Napoli Not Happy With Lack Of Playing Time
I want to trust Sosh on this one, but it's hard not to see the value in adding Napoli's bat to our lineup. It's probably just a case of going with the hot hand, and once Mathis goes mendoza again we'll see the re-emergence of Napoli.
about 2 years ago
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Napoli - Scioscia - Mathis
“It’s a crowded relationship.” – Diana Princess of Wales
The 2009 Pregame Picks Winner and Iron Man of Halos Heaven.com
Mathis behind the plate looks so damn good though
I miss Nap’s bat but Mathis batting .333 and looking good behind the plate is enough to keep Napoli’s powerful yet streaky hitting and shitty defense riding the pine. I love Napoli and I’d love to see him DH more but he scares me behind the plate.
The dugout in Texas has exactly 12 steps.
I'm with Napoli on this one
I don’t get it. Mathis has hit .333 in 24 at bats, that is no reason to throw everything we’ve seen over the last 4 years out the window. Mathis can’t hit.
Oh, and who is the only Angel catcher to throw out an opposing base stealer this year? That’s right. Napoli.
The HK-47 hitting droid is the finest line drive machine ever built
by RallyMonkey5 on Apr 16, 2010 6:57 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Who is the only one being ran on
Napoli – 3 games started 5 SB attempts
Mathis – 7 games started 2 SB attempts
R.I.P. King Ad-Rock #34
It's the pitcher typically being run on.
Napoli and Mathis have identical career caught stealing s. They are both at 23.
The idea that Mathis is better at catch and throw, and nails more runners, is objective false.
by Turks Teeth on Apr 16, 2010 12:38 PM PDT up reply actions
Trade him?
I love Naps but think about it…
There are a lot of teams who would love to have Naps on their team. We could probably replace him with someone quality.
I know that between defensive and their CERA, there actually isn’t a huge difference between the two. However, its pretty obvious to anyone who watches Angels day in and out that Mathis seems to have less balls get by him (couldn’t find this stat on baseball-reference)…and just seems to call an all and all better game.
Wilson would be a fine backup and Conger is on his way through our minor league system.
Finally, if Naps is going to be a whiny bitch on the bench then all the more reason to ship him out.
Halos & Clips...must have something to do with the color red and jaded pasts...
by BryanHarvey'sMoustache on Apr 16, 2010 10:14 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
As a Naps supporter....
You’re last sentence says it all.
FREE BRANDON WOOD!
by halofan4life on Apr 16, 2010 10:21 AM PDT up reply actions
huh?
Halos & Clips...must have something to do with the color red and jaded pasts...
by BryanHarvey'sMoustache on Apr 16, 2010 12:08 PM PDT up reply actions
he said, “you are last sentence says it all.” i think that is perfectly clear. then again, i’m drinking already.
nice.
i have to wait until i hit the 91 to start my first drink of the day.
What do you need a fancy suit for, Charlie, you ain't got no job to wear it to.
by clover_black on Apr 16, 2010 12:49 PM PDT up reply actions
I want Naps to play as much as anyone.
Finally, if Naps is going to be a whiny bitch on the bench then all the more reason to ship him out.
But this team has no place for whiners on it.
FREE BRANDON WOOD!
by halofan4life on Apr 16, 2010 2:15 PM PDT up reply actions
oh okay....
just seemingly conflicting statements at first…but i get it! my bad!
Halos & Clips...must have something to do with the color red and jaded pasts...
by BryanHarvey'sMoustache on Apr 16, 2010 9:55 PM PDT up reply actions
"its pretty obvious to anyone who watches Angels day in and out"
The coda for a man too lazy to look it up, and relying on creative remembering to support a point the facts do not.
Last season:
Napoli had 5 passed balls last season in 758 innings behind the plate.
Mathis had 6 passed balls last season in 657 innings behind the plate.
