2011 Catcher

by MarlinFanatic on Sep 18, 2025 6:53 PM EDT

Obviously the Marlins need a good catcher for the next season, so who do you think would be the best fit for us? I personally think we should try to sign V-Mart. I read recently that the fish have been tied to Mike Napoli of the Angels. I would not want to trade for a aging Napoli who hits in the .240-.250 range. Hopefully Loria doesn't mess up yet another trade for us.

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Read More: Mike Napoli (1B - ANA), Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Angels

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If Napoli is "aging" at 28...

…why exactly is Martinez not “aging” at 31? I’m actually more worried about Martinez in that regard, because catchers tend to decline around 33-34.

Other than that, I’d love to see either one of those players in a Marlins uniform. I don’t think it’ll happen, but they’re both strong players.

I’d say Napoli is more likely, because he’s been chronically underrated by his manager, and because he won’t command as much money as Martinez.

You’re quoting his batting average (in an off-year… he was in the .270-.275 range the last two seasons). Well, how about his on-base percentage? Napoli walks way more than Martinez, which goes a long way toward closing that gap. And he has substantially more raw power. They’re pretty much even in terms of career OPS.

Neither one is much of an asset as a defender, unfortunately.

I mean, I don’t know. I’ll believe the Marlins signing a substantial free agent when I see it. But I hope they do… at this point, catcher is the one real hole we have in the lineup.

Unless, of course, it takes playing time away from Ryan Anderson.

by 3.3seconds on Sep 18, 2025 8:42 PM EDT reply actions

Agreed

Victor Martinez is one of the most over-rated catchers in Baseball, his asking price would be too much for us, and hes not even that great. Mike Napoli seems like a good fit.

I personally dont mind either a healthy John Baker or Ronny. If Ronny can stay of those PEDs then he should play again next season and be in good form.

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by auh11 on Sep 18, 2025 9:00 PM EDT up reply actions

I dunno

I’d love to get Mike Napoli, but until that day comes, the Marlins really should plan on a Brett Hayes/Brad Davis tandem to open up 2011. At very least, the staff is comfortable with both catchers, and that goes a long way helping the team.

Chris Coghlan is the 2009 NLRoY (that's a +1 for me!)
Josh Johnson for the 2010 NL Cy Young!

by ocelotfox on Sep 19, 2025 1:34 AM EDT up reply actions

Baker

Unfortunately, Baker won’t be back until at least the second half next season. So as of right now it would look like a Paulino/ Hayes tandem to begin the season. I would say that the fish would be “okay” with that to start the season, however, it should not be overlooked that with a hypothetical lineup of;

1. 3B Chris Coghlan
2. LF Logan Morrison
3. SS Hanley Ramirez
4. 2B Dan Uggla
5. RF Mike Stanton
6. 1B Gaby Sanchez
7. C
8. CF Cameron Maybin

The real emphasis should be on grabbing a catcher that is good at working with a young pitching staff, no necessarily a guy to come in and put up huge numbers. For this reason, the aging and defensively challenged Victor Martinez would not be my first, second, or third choice if we were to bring in someone, not to mention the contract.

That said, I don’t see the Marlins making a play for a “guy” since they seemed to like Baker pre-TJ surgery. Wouldn’t mind them attempting to get a young guy since C isn’t a huge place of depth in the organization.

by Marlinsin7 on Sep 18, 2025 10:47 PM EDT reply actions

I agree with Ocelotfox, if the Marlins stay with the present available catchers...

if they don’t and the Rangers let Matt Treanor go, he would easily be what Marlinsin7 is suggesting in his second paragraph. Paulino will not be available at the start of next season, even if the Marlins decide to offer him a contract at all.

That said, the Marlins front office see catcher as an offensive position, not a defensive position, which in my opinion is the wrong way to think about it.

by craig on Sep 19, 2025 1:56 AM EDT reply actions

Well, yes and no.

Catcher is a more important defensive position than most, but all positions are equally offensive. It would be nice to at least have a catcher who isn’t a liability at bat, because if you have to carry a guy who’s a liability like that, the 8-9 portion of the lineup is going to kill whatever your offense has going.

Paulino’s a liability at bat, as are Hayes and Davis. And none of them is a plus defender either… they’re just about average. They’re not making up for anything in the field.

Baker wasn’t a liability in his first two years, though he’s not a very good defender at all. Assuming he recovers fully from his surgery, he looks like the best option going forward, though he’s not exactly young. At least he does something well.

For my part, I continue to hope (with little or no confidence) that Kyle Skipworth is just a late bloomer.

Unless, of course, it takes playing time away from Ryan Anderson.

by 3.3seconds on Sep 19, 2025 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Napoli's from south florida if that means anything

He’d be a lot better than Paulino since he actually can take a walk and has power. I’d be thrilled to have him.

by tdp992 on Sep 19, 2025 6:40 PM EDT reply actions

His stats, even in this off year:

.244/.321/.486

Meanwhile:

.244/.317/.511

We all know Stanton’s capable of more. (So is Napoli, but never mind that.) But if you gave me a guy who could produce like rookie Mike Stanton from catcher… well, yeah, I’ll take that.

Unless, of course, it takes playing time away from Ryan Anderson.

by 3.3seconds on Sep 20, 2025 5:02 PM EDT up reply actions

I would just love to find a catcher who could play like John Jaso of the Rays

He may not be the best hitter or have much power, but he’s a solid defender who takes a ton of walks and sees a lot of pitches. When you can’t have a Joe Mauer or Buster Posey, that’s what you want to see in a catcher.

Chris Coghlan is the 2009 NLRoY (that's a +1 for me!)
Josh Johnson for the 2010 NL Cy Young!

by ocelotfox on Sep 19, 2025 7:55 PM EDT reply actions

Yeah, Jaso's pretty great.

Especially on a team like the Rays, where if he can get on base, there’s a good chance someone will put him across.

Of course, between Hanley and Uggla, and now Stanton/Logan/Gaby, the Marlins are developing into a pretty strong lineup too. If Maybin can finally learn the curve ball, or Coghlan can recover his ‘09 form (or something like it), or Bonifacio’s play isn’t just some September fluke (which it is, but bear with me here…)

Well, not only is that a good lineup, it’s a good lineup that is pretty evenly distributed around the diamond. The only real question marks are 3B and catcher… and even third might be Matt Dominguez’s territory in a couple years. (Yes, things get a bit more complicated if the Marlins can’t retain Uggla. Still.)

Unless, of course, it takes playing time away from Ryan Anderson.

by 3.3seconds on Sep 20, 2025 5:08 PM EDT up reply actions

I ultimately doubt the Fish will go for either player, but it would be great to see

Keep in mind that we would have to deal something for Napoli. He’s team controlled through 2012 via arbitration, so he wouldn’t come cheap. Neither would Martinez, of course, but the Fish are already low on trade chips outside of perhaps Gaby Sanchez (depending on how you see Morrison in LF in the future).

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by SFiercex4 on Sep 21, 2025 6:22 PM EDT reply actions