March 13, 2008

Mirabelli Released

It's a move that's been long overdue, but I'm still surprised.

Tony Massarotti, Herald:
Prior to today's meeting between the Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays at City of Palms Park, the Red Sox informed Mirabelli that he has been released. Mirabelli confirmed the move by phone, but declined to comment on the team's decision following the team’s morning workout.

Mirabelli had been in the starting lineup and was scheduled to catch right-hander Bartolo Colon. ... The Sox informed Mirabelli of their decision during batting practice this morning, the player said.
Nick Cafardo, Globe:
Wakefield endorsed [Kevin] Cash last season when Cash caught him and at that point it gave the Red Sox the thought that Cash could be a cheaper way to address the backup catcher role. [Dusty] Brown has caught minor league knuckleballer Charlie Zink. ...

Cash is a nonroster player, and he had not yet been upgraded to the roster. He appears to be a likely choice to be added, however.

The Sox replaced Mirabelli in the lineup with Brown, who is also considered a possible candidate for the major league club.
Ian Browne, mlb.com:
Mirabelli was supposed to start for the Red Sox in Thursday's game, but was scratched about an hour before game time, leading to rampant speculation that he was on his way out. That speculation proved to be correct.
Mirabelli hasn't hit a lick since 2004. Yet he remains far and away a better hitter than Cash, who in five seasons has posted a .167/.223/.265 batting line. That's a career OPS+ of 26. As one SoSHer pointed out, Roger Clemens has a better career OBP (.236).

If both Belly and Cash can catch, then the better player is Belly, though he is six years older than Cash. Is a (Coco-related) trade in the works? Could Brown or George Kottaras get a shot?

32 comments:

Zenslinger said...

Colon's line vs. TB:

2IP, 2H, 1ER, 1BB, 1K, 1HR

Snyder follows with 2IP, 1H, and a bunch of 0's.

Zenslinger said...

Crystal led off at DH, struck out and was replaced...by Johnny Damon.

4 perfect innings with a K for Mussina.

Jack Marshall said...

As back-up catchers go, I liked DM a lot---he had a strong arm, and some power.I always felt that he would have been more valuable if he could have played more to get his batting eye focused, but that may have been wishful thinking. I will believe until my dying day, however, that Theo let the press panic him into the awful, awful Josh Bard/Cla Merideth for Mirabelli trade.

Amy said...

Forgive my bad memory, but was it Cash who couldn't catch a thing Wakefield threw last year? Or was that Bard? I am sorry to see Mirabelli go, not because of his hitting, but because he did seem to have some special relationship with Wakefield, and I think we may be leaning on Wake a bit at the beginning here, with both Schilling and Beckett ailing, Buchholz still young, etc. I just don't know if Doug can stand yet another emergency trip in from Logan.

allan said...

That was Bard. Cash was fine -- in the field.

laura k said...

This is good news!

Jack Marshall said...

I think it IS good news...anything that makes the team younger is a plus. Bard's misadventures were in 2006, not last year (this is what Amy gets for hanging out with Holden Kushner), and he wasn't as bad as the media made him out to be: he looked to me about as unsure of the knuckler as The Captain, who never got the knack of catching Wake.

Patrick said...

What a weird day huh? Snyder and Lopez throwing scoreless innings! Bartolo throwing, well, ok. Dougie gets dropped?!?! For my fantasy baseball team "Mirabelli's Manly Men" I had drafted Dougie in round 20, because he's the captain. I ended up dropping him for the sake of being competitive, but at least now it makes some sense. I can't have Mirabelli leading my team if he's not a Red Sock.

I like having a younger backup catcher.

Has anyone seen the recent bill James projections they put up on the boston web site?!?!?! If he is accurate we have an AWESOME team this year.

Rob said...

It took Cash about three innings to catch get used to the knuckleball. Neither of them would contribute much offensively, but you have that looming risk of injury with Mirabelli. It's time the Red Sox moved on for good.

Amy said...

Hmm, so I had to Google Holden Kushner to find out who Jack was accusing me of hanging around with. I see he is on XM Radio, but what's the connection? Does he also have a bad memory?

Yes, I admit my addled brain just cannot remember which year is which, who pitched which games, etc. I frankly am always amazed that so many fans can keep all that in their heads. I envy you all.

And I agree---Tek doesn't do too well catching Wakefield. I hope Cash measures up.

allan said...

FWIW:

SoSHer The Allented Mr Ripley: "Right before Doug was re-acquired in '06, I posted a quick-and-dirty comparison of Mirabelli's first games catching Wake back in 2001 and Bard's games, and the PB totals were similar."

laura k said...

Hmm, so I had to Google Holden Kushner to find out who Jack was accusing me of hanging around with. I see he is on XM Radio, but what's the connection? Does he also have a bad memory?

:-)

I was going to mention Amy's self-described notoriously bad memory, but I see she beat me to it.

Yes, I admit my addled brain just cannot remember which year is which, who pitched which games, etc. I frankly am always amazed that so many fans can keep all that in their heads. I envy you all.

Shit, me too. I have to think for five minutes to come up with anything these days.

And I do mean anything.

Amy said...

If Bard was as effective as Doug in catching Wake, then why was there so much made of bringing him back in 2006 (now that I know it was 2006)?

I have to think for five minutes to come up with anything these days.

And I do mean anything.


