Scott Olsen implied, or maybe stated emphatically, who he wants behind the plate when he pitches.
Having the inside edge to be the Marlins' Opening Day starter, Olsen worked two efficient and scoreless innings in the Grapefruit League opener against the Nationals.
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Olsen worked at a brisk pace, staying in a good rhythm with Matt Treanor. In all, the lefty threw 25 pitches, with 16 for strikes.
"I generally don't like to take time at all between pitches," Olsen said. "And working with Treanor, he knows me very well, and I have a whole lot of confidence in him. Whatever he puts down, I'm going to throw."
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"I like how [Treanor] trusts me and I trust him," Olsen said. "He gets me back on the mound without thinking too much. See a finger and throw a pitch.
"When you can get that kind of trust from your catcher, it keeps the pace up, and it keeps everybody in the game."
As almost all you know, I am a big fan of getting the right catcher with the right pitcher. I think it makes a difference.
If Treanor only catches one pitcher in the rotation this season, it needs to be Scott Olsen. Without a doubt when Treanor is behind the plate in an Olsen start he has the ability to keep Scott focused, even when the defense is letting Olsen down. Which has been a challenge in the past.
Fortunately, Fredi is going with catcher pitcher matchups this season and not days of the week.
Mike Rabelo and Treanor are going to split the job, and Gonzalez said matchups will likely play a big part of who gets the most work.
Treanor caught Olsen on Tuesday, and Rabelo will be behind the plate on Thursday.
While with Detroit last year, Rabelo caught left-hander Andrew Miller. Now that both are with the Marlins, Gonzalez said it isn't automatic the two will work together.
"Maybe we'll figure matchups with the starting pitchers on the other side," Gonzalez said.
From everything I've read, Rabelo is a good defensive catcher. So the pitchers shouldn't face the same fate as last year when they threw a strike and it was just as likely to end up going to the screen as landing in Olivo's mitt.
But no matter how good Rabelo is, Treanor needs to catch Olsen, if for no other reason than for Olsen's peace of mind. And possibly our own.