MassCops - Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network, A Mass Police Web Portal

Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network

Massachusetts Police News, Information and Discussions on MassCops

Pages: 1

Main Page Red Sox Release Veteran Catcher Doug Mirabelli
(Click here to view the original thread on the MassCops Message Board)

Posted by: kwflatbed

WBZ/Joe Giza/WBZ

BOSTON (WBZ) ― In a surprise move Thursday, the Red Sox released veteran catcher Doug Mirabelli.

The 37-year-old spent parts of seven seasons with the Sox serving primarily as Tim Wakefield's personal catcher.

Mirabelli, who was part of two World Series Champion teams, hit just .202 with an OBP of .278 last season. However, the bigger loss may be felt inside the Sox clubhouse where Mirabelli was widely respected. He also was a big help to catcher Jason Varitek in handling the pitching staff.

Sox designated hitter David Ortiz also mentioned this spring that Mirabelli helped him at times when he was struggling at the plate.

The move means that Kevin Cash will serve as the back-up catcher to Jason Varitek.

http://wbztv.com/sports/redsox/doug.....2.676437.html

Posted by: Delta784

With Wakefield expected to make 25+ starts, this is a bad move.

Posted by: soxrock75

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delta784

With Wakefield expected to make 25+ starts, this is a bad move.

Yeah but he hasn't hit more than .202 in several years. Whenever he plays, that is a huge hole in your lineup. Plus, Wake is 40+ years old and will inevitably make a trip to the DL.....what does Mirabelli do then? I think that once Kevin Cash gets to work with Wakefield and learn more about the Knuckleball, he should be fine.

Posted by: girlcop21

unbelievable... didn't the Red Sox brass learn from their first mistake?

Posted by: lofu

Maybe halfway through the year the Sox can trade a top catching prospect for Dougie after they realize no one can catch the knuckleball like he did. Then, in order to get him back in time, he can hitch a ride in a SP SUV from the airport. Wait a second, I'm having Deja Vu typing this.

Posted by: Sgt K

Cash has caught knuckleballers in the past and has faired quite well. Wakefield will either get injured or end up in the pen once the brass determines that Papelbon,Okijima, Timlin, and DelCarmen can't do it for 160+ games.

Posted by: Kilvinsky

It's like selling off your own son because you like the kid across the street's higher math scores. Oh well. This ain't the first time they've tried to break up the family, it won't be the last.

Posted by: Robert35

They will have the Troopers pick him up at the airport and give him a ride back to Fenway.

Posted by: wgciv

Quote:

Originally Posted by soxrock75

Yeah but he hasn't hit more than .202 in several years.

Yeah but, Cash hasn't hit over .200 EVER.. not in the bigs anyway!

Quote:

Originally Posted by soxrock75

Plus, Wake is 40+ years old and will inevitably make a trip to the DL.....what does Mirabelli do then?

Mirabelli, himself, is pushing 40 I believe. This may be more of a factor in the Sox's decision than offense. Although he'd only be squating once every 5 days, cathers are like boxers, they get old overnight. Also, Cash will save the Sox $$$!

Quote:

Originally Posted by soxrock75

I think that once Kevin Cash gets to work with Wakefield and learn more about the Knuckleball, he should be fine.

I agree.. Cash caught Wake a few times last year and handled the knuckle fairly well. With some extra work this spring, he should be fine for the season.

Posted by: TopCop24

Cash handled Wake fine last season, and his arm is much better than Mirabelli's. It's about time the Sox don't waste 2 roster spots for Wake.

Posted by: RCS

Wake pitched really well last year...although that may be harder to repeat this year. They should be more worried about getting a good young catcher in the system to replace Varitek in the future, rather that worrying about Mirabelli's avg. I agree with Delta, Don't fix it if it isn't broken, especially when he may make 20 + starts.