The memory thing...yes, very distressing. Though I was never good at remembering the details of games like many of you are (is it a male thing?), it has gotten to be a more generalized thing as I have gotten older. I just am SO grateful for Google. I can't count how many times a day I have to go check to find out who was in what movie, who performed what song, who ran for office when, etc.

Amy said...

And what DID the Holden Kushner reference mean??

laura k said...

Re memory/Google, me too, me too, me too.

And what DID the Holden Kushner reference mean??

I look forward to finding out.

laura k said...

If Bard was as effective as Doug in catching Wake, then why was there so much made of bringing him back in 2006

Cause he wasn't.

Mirabelli's usefulness re Wake has always been grossly exaggerated, in my opinion. But Bard sucked.

Then of course that was exaggerated, too.

9casey said...

That's too bad , in the minority here, but never had a reason not to like Belly....He seemed to be a decent guy in the clubhouse and , anybody can say his catching of Wake of was highly overrated, I just don't believe that to be true and I believe Wake feels the same way.....He did his job every fith day and never bitched about playing time ......Too bad to see so many Red Sox fans against him..

Amy said...

You're not alone, 9casey. I liked him. I always like catchers. But maybe his time has come. I know I tend to err on the sentimental side.

allan said...

Once Bard got the jitters with the knuckler, then he had trouble with every pitch. The mediots and the fans didn't help -- acting like the Stud was Johnny Bench Jr.

I don't hate Ol' Chicken Parm Breath -- he's One Of The 25, after all. TWICE!! But he's not the great defensive catcher that people claim, at 37 he's not getting any more mobile, he's slower to first than Billy Crystal, and he has lost whatever batting eye he once had.

Wake likes him, sure, but Wake had a decent career going before Belly came along. He'll survive.

Tek will need more rest this year, so it would be nice to have a backup that could actual contribute to the offense.

Thanks, Stud. Now it's time to hit the road instead of bombs.

Jack Marshall said...

Sorry, Amy---Holden Kushner is referenced in another JOS thread for getting the 2006 season confused with 2007---he recently stated that the Blue Jays finished 2nd LAST season. He does that kind of thing a lot (like most of the XM hacks)and it ticks me off. We can forget these things---it's not our job. His job is to convey accurate facts for those of us who can't remember.

Just trying to keep you on your toes.

Bard was certainly not as good as Mirabelli, but he was a genuine prospect, a good hitter, and should have been given the chance to refine his knuckler skills. He had a couple of passed balls in losses that had nothing to do with his problems and everything to do with the team not getting Wake any runs

laura k said...

Too bad to see so many Red Sox fans against him.

I'm not against him, not at all. He is just well past his prime, and I like to see the team cut people in that situation.

I had nothing against him as a player. But in this case, you can make an improvement, you can make the team younger, so you go for it.

laura k said...

Holden Kushner is referenced in another JOS thread for getting the 2006 season confused with 2007

And we were supposed to remember that. Huh.

9casey said...

redsock said...
so it would be nice to have a backup that could actual contribute to the offense.


I'm not sure they exist.....

Amy said...

And we were supposed to remember that. Huh.

ROFLMAO! Gotta love it. No way did I remember that, though I vaguely recall something about someone screwing up the standings and forgetting the Yankees were in the playoffs.

Thanks, Jack---I do need to be kept on my toes.

Jack Marshall said...

[sniff!]I remember ALL of YOUR posts, Laura [sob!]....!

laura k said...

There, there, Jack. I remember each and every one of your posts. Perhaps more than you'd like me to. [evil grin]

I actually did remember the conversation, but I would have never retained the guy's name, since that was the only time I had ever seen it. I probably glanced at it without really taking it in.

Jack Marshall said...

Ah, back-up catchers who can hit. You know the Sox have seldom been blessed in that area when a clod like Bob Montgomery is affectionately remembered as a stand-out. When the Sox had Hatteberg and Varitek platooning, that was about as deep as the catching has ever been---except that Hatteberg couldn't throw, Jimy Williams only let Tek play against lefties, and Varitek caught Wakefield---badly. Compared to catchers like Gary Allenson, Tom Satriano, Russ Nixon and Marc Sullivan, Mirabelli ranks very high indeed. Surely you remember THOSE guys, Amy?

Patrick said...

I have to bring this up because redsock called Dougie ol' chicken parm breath.

Was any of http://www.dougiesgoingdeep.com/day1.html
based in reality?!?!?

I find that sight fall on my ass hilarious, but I don't understand where it's coming from.

allan said...

I find that sight fall on my ass hilarious, but I don't understand where it's coming from.

I'll admit it: I don't understand either.

The Belli quote in the Dirty Watah post hints that maybe it was based on some quote/behaviour. He is apparently wildly cocky and a bit of an a-hole. I also recall reading that he doesn't work out all that much.

Amy said...

I remember Hatteberg and Jimy Williams and Russ Nixon's name sounds familiar, but could be Trot I am thinking about. The other names could be anyone from a former student to someone who ran for office to someone I knew in first grade.

Like I said, my brain is a sieve for details these days!

Patriots Film said...

I think the whole thing was based off of a quote about him hitting bombs all the time, but it sure could be just completely made up.

Me, I like the move. Cash is probably the worst offensive person in the entire world, but that's okay for 150 ABs, especially over a 37 y.o. Mirabelli.

It also lines stuff up for George Kotteras without giving him the Josh Bard pressure.

SoSock said...

I think the Cash kid is all right, but I have to pull for Bard to do well - he's a Diamond Heel!