Is this guy redeemable defensively? He frames well and has a good arm, but the numerous mistakes he made last night were really stark.

The stuff I saw last night reminds me of a few little leaguers I have coached. Kids who just had a mental block which prevented them from relaxing and focusing when a ball is in play.

Is this something that can be fixed with repetition, or is this going to plague him for his whole career until he is forced to become a full-time DH?

_________________
We Now Know That JOE BIDEN has been COMPROMISED by CHINA! (let that sink in)

Election 2020-The Largest Fraud in the History of Mankind.

*If you believe that Biden won, you also believe that Epstein killed himself*

his style has given him a 10 year career and $100+ million in the bank, so what are you going to say that persuades him it is incorrect?

He's bad at blocking balls. We knew that. It's not changing. It will probably be more acceptable when every game means less in a 162 season. Just as it did with the Dodgers though, it will come back to haunt at a bad time.

He did look amateurish with his reaching for pitches instead of trying to block.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Our 2nd best catcher is our main catcher. I accept it. I ask that McCann catches Giolito and Dunning and I'm happy.

Grandal is a better offensive player than McCann by far. Having Grandal allows the Sox to use McCann the exact right amount so he shows better offensively than he actually is. You saw how he fell apart at the end last season. It's good to have them both. If used correctly one can cover the deficiencies of the other.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

ITs definitely a plus having both of them on this team. Certainly, they are two of the top five catchers all around in all of baseball. I hope that they re-sign McCann in the off season or at least do a sign and trade for him that brings in some excellent prospects(preferably pitching) in return. He deserves a nice contract after his last two seasons of production.

_________________
An Ode to the Texas man who shot an Antifa terrorist:

Oh, he might have went on livin'
But he made one fatal slip
When he tried to match the Ranger
With the big iron on his hip

He fell apart in July and pulled it back together again.

I love Grandal offensively. He's critical to the lineup with his OBP. What I'm concerned with is young pitching. In a perfect world, I'd ween Giolito off McCann, have McCann catch the the other 3 youngsters, DH Grandal those 3 days and EE the other 2.

Yesterday it looked like he was trying to throw the game the last two innings. Passed ball, drops a fly in the 8th and an easy toss in the 9th. Complete mental breakdown or something .

_________________
Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

This is who he is. Ask any team he's been on. Nothing is stopping him from being a premier catcher except focus.

Rough job, catcher is. Have to be smart, tactical, skilled, focused, have endurance, and willing to get the shit beat out of you. I've been hard on Grandal. It's only because he's overrated defensively. If he hadn't been hailed as one of MLB's premier defensive catchers, I'd be absolutely fine with the job he's done.

I don't think he's been hailed as a top defensive catcher all around. He's been hailed as a top pitch framer.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Grandal's pitch framing is valuable and is probably something we'd benefit more from if umps had a consistent strike zone this year. That comes at the cost of being able to react to pitches that miss badly, but it's a trade-off.

His bat is everything it was promised to be and he's easily a top 3 catcher in this league. I'm not unhappy with his performance relative to his contract. he is everything he was advertised to be.

_________________
“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

Total defense, Fangraphs had him #2 behind Realmuto in 2019. McCann was #9.

What is he this year? Motherfucking 4th. McCann 12th.

I'm telling ya, these whizkids need to go back to the drawing board. Or maybe watch a game now and then.
https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx? ... =&enddate=

No matter how many times you say this, it continues to be wrong. McCann is not a top 5 catcher in baseball and he is not bringing in some "excellent" pitching prospects.

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

When was the last time in baseball history that a team did a sign and trade? I am guessing that it has never happened. What would be the advantage of doing so?

_________________
Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

Not now he won't bring in top prospects because the deadline has passed. He is, though, a top five two way catcher in baseball. No question about it. Hell, the guy is hitting like .360 and just hit two dingers in Pittsburgh. What makes you think he isn't a top catcher? And don't talk generalities, talk specifics. What can't he do as a hitter and a catcher?

_________________
An Ode to the Texas man who shot an Antifa terrorist:

Oh, he might have went on livin'
But he made one fatal slip
When he tried to match the Ranger
With the big iron on his hip

Teams do it when the team they are trading with is over the salary cap. The team that has the player can sign the player for more money, then trade him to the team with the salary cap problem without incurring the salary cap penalty. It doesn't happen a lot but it isn't rare either.

_________________
An Ode to the Texas man who shot an Antifa terrorist:

Oh, he might have went on livin'
But he made one fatal slip
When he tried to match the Ranger
With the big iron on his hip

I think that's because the formula gives so much weight to pitch framing though.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Just stop. You have overvalued him for the start.

He is a good catcher. He especially does well with leading the pitchers. But also if he plays every day his bat is going to get exposed.

But if he were a top 5 catcher the Sox would not have spent the money they did on Grandal. Follow the money as always.

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

No salary cap in MLB

That would explain last year's difference between McCann and Grandal, but not this year. THIS year is a total mystery.

I think that the White Sox undervalued him. When they got him from Detroit, he was probably going to be a stop gap until their number 1 draft pick, Collins, ascended to the majors. McCann shocked everyone when he did so well last year but still the Sox were not convinced he could last an they went after Grandal. So, what did McCann do? He didn't sulk but became an even better hitter and improved his pitch framing by getting input from Grandal.

Nardi and I both love McCann and we don't always agree on a player. But McCann on the market will get paid as a top five guy as a catcher No doubt about it. He's always had the reputation as a catcher who pitchers loved and was solid defensively. ANd he was always considered an okay offensive player. Well, HE LEARNED how to go to right field and his BA climbed. That's the simplest way that I can describe why he is a top tier offensive catcher right now. And now he is also I think, looking for a pitch early in the count that he can pull and hit out of the park. A classic over-achiever and one I think that down the road will make a fine coach or manager.

_________________
An Ode to the Texas man who shot an Antifa terrorist:

Oh, he might have went on livin'
But he made one fatal slip
When he tried to match the Ranger
With the big iron on his hip