In their careers, both Napoli and Mathis have 15 passed balls credited to them. But Napoli has caught 607 more innings than Mathis. Objectively, it’s pretty obvious to anyone who reads these two posts that you’ve made a factually incorrect assertion, and Napoli has proportionally fewer balls go by him.
And what supports the proposition that Mathis simply “call(s) an all and all better game”? Because it’s the lazy mantra of the men on the TV? If it has no measurable impact on the game, it’s pure speculation.
We have a manager in Mike Scioscia who believes in ridiculous black magic like CERA — and believes there should be no impact on CERA when one pitcher disproportionately catches pitchers like Weaver and Lackey, and the other pitcher disproportionately catches Santana and Saunders. It’s not like Mike refuses to consult the numbers — he just consuts (and manages by) the wrong ones.
by Turks Teeth on Apr 16, 2010 12:36 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Okay Turks, ease up a bit.
I did go to baseball-reference as my original post says but I am apparently not as website savvy (and/or I have other things to do with my day).
Second of all, if were in a critiquing sort of mood, its pretty standard protocol on HH and actually every single other website that has any credibiliy to link to your statistical information so the rest of us can assess it and draw our own conclusions.
Also, I actually DO research, AS MY POST I WROTE THIS OFF-SEASON (notice how these words are different…its because its a link that you can click on!) shows regarding this very same subject. OH and LOOK…what does it show? Mathis saving us 2.8 runs a season and Naps actually costing us runs…
so in defense, its not like i am entirely an uninformed, armchair assfuck making outlandish statements.
Halos & Clips...must have something to do with the color red and jaded pasts...
by BryanHarvey'sMoustache on Apr 16, 2010 9:53 PM PDT up reply actions
Sorry -- I shouldn't ride you so hard.
But I hate the Ad Populum fallacy, especially when it’s completely counterfactual. There’s something inherently snide-sounding about the “anyone who watches the Angels should know…” rhetorical dodge, y’know?
As to my source, just look up the PB (passed ball) listings at Baseball Reference. You had already cited the source, so I didn’t think I had to point you to it.
by Turks Teeth on Apr 17, 2010 7:48 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
How do you know Scioscia believes in CERA? Are YOU at the catchers meetings?
Play Wood already. Willits sucks.
No, it's been written about often.
See end of article here.
“I gotta step up my defense to stay on the field,” Napoli said. “I gotta get in tune with my pitchers, try to get them to execute pitches the best they can. I’ve done it. I know how to do it. I just need to step everything up and get my ERA down.”
CERA is a number that many stat analysts dismiss as having little value in evaluating catchers.
“Mike (Scioscia) doesn’t,” Napoli said quickly to that.
Don't you think the pitchers have a say in who catches for them?
I’m pretty sure Weaver and Santana actually PREFER Mathis.
"Precious in the sight of the Lord, is the death of His Saints." - Psalm 116:15 Rest In Peace, Nick.
Phrases like "Don't you think...?" and "I'm pretty sure..."
are prefaces for stating opinion. I would just imagine, and it would make sense that, since these pitchers have been working with these catchers for so many years, that they would have a preference that’s all. Just guessing.
"Precious in the sight of the Lord, is the death of His Saints." - Psalm 116:15 Rest In Peace, Nick.
For the sake of argument...
Say mathis keeps hitting .300+ all year and gets 15 home runs. Who do you want behind the plate then? Naps who’s a .250/ 25 HR kinda guy or the .300/ 15 HR mathis?
by Balls and Strikes on Apr 16, 2010 2:42 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
That's kind of a push.
It would also depend on the rest of your lineup, you need a mix of power and average and speed to make the convert plate appearances into runs.
Rory Markas. Alex Chilton. 2010, you suck!
by LazorkoRules on Apr 16, 2010 3:16 PM PDT up reply actions
I agree with Lazarko.
Then you’d have to look at RBI’s, OPS and other such metrics. IMO, if the that’s the line we go on, Mathis wins with superior defense.
