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| Photo credit Evan Chavez: Tim Federowicz at Isotopes Park 2012 |
I was thinking about baseball as I do all the time and wondered, would Dodgers catcher Tim Federwicz be better off spending time here in Albuquerque for another season or should he be the back up with the Dodgers?
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| I took this picture of Tim Federowicz at Petco Park in 2011 |
Should the Dodgers sign another catcher as a backup to A J Ellis so Feerowicz can get more expierence down here in Albuquerque? Is Federowicz the Dodgers future catcher? Who is Tim Federowicz?
Let me start by saying when Federowicz was aquired in a trade that sent Trayvon Robinson to Seattle I wasn't happy. I was a big Robinson fan at the time.
TiNow after watching Federowicz play I am a big fan of him.
Timothy Joseph Federowicz was born on August 5, 1987. He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the seventh round of the 2008 draft out of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He played from Rookie ball, to Single-A, to advanced A, and then to Double-A while with in the Red Sox organization.
From 2008 (Rookie A, Single-A, and advanced A ball) till being traded to the Dodgers he hit .280 (1699 at bats, 480 hits) with 244 RBI and 41 homers in 1875 plate appearances.
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| Photo credit Evan: Tim Federowicz at Isotopes Park 2012 |
While at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill he was 2006 Freshman All-American (Baseball America) and 2006 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America (Collegiate Baseball)
While in the Red Sox organization he was Red Sox Minor League Defensive Player of the Month (August 2008), South Atlantic League All-Star (2009), South Atlantic League Player of the Week (June 15-21, 2009), Red Sox ML Defensive Player of the Month (June 2009), Red Sox ML Defensive Player of the Month (June 2011).
Since being traded to the Dodgers he has spent most of the time here in Albuquerque with the Isotopes. I have had the opportunity to watch him play alot.
I have noticed he is a line drive hitter. The homeruns I have seen him hit have been line drives. I like that about him.
My opinion which doesn't mean anything to anyone is to start the season down here in Albuquerque, keep getting the regular at bats. We know the defense is there and the hitting isn't bad. I read this on True Blue LA In 2012, the number one catchers in the National League (defined by Baseball-Reference.com as the one who caught the most innings on the team) averaged 96 starts and hit a collective .265/.339/.425. All other catchers in the NL hit .231/.299/.363. I just don't see any reason why he should be sitting as a backup.
You can read the whole post on TrueBlueLA.com by clicking here
Lets break down what he has done here with the Isotopes.
In 577 plate appearances he has hit .299 (495 AB 148 hits), with 279 RBI, and 44 homers. He also has hit 41 doubles and his stikeout to walk ratio is 111 to 67.
While with the Isotopes he was a Pacific Coast League Mid-Season All-Star, and a post season All-Star in 2012.
Federowicz has spent some time with the Dodgers. He made his Major League debut on September 11, 2011 vs the Giants.
While with the Dodgers he has entered ten games and had 20 plate appearances, where he has three hits.
So those of you who Bleed Dodger Blue what path would you like to see Federowicz take? Do you see him as a backup this season for the Dodgers? Do you think he is the future catcher for the Dodgers or just a backup?
4 comments:
Haha! I was at that game in San Diego, Evan. In fact I had Tom sign a ball for me and I'm probably somewhere in that photo.
I guess I have to agree to disagree with you on this one, as I believe that Federowicz is MLB ready and deserves his shot at being A.J.'s back-up. The mere thought of have a 25-year-old back-up catcher is very exciting to me after years of having washed-up old veteran catchers.
Granted, the lack of ABs will undoubtedly cause Tim's average to tank, but let’s get back to basics here - the primary job of any MLB catcher is defense and working with the pitching staff. If they also happen to be good offensively, that is icing on the cake.
Guys like Piazza, Posey, Bench, Pudge, Scioscia and Campanella do not come along very often, so the focus has to be on defense.
I have very little doubt that FedEx will one day be a starting catcher in the Bigs, but it probably won't happen until Tim becomes a free agent, which is still quite a ways away.
In the meantime, the Dodgers will be very strong in the catching department; something that they have seriously been lacking in for many years.
Oops - Tim, not Tom.
@fansince53 I just think it would be such a waste with him as a backup.
It is a conundrum without doubt. It just seems to me that Tim has served his time in the minors - 5 years. What can he do in AAA that he hasn't already done? What will make him more MLB ready than he already is?
I too am tired of the veteran catchers who can't hit being Dodger backups or worse, starters. I wonder what Tim would say if asked his preference? I expect it would be to go to the big club and accept limited playing time getting adjusted to MLB and yes, challenging for playing time. AJ would have been in the big leagues sooner if he had the chance to be a backup rather than stay in AAA. I never felt that was fair to him or in the best interests of the Dodgers.
My guess is that AJ will play fewer games this year - 115/120 games. 40/45 games is not a lot but there will be times Tim plays part games when AJ is pinch hit for, games are blow outs one way or another, etc.
I want Tim to leave ST as a Dodger. AJ had an operation for a torn meniscus in his left knee. I am sure he will be ready for ST but the team will be careful with him.
His defense is good so as a catcher he doesn't have to hit big time right away. The sooner he starts at the MLB level the sooner he becomes a regular.
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