lining up to sign him. MiLB contract w/invite to spring training maybe.

 

Do your job properly and you wont have to look over your shoulder thinking people are whispering about you.