Toronto's Gabriel Moreno is Catching Eyes
Moreno is making waves and the Blue Jays have a dilemma at catcher. Plus, monster mashes and moments of zen!
The Kid Can Play
A catcher throwing out a would-be base-stealer at second is one of my favorite plays in baseball. The frenzied chaos of the steal is unparalleled in baseball. The scramble for the middle infielders to cover the bag, the full-out sprint of the baserunner, the catcher uncoiling from his crouch like a spring, receiving the pitch and firing it back up the middle all in one motion, like a burst of lightning.
The man with the cannon in the video above is Blue Jays rookie catcher, Gabriel Moreno. The 22-year-old is something of a defensive phenom behind the dish. He’s got one of the best poptimes – the time it takes for a catcher to receive a pitch and throw it down to second or third base on a steal attempt – in the MLB already, just eight games into his career. He fires the ball off in just 1.86 seconds on average, which is good for second-best in the bigs, trailing only J.T. Realmuto of the Phillies. In 36 games at Triple-A this year, Moreno threw out 15 baserunners trying to swipe a base, against only 13 stolen bases allowed.
For someone so young, Gabby looks extremely confident behind the plate, too. I watched him receive pitches yesterday against the White Sox in the Jays’ 9-5 win, and I was struck by how at ease and in command he looked at the highest level. He looked like he had been catching big-league pitching for years, not days. It’s early, but he already ranks in the upper-third of catchers in Catcher Framing Runs and Strike Rate, the two Statcast metrics that measure a backstop’s defensive value.
Oh, by the way? The kid can hit, too. He hit for a .324 average with a .380 OBP with a .404 SLG in the minors this year, with 23 RBIs and a 17.3% K rate. That strikeout rate is not elite, but it is above average, and in today’s MLB, someone who doesn’t get themselves out at an above average rate is a valuable asset. In 28 plate appearances in the majors, which, granted, is a minuscule sample size, he has produced, hitting .393 with a .843 OPS. So far, he’s got 11 hits to just one strikeout. Those numbers are likely unsustainable, but he is making a splash in his first few games.
He picked up two hits in Toronto’s victory yesterday, including a double that should have been a single, but the left fielder was lazy getting the ball into the infield, and Moreno used his athleticism to stretch his hit into extra bases.
Did I mention he can run, too? Moreno ranks in the 74th percentile for sprint speed in the big leagues, which for a catcher is damn impressive. For context, teammate and Toronto starting catcher, Alejandro Kirk, ranks in the 6th percentile for sprint speed.
Speaking of Kirk, he is leading the All-Star vote for AL catchers, and will likely be in Los Angeles for the Midsummer Classic. He’s having a career year, with a .307/.395/.487 slash line, 8 homers, and 26 RBIs. He is in the top 2% of the league for K-rate and is one of only a handful players with a positive walk-to-strikeout ratio. He is demolishing fastballs, with a batting average of .355 and a .573 slugging percentage against the hard stuff. Last year, he hit just .218 against fastballs. He is clearly seeing the ball better than ever and is punishing pitchers for it.
Before he hit the IL and triggered Moreno’s call up, backup catcher Danny Jansen was also having a career year offensively. He was hitting .232 with a .915 OPS and seven dingers to go along with 13 RBIs. He is making his way back from a fractured pinky finger, and is probably going to be ready to return to the club in the next couple of weeks. However, with Moreno producing like he is, the Blue Jays have a decision to make. Do they send Moreno back down to Triple-A, even though it seems like he has progressed past the minor leagues? Do they seek a trade for Jansen to free up more playing time for the rookie? Or do they decide to carry three catchers on their roster?
Only time will tell whether Gabby Moreno can sustain his positive numbers from the plate. Personally, I think sending him back down to Triple-A would be counter-productive, as Statcast has him ahead of Jansen defensively and he has shown already that he can rake at the lower levels. So, the question then becomes, do you carry three catchers, which limits your flexibility at other positions, or do you try to trade one? The way Kirk has been hitting, I would shy away from the three-catcher option, because I think you want to get him as many plate appearances as possible, and while he could DH, he is also better defensively than Danny Jansen.
If the Blue Jays could package a couple prospects with Danny Jansen and get back another arm for their bullpen, or maybe a left-handed bat, then I think it would be worth it to trade him. At 39-30, Toronto is already a well-rounded ball club, but they could improve in those two areas. Having three good catchers is a dilemma that any team would love to have. If they can get a solid return on Jansen, then I think the trade is worth it in order to clear playing time for Kirk and Moreno.
Monster Mashes of the Night
Marlins star Jazz Chisholm sent this one into the atmosphere. It came down eventually, but I had my doubts for a second there.
Teoscar Hernandez made his contributions to the Blue Jays win over the White Sox with this blast:
The catcher with the most flow, Jorge Alfaro, bombed one into the Western Metal Supply Company building in San Diego:
And Houston’s Yordan Alvarez hit his third home run in two games against the Mets with this mammoth shot:
Alvarez’s wRC+ is 201, best in the majors. I tweeted this after his first home run of the day yesterday:
The Astros swept the two-game series from the Mets this week. At 43-25 and with a 10 game lead in the AL West, they look like contenders once again. Alvarez is a huge part of why.
ShaikenBake’s Moment of Zen
This fan played Simon Says with the broadcast booth:
Come on. How can you not love this sport??
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