Posted by: Delta784

Quote:

Originally Posted by soxrock75

Cash hasn't broken the .200 barrier for a season in his entire career;

http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/cashke01.shtml

Catchers who can't bat their weight are a dime a dozen. Catchers who have proven they can handle a knuckleball every 4-5 days for an entire season are as rare as a white tiger.

Mark my words....this was a big mistake.

Posted by: soxrock75

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delta784

I htink this is gonna be one of those decisions that will split fans right down the middle. Let's hope that Theo and the brain trust have made the right decision. I guess we will find out in a little over 2 weeks......Opening Day is right around the corner!!!

Posted by: djbfc

As RCS said above, and I agree with, start to build for the future. Tek is not getting any younger.

Posted by: Delta784

Quote:

Originally Posted by djbfc

As RCS said above, and I agree with, start to build for the future. Tek is not getting any younger.

Kevin Cash is not the future.

Posted by: soxrock75

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delta784

Kevin Cash is not the future.

Kevin Cash is not going to be taking over for Varitek in the future. He is nothing more than a serviceable backup catcher that will catch wake every 5 days. He will fill the same role as Mirabelli but at a much cheaper rate.......

Posted by: wgciv

The Sox should give Kottaras or Brown an opportunity to handle the knuckle ball. If either could be successful, it'd make more sense to send one of these two young guys out there every 5th day.. giving them major league experience. Both are young, full of potential, and, unlike Cash, could be possible successors to Tek in a few years.

Posted by: USMCMP5811

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sgt K

Wakefield will either get injured or end up in the pen once the brass determines that Papelbon,Okijima, Timlin, and DelCarmen can't do it for 160+ games.

That's hard to say when the brass still can't see that Timlin can't pitch for shit and blows more saves than anyone I know. They should have gotten rid of that bum a few years back ago and bring in someone who can pitch to take his place.

Posted by: wgciv

Quote:

Originally Posted by USMCMP5811

Tim's average ERA while with the Sox is 3.54.. not bad for an arm that was already 37 years old when we got it. I'm not sure we could find a better reliever on the market. With that said, he is 42 years old and odds are the arm won't hold up all year. When he runs out of gas, we have plenty of young arms in the farm system.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/stats/i...348&statType=2

Posted by: Kilvinsky

Is this the right move catcherwise? Two words, Pudge Fisk.

They dumped him due to age and he lasted quite a long time after and though he slowed down, he never slacked off.

I'm not an expert and I'm sure someone will have plenty of stats to prove getting rid of Fisk was the right thing to do, but again, I hate dumping family.

Posted by: wgciv

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kilvinsky

Is this the right move catcherwise? Two words, Pudge Fisk.

They dumped him due to age and he lasted quite a long time after and though he slowed down, he never slacked off.

I'm not an expert and I'm sure someone will have plenty of stats to prove getting rid of Fisk was the right thing to do, but again, I hate dumping family.

Hard to compare... there's only one Fudge!!! Fisk played until he was like 45, rare for a ball player in general, let alone a cather. I don't have the "stats" but I believe Fisk's power went up a little after he left us but his average dropped. Let's not forget that we're talking about a back-up in Mirabelli; If we dropped Tek then we could bring up the Fudge comparison.

ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops

About MassCops, the home for Massachusetts law enforcement.

The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network opened in 1998 and is now a part of the New England Police Network The site is a pro-police discussion forum intended for sworn police officers and civilian law enforcement officials as well as those interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement here in Massachusetts.

The goal of The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network is to provide an informal network of law enforcement officials here in Massachusetts for educational and informational purposes.

The forum covers many topics such as Police Related News Articles, Agency & Profession Discussions, Police Training as well as Law Enforcement Career Information.

The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network and The New England Police Network (NEPN) and it's network sites are privately owned websites/domains and are not affiliated with or endorsed by any government association or agency.

MassCops (masscops.com) and (masscop.com) are privately owned are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Massachusetts Coalition of Police (masscop.org)

3 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 49 50 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108