FREE BRANDON WOOD!
by halofan4life on Apr 16, 2010 3:28 PM PDT up reply actions
Your assumption defies the logic that is Mathis' career stats.
If he could do it, this wouldn’t be an issue. But we all know Jeff’s going to see his friend .220 soon enough.
by snowhor on Apr 16, 2010 4:09 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Mathis
is quicker behind the plate, does the little things better (frames pitches, moves his feet, solid targets, etc.) and will continue to improve with the bat. He also has a better arm despite his stats being identical to Napoli in throwing out baserunners.
He is the better catcher. Napoli looks sloppy and lazy behind the plate—though his bat and eye are a plus offensively.
I’m all for trading Napoli if we can get something good in return. We’ve got Conger the Donger in the pipeline anyway. The problem is Napoli’s gotta play to increase his value. And whining to the press is not gonna work in Scioscia world.
I recall when Mathis was first brought up to replace Bengie Molina in 2006,
he was initially considered the preferred catcher over Mike Napoli. Although he had shown signs of hitting ability and power in the minors, he wasn’t able to adjust his bat to MLB pitching, thus he was returned to AAA in lieu of the more homer-happy, yet strike-out prone, receiver.
A year and a half younger than Napoli, he was was clearly more adroit at retrieving errant pitches or balls in the dirt. Back then, the Angels had a truck load of pitchers who commonly threw in the dirt (KRod, Kevin Gregg, Shields, Lackey, Donnelly, Escobar, Hector Carrassco, Esteban Yan). That increasing tendency to let balls get by him was probably one of the reasons why they were so willing to let BMolina walk in his Free Agent year (aside from his weight and slow speed………..some on this site called BMolina “The Crab”).
At the time, they originally had Jose Molina and Jeff Mathis lined up to catch, with Napoli as the main back-up in AAA; it’s obvious to me that Mathis was our catcher of the future, not Napoli.
After 28 games and a 12-16 record, Jose Molina was batting .161 in 16 starts. Mathis was batting .103 in 12 starts. Napoli was called up, Mathis sent down.
Napoli’s first MLB game was May 4, 2006…..He homered to left center field on a 1-2 pitch in his first MLB AB.
Mathis now sees Napoli beside him and Conger over his shoulder…………….competition is a beautiful thing.
Absolutely,
Mathis was the top catching prospect. I never heard of Napoli until he came up … but then again, we never had the minor league coverage we have now at Halos Heaven.
I love this team.
by Downing Rules on Apr 17, 2010 9:17 AM PDT up reply actions
Minor league coverage needed to keep so many from saying the same things over
and over and over and over again.
????
“is quicker behind the plate, does the little things better (frames pitches, moves his feet, solid targets, etc.) and will continue to improve with the bat. He also has a better arm despite his stats being identical to Napoli in throwing out baserunners.
He is the better catcher. Napoli looks sloppy and lazy behind the plate"
Sorry I don’t buy any of that. The nickname for Mathis I hear Angel fans use, is Clumsy Smurf.
Wow that's a new one
If Mathis is Clumsy Smurf, does that mean Naps is Gargamel?
R.I.P. King Ad-Rock #34
Napoli/Mathis
I think Napoli should be starting 2/3 of the games at catcher, and 20 more at DH. Neither of these guys are good defensively. Mathis is agile, but he hasn’t thrown out many runners. Napoli has proven he can be an offensive force. At worst, he’s still above average. Mathis has pretty AVG/OBP/SLG numbers early, but he’s still striking out quite a bit, swinging and missing roughly twice the major league average, hitting the same amount of ground balls, not getting many extra base hits. He’s going to end up hitting less than .250. And I’m being kind considering his track record. Mathis is a fine backup. Why can’t that be it? What’s changed over the offseason? I have heard that Mathis works harder…. maybe quite a bit…. but is that a new thing or did it just finally wear on Scioscia? It’s strange to see their playing time change drastically… and suddenly…
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