The NY media is pushing the idea of another personal catcher scenario:
On the morning of an A.J. Burnett start, the concept of a personal catcher was a topic in Joe Girardi’s pregame interview session. For a change, it had nothing to do with Burnett, who is making his third straight start Saturday with Jorge Posada behind the plate. C.C. Sabathia pitched brilliantly Friday night for the second consecutive outing, and both have come with the backup, Francisco Cervelli, catching him.
If this ends up happening, this would be really, really stupid. CC is a great pitcher regardless of who’s behind the plate. He doesn’t need a personal catcher who can’t hit. Sometimes we’d really like to dropkick the media in the chest.
21 Comments
Brian April 17, 2010 21:47
but Cervelli is so gritty and gutty! he is obviously better at calling games than Posada who has 15 years of experience at the position!
Kevin S. April 17, 2010 21:57
What I’m confused about is how AJ was able to throw seven shutout innings tonight with Posada behind the plate.
modey3 April 17, 2010 22:43
One day Cervelli will replace Posada as the full-time catcher, but not anytime soon. Give Francisco some credit the only thing that Posada has over him is his offensive production, which is big.
Babe Ruth April 18, 2010 00:23
Yeah…. and the only thing Posada has over John Flaherty is his offensive production, which is big.
petebannedme April 18, 2010 00:31
Girardi: “Read My Lips – No Personal Catcher!”
Brian April 18, 2010 00:44
It makes sense to use him behind CC, simply because his offense production is so paltry compared to Posada’s.
Naturally, you’d want to use him when you have your best pitcher on the mound (obviously CC), as you’d need the least amount of run production to secure victory, on average.
Kevin Davis April 18, 2010 02:33
What’s Cisco Cervellis’ batting avg? Can’t hit????
Angry Black Ostrich April 18, 2010 05:08
What’s his batting average after 6 at bats? I’m not totally sure, but I think it’s .whogivesafuckits6fuckingatbats.
Jesus, they’ll let any idiot on the interwebs these days.
Pete April 18, 2010 10:44
Agreed, that would be dumb. Of course, Cervelli does need to get semi-regular playing time to stay sharp, and CC gives the team the most cushion for fielding a weak offensive lineup, but Posada definitely needs to catch at least 20-25 starts from CC this year so that he can catch him throughout the postseason without issue. But CC can dominate no matter who is catching him.
Pete April 18, 2010 10:47
@modey3:
Sorry, but Cervelli is not going to be the Yankees everyday catcher in the future. He has no power and has never demonstrated an ability to hit consistently. I think he’s an excellent defensive catcher, and I think he holds a lot of value as a backup catcher, but when you’ve got Montero, Romine, Higashioka, and Gary Sanchez in your system, you don’t have to give Cervelli 500+ PA per season, like, ever.
petebannedme April 18, 2010 12:07
I doubt Cervelli will become an everyday player here, but he has been a superb backup in his limited experience. His career “clutch” numbers thus far are very good. He’s not an automatic out in a big spot.
Steve April 18, 2010 15:43
Posada needs 1-2 days off a week. He’s 39. Who cares how they want to do it? This response is almost as hysterical as the initial report.
c.c. sabathia April 18, 2010 16:00
Posada is a dick.
JoeThunder April 18, 2010 16:13
Let’s get Tim McCarver in here to catch CC.
CarlinNJ April 18, 2010 17:36
@Steve – Because then you get into a situation where Cervelli HAS TO catch Sabathia. Like when we saw Molina in the playoffs. Cervelli should play when Posada needs a rest, not because CC is pitching.
Steve April 18, 2010 19:26
That’s not going to happen. CC is not AJ. He’ll throw to anyone and he’ll dominate.
Like I said, this response is completely overblown. It’s April 18th, the Yankees are 9-3. It’s like we NEED something to complain about
swedski April 19, 2010 06:01
Whine Whine Whine
We kickin a and it sounds like the Nation is panicing and infiltrating NoMaas.
The key is not who CC throws to but how Javy does from now on!
Much more important than this crap
Butcher April 19, 2010 09:51
The real question is…how many games do they let Posada catch this year? At 38/39…how many do you think he can handle? I say 130 is a good number…anything more and you’re taking a big risk with getting him injured. So it almost makes sense to start planning for that now by having Cervelli catch two games a week.
Butcher April 19, 2010 09:53
Also I think Posada should be DHing some of the games he’s not playing…no question they need to keep his bat in the lineup.
Javier Vasquez April 19, 2010 10:20
The ball always smells like piss when Posada throws it back to me. I want a personal catcher.
Matt April 19, 2010 14:57
Posada can’t catch everyday and it’s nice for a pitcher to have the same catcher for every start (and for a catcher to get used to a pitcher). Cervelli is young and catching for a veteran like CC will do him some good. Also, the Yankees have less need for offense on days when CC is pitching.