Catcher Wars; the Battle of Britain

After the collapse of France, a tenacious Prime Minister rose up to stiffen the British backs with resolve against the Blitzkrieg of Germany. The fight across the pond became known as the Battle of Britain and prevented the German invasion of Operation Sealion.

In 2010 Chris Iannetta emerged as the Rockies starting Catcher. While CDI achieved measureable accomplishments in power and walks in ‘09, his final triumph will be measured by his resolve with ducks on the pond.

Winston Churchill didn’t win the Battle of Britain by humbly passing Britain’s responsibility to Ireland, Scotland or the Canary Islands. He "waged war by sea, land and air with all the might and all the strength God gave him." Therefore CDI must not look to humbly take 4 balls and walk to first base. He must fight when victory is not assured, with all the odds against his survival, when the Rockies need a base hit to score the go-ahead run.

In this measureable statistic CDI has wavered, because when it comes to men on base Chris has not performed glowingly. During 2009, when a man was on 3rd base, CDI produced a hit at a .091 pace. Then when two men were waiting in scoring position he produced .000 times. Whenever 1st base was open and there was an opportunity to plate a run last year CDI struggled.

CDI usually batted in the 7th or 8th spot in the lineup, which means that whoever followed Chris encountered diminishing returns on production. Pitchers batting 9th should not be relied upon to drive in runs. Here’s a comparison of how Torrealba and Olivo compared in 2009:

          Torrealba            Olivo

3rd           .200               .308          

2nd/3rd      .667               .250

2nd           .583               .241