Moeller hoping to rebound in '05
Catcher thinks 2004's offensive slump was aberration
PHOENIX -- The Brewers are in no hurry to make a decision, but Ben Sheets
can't help but hope to see Chad Moeller catch the first pitch on Opening Day.
"I'm open-minded, but, dang, it's hard to not want Chad after the job he did
last year," said Sheets, the sure pick to start on April 3 at Pittsburgh. "He
pushed all the right buttons and it was real comfortable."
Sheets was among the National League leaders in a half dozen categories and
established himself as an ace. Lefty Doug Davis cemented his hold on the No.
2 starter's spot and quietly was one of the league's most consistent
pitchers. Victor Santos enjoyed a breakout season, as did closer Dan Kolb and
closer-to-be Mike Adams.
Along the way, all gave some of the credit to Moeller. But while Moeller
excelled behind the plate, he was admittedly subpar at it, and the Brewers,
desperate to improve the league's most sluggish offense, had to upgrade.
So they parted with Gary Bennett, then signed free agent Damian Miller to a
three-year contract worth nearly $9 million and named him the No. 1 catcher.
Moeller was relegated to backup duties.
Moeller's reaction was surprisingly diplomatic.
"That's a good move," said Moeller, who teamed with Miller in Minnesota and
then Arizona. "You get a guy who's caught great pitchers and does a great job
behind the plate. He's going to produce."
Even if it means fewer opportunities for himself?
"I knew that was possibly the price for having a bad year last year," Moeller
said. "I was happy with the way things went behind the plate -- the scores
were low, the pitchers did well. But I didn't do what I am capable of doing
at the plate. I'm glad I was given a chance to do it over."
A career .254 hitter when the Brewers acquired Moeller and five others in the
blockbuster December 2003 trade for Richie Sexson, Moeller slumped badly
during the second half of last season. He batted .168 after the break with
just five RBIs, struggling along with the rest of the offense as the team
fell to the bottom of the NL Central.
After batting .268 with seven homers and 29 RBIs in just 78 games with the
Diamondbacks the year before, Moeller finished 2004 with a .208 average, five
homers and 27 RBIs in 101 games with the Brewers. Four of those RBIs came on
April 27 against the Reds, when Moeller became the first Brewer ever to hit
for the cycle in Milwaukee.
It proved a rare offensive highlight.
"It was weird," Moeller said. "If you look at the numbers leading up to last
year, last year doesn't make sense. So I hope to change that around this
year. I'm just glad they brought me back here and gave me another chance to
play."
Moeller was brought back on a one-year, $700,000 deal. Assuming the
usually-durable Miller stays healthy, Moeller's playing time will diminish.
But both men were adamant that there are no hard feelings.
"There's no conflict," the veteran Miller said. "Catchers know that it's a
tough job to do, and we pull for each other. He'll do well. We just have to
learn to work with each other and move on from there."
Which gets back to the original question: Who will work with Sheets?
"It will play itself out," manager Ned Yost said. "They're both real good,
solid defensive catchers. Either one of them will catch anybody on our
staff."
Yost, a former catcher, says he does not like the idea of "personal
catchers." Brewers hitting coach Butch Wynegar, another former backstop and a
two-time All-Star, leans the same way.
"It's not that I don't like the idea, it's just that if you have a No. 1, he
should be the No. 1," Wynegar said. "Maybe it's an ego thing on my part. I
never liked the feeling of, 'Why does that pitcher want that other guy? I can
catch just as well.' "
Yost said he would be open to discussing the matter with Sheets. For the
record, Moeller was catching when Sheets threw a light seven-minute session
in the bullpen on Friday.
"I know they brought in Damian to be the No. 1 catcher, and I know they
probably want to see him on Opening Day," said Sheets.
Sheets has never pitched to the same catcher in consecutive seasons. He
estimates that he has thrown to about eight different catchers during his
four-year tenure, but only "clicked" with two: Moeller and Jorge Fabregas,
who played a brief stint with the team in the second half of 2002.
"I don't know, but other guys don't work me as well as those guys have,"
Sheets said. "[Moeller] always wanted me to strike guys out. I like that. He
let me realize I can.
"A lot of people might say, 'Let's throw an inside fastball to get a
broken-bat out.' But Mo would say, 'If he doesn't put it in play, he can't
get a hit. Let's strike him out.' "
For his part, Moeller vowed to be better in 2005. He worked on the mechanics
of his swing over the winter, but said the biggest adjustment needs to happen
inside his head.
"Last year, I worried about a lot of things that didn't matter," he said. "I
learned a lot through it. Sometimes you always learn through adversity. I'm
excited for this year. I think it should be drastically different."
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