Around the Horn: Catchers

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Miller the new man behind the plate in Milwaukee Following is the first in a series of weekly stories on MLB.com examining each Major League club, position-by-position. Each Wednesday until Spring Training c amps open, we'll preview a different position. Today: Catcher MILWAUKEE -- Looking to add some muscle to a weak offense, the Brewers began th eir offseason upgrade behind the plate. Will Wisconsin native Damian Miller be the everyday catcher that the Brewers ha ve lacked since Dave Nilsson squatted at County Stadium? Will Chad Moeller embr ace his demotion to backup duties and continue to help Ben Sheets develop into an ace? If something happens to Moeller or Miller, does 41-year-old Pat Borders have anything left in his tank? Those questions will begin to get answers next month, when Miller, Moeller & Co . report along with Brewers pitchers for Spring Training. For now, the team fee ls like the catcher position is in good hands. "In the two years I've been here, we've never had a real front-line catcher," s aid general manager Doug Melvin. "We've had some guys who are maybe more part-t ime players. [Moeller] is a little more than that, but with Damian we have a fr ont-line guy." In this, the first part of a series titled "Around the Horn," MLB.com examines the Brewers behind the plate. The corner infield situation will get a look next week, followed by middle infielders, outfielders, the starting rotation, the b ullpen and the bench. Miller, 35, batted .272 in 110 games with Oakland last season, with nine home r uns and a career-high 58 RBIs. He hit .324 with runners in scoring position las t season and .412 with the bases loaded, areas in which the Brewers struggled m ightily in 2004. When he signed a three-year contract worth at least $8.75 million, the Brewers dubbed Miller the everyday catcher, something the team has not had for five yea rs. Moeller and Gary Bennett split catching duties in 2004, replacing the Eddie Perez-Keith Osik tandem from 2003. Those platoons were serviceable defensively, but Melvin and his staff entered t his offseason in search of offense. Brewers catchers combined to bat .215 last season with eight home runs and 47 RBIs, and Bennett was allowed to exit via fr ee agency. Miller also brings some defensive credentials. He posted a .999 fielding percen tage in 2004, committing one error in 751 total chances and setting an A's reco rd. Miller has the second-highest fielding percentage in Major League history f or catchers with more than 600 games played (Miller's .9946 mark barely trails Mariner Dan Wilson's .9949). In Arizona, where he won a World Series in 2001, Miller worked alongside Curt S chilling and Randy Johnson before moving on to Chicago in 2003, when he handled the Cubs' talented staff. In 2004, Miller was traded to the A's, working with the Big Three of Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito. "I've been fortunate to be with some great pitchers with great stuff," Miller s aid. "I want a guy on the mound that is not going to give in. Guys that have so me heart. They want to get through the seventh inning, they want to be in the g ame at 'do or die' time. ... It's as simple as that." What of Moeller? At the least he is a capable backup, something the Brewers wou ld need if the usually healthy Miller suffers an injury. Miller's physical hit a snag just before the Thanksgiving holiday, but after consulting with team phy sicians, assistant general manager Gord Ash said the club was "satisfied that t he level of risk is acceptable and manageable." Moeller teamed with Sheets and Doug Davis throughout 2004 and both pitchers had career years. Some observers have wondered whether Moeller will serve as Sheet s' personal catcher. "I'll leave that up to Ned," Melvin said of manager Ned Yost. "I don't know if [the Sheets-Moeller battery] will break up or not, but we'll discuss that. I th ink it's good to have our catchers catch everybody, because they have to be pre pared if somebody goes down with an injury. "Ben did have success throwing to Chad and Chad will be here for this year. I'l l leave that up to Ned, to Damian, to Chad and Ben. They'll get together and wo rk it out." Moeller struggled offensively in 2004 but contributed in other ways. He ranked second in the National League with a .999 fielding percentage, with only one er ror in 765 total chances. Moeller, 29, made $370,000 last season and will earn $700,000 in 2005. He batte d .208 with five home runs and 27 RBIs in 101 games last season. For insurance, the Brewers will have veterans Borders and Mark Johnson handling catching duties at Triple-A Nashville. The most intriguing prospects are sever al years away -- 22-year-old Lou Palmisano batted .293 in the Class A Midwest L eague last season and the club will keep an eye on Angel Salome, a fifth-round draft pick from 2004. For now, Miller is the man in Milwaukee. "My heart was always here," said Miller, who chose Milwaukee over a two-year of fer from the Red Sox and reported interest from the Dodgers. "I was just hoping that the organization could work something out because I really wanted to be p art of something good that was going to happen here. I think it's just a matter of time." When he appears in a game for Milwaukee, Miller will become the eighth Wisconsi n native to wear a Brewers uniform, joining Jerry Augustine, Gene Brabender, Ma tt Erickson, Jim Gantner -- ★opengoodbook 你什麼時候設我為好友啦?!XD To opengoodbook: 第一次丟你水球之後阿XD ★opengoodbook 我會害羞(跑) To opengoodbook: :P ★opengoodbook 這麼主動...... -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 140.121.215.45