Brent Mayne

Texas & Molina vs. San Fran & Posey

Well, I got my wish. Ron Washington’s Texas crew against Sabean’s Giants. Should be an interesting series. Lots of great and fresh stories to explore. Not the same ol’ Philly Yanks thing.

I find it interesting that regardless the outcome, Bengie Molina will be taking home a ring because he played half of the 2010 season with both teams. I’m sure he had a huge impact on the young pitching staff of the Giants and a big reason they’re in the position that they’re in. Ditto for the Rangers.

Say what you will about the Molina brothers…they’re a little rotund, slow, whatever. The fact is, these cats are getting it done. One of them is in the hunt every year getting a big hit or putting in a solid defensive performance. No doubt, Posey, Mauer, or even Ruiz are easier on the eyes and we’d all probably rather watch them. But you’ve gotta hand it to them, the Molina’s have a knack for getting to the big dances.

So who am I rooting for? Tough one. I played for the Giants and they’re in California. I’ve still got friends there. I love Krukow and Kuiper and Miller. I can’t take my eyes off Lincecum when he pitches. I love their stadium. On the other hand, Texas might as well be a separate country, but they have Wash and Hurdle and I love watching Vlad, Kinsler, Hamilton, and the rest of their offense do their thing. And I feel the same way about Lee as I do about Lincecum. Soooooo….I’ll take Texas I guess.

2010 American and National League Championships

It’s down to four. Here’s who I want to see in the World Series…Texas and the Giants. Here’s who I think will be in the World Series…Philly and NY. I’m a big Ron Washington fan, a big Clint Hurdle fan, and I love the way the Rangers play. They’re going to have to pitch their butts off though.

And I really love the mash up of misfits that the Giants run out on the field. Obviously their pitching is fantastic, but how that group of position players came together and got this far is amazing. It makes Brian Sabean look like a genius.

Wash was the 3rd base coach for the 1997 A's team I played on...he's solid. I'm happy the Rangers stuck with him and I'm happy he's persevered.

The reality though is New York is New York. Their second string team is probably better than the Giants. And Philly is going to feature Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels on the bump. If I had to bet the farm, I’d bet on these two teams. One thing we can pretty much bank on in both series is that we’re going to see some pitching. The year of the pitcher is going out with a bang.

As a side note, I’ve taken a position with the San Diego Padres as their greater Los Angeles area scout. I feel like I have a pretty good knowledge of the game, but not a whole lot from a scouting perspective. I’m looking forward to learning how to evaluate players and this new chapter in my baseball adventure. See you at the ballpark.

2010 Catching Playoff Preview

With only a few games left in the regular season, I suppose we can safely check out our catcher viewing options for the playoffs. We’ve got a few repeat offenders in Philly, the Twins, and the Yanks, and a few new ones too. Here are the teams and their catchers along with a bit of commentary…

Twins – Joe Mauer. You’ve gotta know how I feel about this guy already…in short, fantastic, technically sound, but entertainment wise (defensively), kinda like watching paint dry. He’ll smooth you to sleep.

Philly – Carlos Ruiz. You should probably already know how I feel about this guy too. One of my favs. Obviously not in the same planet as Mauer offensively, but defensively right there. Entertaining to watch and mechanically sound.

Giants – Buster Posey. The second coming I guess. I really haven’t seen him enough to give an accurate judgement; however, here’s what I’ve seen so far. Offensively a terror, defensively new to the position and a work in progress…if someone out there knows him, give him my number and I’ll help him get right. Can’t wait to watch him more.

Cincinnati – R Hernandez/Ryan Hanigan. I’ve seen and played against Ramon quiet a bit and I like him. Not exactly my style, but I like his offense and his defense isn’t horrible. I haven’t seen Hanigan at all.

Texas – Bengi Molina. I love him because he’s slower than me. Seriously, I love the way this guy goes about his business. We might also get to see local So Cal product Matt Treanor.

Tampa Bay – J Jaso/D Navarro/K Shoppach. I’m sure all of these guys are good catchers. One of them might be defensively fantastic, I just haven’t seen enough to make a call. But, if nothing else, this trio should be an encouraging sign for the catching youth of the world…if this is the crew one of the best baseball teams on the planet is featuring, anyone has got a chance.

Yanks – Posada/Cervelli. Posada is Posada. He’s gonna clank a few balls, but he’s gonna get it done. I appreciate Francisco’s enthusiasm and how hard he plays, but what can I say…he bugs me.

San Diego? – N Hundley/Yorvit Torrealba. See my comments on Tampa Bay.

Hotlanta? – Brian McCann. Obviously offensively dangerous. This is going to sound weird  because I’ve seen this guy catch at least a dozen times, but I don’t have a clue how good or bad this guy is defensively. I’ve gotta pay attention.

Brian McCann.

Francisco Cervelli.

Nick Hundley.

Ramon Hernandez.

John Jaso.

Bengie Molina.