Monday, December 5, 2011

A Few Good Men: 36 - Pudge

Ivan Rodriguez - Age 40 - MLB Service Time: just over 20 years

How He Became A Nat: Signed a 2 year deal with the Nats in December 2009

The Raw Numbers:
PA - 137
AVG - .218
OPS - .604
oWAR - 0.0

The Key Stat: dWAR 0.4 In just 44 games Pudge continued to be a weapon behind the plate, throwing out over 50 percent of would-be base thieves. He was also a calming presence for many of the young pitchers, who had an ERA of 3.34 with Pudge behind the plate.

His Best Game: April 10 against the Mets. Pudge went 2-4 with 2 RBI, including the eventual game winner in the 11th with a single scoring Wilson Ramos.

His Worst Game: June 6th against the Giants. Maybe one of the worst games of his career, over 13 innings Pudge went 0-6 with 3Ks. In fact he failed the get a ball out of the infield. He recorded just 7 hits over the next month before landing on the DL.

Capball Grade: B- This really has very little to do with actual performance. It has to do with him mentoring a very good young catcher named Wilson Ramos, as well as the young pitchers. He gave a lot to the Nats at a time when he feels he can still be a starter. Any success Ramos or Flores has in the future, we can look to Pudge for at least part of the reason.

2012 Nats Status: Pudge wants to have a chance to play more than a handful of games, and possibly win a World Series. Its doubtful he or the Nats are interested in reuniting as the Nats want to get younger and more athletic, even on the bench, and are committed to Ramos behind the dish full time.

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