One of the puzzles of the 2008 season was the precipitous decline in the offensive production of the Phillies' catching core of Carlos Ruiz and Chris Coste. Ruiz, who by year end had won the everyday job, hit .219 in 320 at-bats. Coste hit .263 in 274 at-bats. This was in stark contrast to 2007, when Ruiz hit .259 in 374 a-bats and Coste .279 in 129 at-bats. And Coste hit .328 in almost 200 at-bats in '06. So last year's decline is hard to ignore and even harder to explain. Particularly painful - together, the two catchers hit into 24 double plays in '08; that's a whole lot of rally killers.
Coste's drop off was particularly striking as he hit only .239 after the All Star break last year - this from a player who had contributed many clutch hits in the previous two years and had become something of a folk hero. Now his place on the roster seems to be in jeapardy as he competes with the newly acquired Ronny Paulino. The latter's resume is not overwhelming as he spent most of last season in the minors but prior to that he did have two respectable hitting seasons with the Pirates.
Ruiz did show signs of life last year. After the All Star break, he hit .244 and he was an offensive star in the playoffs so it will be most interesting to see which version of the man from Panama emerges this year. No less an authority than Chris Coste believes the late-blooming bat of Ruiz was the real McCoy.
So why does this matter? Is a good-hitting catcher a necessity? The Phils did after all win the world championship. Yes, but to do that a lot of stars had to line up in the South Philly sky - Can Brad Lidge be perfect for the duration of the Obama administration? Can Ryan Howard hit 100 home runs every September? Can Ryan Madson find another 5 mph on his fastball? Look at some of the catchers in the rest of the division - Brian McCann of the Braves, John Baker of the Marlins, Brian Schneider of the Mets - and you find solid hitters with power. Carlos Ruiz may be an excellent defensive catcher but if the Phillies are going to make a run as perennial contenders, it would sure help if he could raise his average 30 points or so.
Showing posts with label Carlos Ruiz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carlos Ruiz. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Monday, September 15, 2008
The Suicide Squeeze
Milwaukee at Philadelphia in an important late-season game. The Phils had a 3-1 lead going into the bottom of the 7th but their 7th and 8th inning relief pitching has been increasingly unreliable. An insurance run or two would be most welcome so they could hand a lead to their indomitable closer, Brad Lidge, in the 9th inning.
In the 7th, the Phillies' fleet center fielder, Shane Victorino, was on second with no outs. So far so good. Pedro Feliz was next up. He is an inconsistent hitter with power, prone to the strike out. Somewhat surprisingly he bunted and the sacrifice was successful. Victorino advanced to third base, now with one out. The next batter was Carlos Ruiz. Ruiz is an excellent defensive catcher with a batting average barely above .200 all season. However, in recent weeks, his hitting has been showing signs of life. On his way to the plate, Ruiz matter-of-factly asked a teammate the sign for the squeeze. Manager Charlie Manuel, who has not called for the squeeze all year, heard this exchange and was somewhat bemused.
The relief pitcher for the Brewers was right-hander Carlos Villanueva who was pitching from the windup with Victorino on third. So the stars were aligned for a successful squeeze: fast runner on third, a right-handed batter to block the catcher's view, a pitcher using the windup, a good bunter, and presumably the element of surprise. A left-handed pitcher would have been even better, but what does it matter because Charlie Manuel NEVER squeezes anyway?
Ruiz worked the count to 2 and 1, and one of the balls was a pitchout - so much for the element of surprise. Villanueva then started into his windup. Victorino held his ground momentarily but then broke hard for the plate. In the meantime, Ruiz did not show bunt until the right-hander released the pitch. It was too late for the Brewers to react. Ruiz's bunt was soft and up the third base line, much better than was needed. Victorino scored easily, the Phils had their insurance run, and they went on to win. And Charlie Manuel was still bemused.
Baseball's suicide squeeze - a beautiful thing.
In the 7th, the Phillies' fleet center fielder, Shane Victorino, was on second with no outs. So far so good. Pedro Feliz was next up. He is an inconsistent hitter with power, prone to the strike out. Somewhat surprisingly he bunted and the sacrifice was successful. Victorino advanced to third base, now with one out. The next batter was Carlos Ruiz. Ruiz is an excellent defensive catcher with a batting average barely above .200 all season. However, in recent weeks, his hitting has been showing signs of life. On his way to the plate, Ruiz matter-of-factly asked a teammate the sign for the squeeze. Manager Charlie Manuel, who has not called for the squeeze all year, heard this exchange and was somewhat bemused.
The relief pitcher for the Brewers was right-hander Carlos Villanueva who was pitching from the windup with Victorino on third. So the stars were aligned for a successful squeeze: fast runner on third, a right-handed batter to block the catcher's view, a pitcher using the windup, a good bunter, and presumably the element of surprise. A left-handed pitcher would have been even better, but what does it matter because Charlie Manuel NEVER squeezes anyway?
Ruiz worked the count to 2 and 1, and one of the balls was a pitchout - so much for the element of surprise. Villanueva then started into his windup. Victorino held his ground momentarily but then broke hard for the plate. In the meantime, Ruiz did not show bunt until the right-hander released the pitch. It was too late for the Brewers to react. Ruiz's bunt was soft and up the third base line, much better than was needed. Victorino scored easily, the Phils had their insurance run, and they went on to win. And Charlie Manuel was still bemused.
Baseball's suicide squeeze - a beautiful thing.
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