Napoli, Posey And Antlers

1 of 2

This spring Buster Posey will be rejoining the San Francisco Giants after having his leg broken in an intense collision while he was blocking the plate in attempt to keep Florida Marlins Scott Cousins from scoring. In an interview today the Giants head coach Bruce Bochy gave an interview in which he said he had made it clear to Posey that he will no longer be allowed to block the plate in an attempt to stop a run.

Why does this matter to Texas Rangers fans? Because of a certain play by Mike Napoli blocking the plate in the bottom of the 8th in game 4 of the ALCS to keep the game tied. If Bochy is allowed to take Posey out of plays like this over concern over his health than a vital part of baseball will be gone at least in the games he plays. Seeing Napoli hold on while he was hit like a truck by big Miguel Cabrera was awe inspiring. But had Cabrera just been allowed to score could have changed the course of history.

The danger of injuries to quality catchers is a concern for managers in all levels of the Rangers organization. But the aggressive style of play that has been associated with Ron Washington make plays like this possible not only against Rangers catchers but by the Rangers runners. This showed up in the play that Josh Hamilton attempted last season that ended up putting him out of the lineup for two months with a broken bone.

The speed and aggressiveness that the Rangers show on the base pads is a hallmark of this team. With that being said even though there is the possibility Bochy may just be posturing for Posey to stop an easy run from being scored. Yet this idea may be taken up by other teams like the Twins who have issues with injuries with their star catchers.

Will the Rangers gain a reputation for playing a team’s concern about their player’s safety against that team? And does that even matter?

If Bochy really is going to allow soft runs by making attempts at tags without blocking then any run that is scored on plays like that should not be charged to the runner or negatively affect Posey’s statistics. Catchers know how to play the position and they know what could happen in bad situations.

Rangers’ faithful can remember the rise and fall of some great and not so great catchers like Ivan Rodriguez and Bill Fahey and Bill Haselman. A play at the plate can make a catcher’s career, or it can end it.

Show me your antlers. Go Rangers

Home / Texas Rangers News

Schedule