Chrinos

by Bulldawg5 on Dec 9, 2011 10:33 AM EST

Looking for some information about Robinson Chirinos. Is he really a potential candidate to start catching for the Rays this season? What kind of floor/ceiling does he have and how does it compare with other catching specs (Montero, Lavarnway, Tony Sanchez, etc). Have had an offer in a dynasty league, but without knowing much about him (which scares me enough to say know) I also want to make sure I'm not turning down a hidden gem either.

Tweet Comment 4 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Right now he is a co 2nd in the depth chart

with Jose Lobaton behind Molina. There is some ceiling here as a decent hitting C but more likely he will spend the season making a few trips between Durham and St. Pete.

by ttnorm on Dec 9, 2011 11:20 AM EST reply actions

Agreed

Really surprised they signed Molina, instead of letting Lobaton and Chirinos platooning, or trading for a better catcher. But some studies have shown Molina is ridiculously valuable as a catcher, and extremely underpaid and underrated. He looks like he could create 3-4 wins per season just by his pitch framing skills:
http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/evaluating-catchers-framing-pitches-part-3/

by cookiedabookie on Dec 9, 2011 2:18 PM EST up reply actions

Quick thoughts

I’ve only kept a cursory glance on Chirinos since he got moved. Coming up in the Cubs system, he failed as a middle infielder. He moved to catcher, where he was a quick study. Very strong work ethic, good leadership skills, was thought of as a great mentor to young pitchers. Should be solid defensively. The question was always the bat, due to ARL. He actually, IIRC, had a pretty strong run with the bat in the middle of this past year, after a horrid start. I’m not real sold that there’s going to be consistent power, but he should make good enough contact with some occasional pop. If given the chance, he should be able to at least hold a backup job (partly due to his versatility, as he can still dabble in the infield), but considering the lack of top tier catching, I think he could be a solid starter for 3-4 years.

by toonsterwu on Dec 9, 2011 10:28 PM EST reply actions

I really like Chirinos.

The major issue for him is defensively. He is good at blocking balls and framing pitchers, but his release is very slow and was the reason the Rays were forced to send him down to AAA despite giving some hope with the bat.

His swing can get pretty long at times, but I see some good offensive potential in his bat.

If he gets the throwing issue fixed, I think he can/should be an average (if not better) MLB catcher.

by mr. maniac on Dec 9, 2011 11:33 PM EST reply actions