Was Mike Piazza's defense good enough to consider him one of the greatest catchers?


Question:I don't believe he even won one M.V.P.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/mike_piazza...

Answers:

Who will represent the Nationals in this year's All Star Game?

As an offensive player, yes but as a defensive player, no. He was and still remains an average catcher only because of his inability to throw out base runners. He has never had a very good throwing arm. His bread and butter has always been his bat. Simply stated, one of the greatest hitter catchers of all time. Maybe one of the greatest hitters, period!. I would venture to say that if he had not been a catcher for most of his career, his lifetime batting average would even be higher than it is. The wear and tear on catchers is a great deal more than any other every day player.

How can you calculate ERA?

No Piazza was genarly known for his bat not his glove.

Which mlb players is in your fantasy?

That's hilarious. Stevie Wonder has a better chance of throwing the guy out at second or third than Mike Piazza does.

He was a terrible defensive cather but a stud at the plate and teams that had him over looked it.

I can't count the number of times his balls ended up in centerfield trying to throw guys out.

John Kruk behind a desk or John Kruk in the box?

Mike Piazza, defensively, can be summarized as "good enough". He didn't make tons of errors, but he didn't shut down the other team's running game, either. He's also caught two no-hitters, as referenced by Wikipedia. While he may not have been great defensively, absolutely no one will question his toughness as a backstop - some of the hits he's taken blocking the plate, being hit by foul balls and bats, and the pain in his knees that he played through are well documented. Remember that playing catcher takes a lot out of you physically, and it's tremendous that Piazza hit as well as he did. One could argue that had he played outfield, first or even DH, he might be one of the best hitters ever.

If a pitcher has trouble pitching out of the stretch why not just pitch out of the wind up and give up an SB?

Thanks for making me laugh.

No.

There are hitting catchers, throwing catchers and pitcher's catchers. Piazza was a hitting catcher, Benito Santiago, Sandy Alomar, JR, etc were throwing catchers. But pitcher's catchers are the real catch. They include Charlie O'Brien and Alberto Castillo. They get into their pitchers' heads and really work as a team with their pitchers. That means that their defense is their primary goal, all the time.

What happened to all of the Nationals players?

He was never great defensively. However he put up the hitting numbers to make up for any defensive flaws. I'd still take Piazza over all of his contemporaries. Therefore he is one of the greats all time, even in the juiced era.

Could MLB have done a better job handling the Seattle-Cleveland series?

Nah, his defense was terrible for most of his career. He couldn't throw out anyone which is a huge detriment to every team he caught for. He'll be a HOF because of his bat, but I don't think he's among the best that the position has to offer. My top 5 would be Bench, Berra, Campanella, I-Rod, and Fisk.

What is the most famous number in baseball?

He's known as one of the greatest HITTING catchers of all time. His fielding abilities are mediocre as best.

How many hits did carl yaztrimski have in his career?

No, Piazza was known just for his batting skills.

In my opinion, the greatest catcher of all time has to be Ivan Rodriguez. He had a nice bat with the best defense ever.

Once Clemens joins NYY, who will have a better rotation -- Sox or Yanks?

Mike Piazza was known for his bat, not his glove, but the bat will get him into the Hall of Fame. When he left the Mets after '05 he had the highest all-time average for catchers.

Should they rename the Pesky Pole in Fenway the Papi Pole?

He is a notoriously poor defensive catcher.

Can anybody tell me the web site to order Texas Rangers tickets voucher for $39.99?

He didn't have that much of a "rag' arm

Mike Piazza - 1997
BA-362 OB%-432 SLG-638 HR-40
Defense
A-74 DP-10 FLD%-986

Johnny Bench - 1970
BA-293 OB%-351 SLG-587 HR-45
Defense
A-73 DP-12 FLD%-986

What type of training should i do during the days I'm not pitching?

Not really, but that's not to say he isn't good. If you consider him one of the greatest catchers, you better consider Paul Lo Duca one of the greatest catchers too!

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