Behind the Plate with Buck: Season 1

BUCK: I don't think the GM is in any hurry to NBA jerseys make a trade involving Overbay unless he is overwhelmed. There are key positions when you are contemplating a trade: catcher, shortstop, centre field and power arms for the rotation. When Alex traded Halladay, he got a power arm, a catching prospect and in Michael Taylor a talented outfielder that could have played CF. He turned Taylor into Brent Wallace, one of the top hitting prospects in baseball. With the potential signing of the young Cuban SS Adeinis Hechavarria, the area of focus in my mind would be top line power starter and not many organizations are going to trade that for Overbay when they can wait and bid for him as a free agent.
SANDY ASKS: How do you think Aaron Hill will handle the expectations of him after such an amazing year last year? Do you see him staying in the two-hole all year?
BUCK: Aaron Hill is a baseball player! He wasn't surprised by the year he had with the bat. If anything he will get better as he focuses on not giving away at-bats. When you really think about it, Hill led the league in plate appearances with over 700, and when you realize he could "only" square up 36 homers, it isn't a very good percentage. Aaron will never be satisfied; he wants to have four great at-bats every day and will continue to improve.
With more than 40 years as a Major League player, manager and broadcaster, Buck Martinez has experienced baseball from all angles. Now in his new role as the Toronto Blue Jays play-by-play announcer, Buck is taking your questions in a weekly blog for sportsnet.ca, Behind the Plate with Buck. Welcome to the first edition.
MARCO ASKS: Hey Buck, given the fact that Randy Ruiz and Brett Wallace appear more then ready to share the position, how long do you think it is before Alex Anthopoulos trades Lyle Overbay away and to whom?
DOUG ASKS: Hey Buck. As a former catcher, can you shed a little light as to how much preparation goes into preparing for a series? The guy I am thinking about is Boston's Jason Varitek. He always seems to be very well prepared when he calls his games from behind the plate and Sox pitchers seem to love the guy, even if he won't be catching as much this year. What all goes into his preparation?

BUCK: Jason Varitek is one of the best at preparation. I had the pleasure of seeing this first hand during the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006. He was the leader of the staff and he had the information on the hitters. He has a terrific ability to recall a hitter's strengths and weaknesses and match them up with his pitcher that day.
LEN ASKS: Buck, the catcher almost always gives a sign to the pitcher, and the pitcher delivers. When the catcher signs to throw at the batter, why is it the catcher never gets a warning, never gets ejected and why don't batters go after the catcher instead of the pitcher?
BUCK: What a great question! Catchers have been thrown at in retaliation for a batter being hit, but you don't see it that often anymore. Many of the old-timers wouldn't even charge the pitcher when they were hit, they would try to take out a middle infielder with a hard slide at second base. That has a bigger impact; losing a regular player compared to losing a pitcher that only works once every five days. The beanball has been all but eliminated in today's game, which is a good thing for the players' safety but there was something intriguing about the possibility of a pitcher delivering a brush-back pitch to the cleanup hitter the next time at the plate.

JASON ASKS: First of all Buck, its great to see you back in Canada broadcasting Jays games. If you are trying to rebuild with youth, why don't you let some "green" talent actually play? You see other organizations let players who are 19-20 years old learn their skill in the majors TOGETHER. We have young guys like Brett Wallace, JP Arencibia, etc. I would rather see a Jays team lose more games but see player/team development vs. keeping the kids in the minors. What are your thoughts?
The preparation process begins in the middle of the previous series with your advance scouts watching your next opponent. They look for the hot hitter and the counts they are having the most success with and where they are hitting the ball. First-ball hitters are very important to note -- who's running, who's hitting and running, and who's bunting. All of these things come to the club in a report the day before the series starts. A designated coach will break down the report, call the scout to discuss the important points and double-check the facts. Then the pitching coach gets the hitter report, the hitting coach gets the pitcher report and the players have their respective meetings.

Joe Mauer in Minnesota has taken over the Twins' meetings, much like Varitek in Boston, which makes the catcher both focus during the meeting and allow him to have instant recall during the course of the game. Trust is the most important aspect a catcher can develop. If his pitchers trust his pitch calling, they will throw the pitch with total conviction, which leads to more quality pitches.

BUCK: You have a pretty good grasp on what the Jays have on their mind, but timing is everything. JP Arencibia has power potential, but needs to play every day in the minors to continue his growth at the plate and behind it. When you have a young staff like the Jays project, you don't want a young catcher as well, who might be prone to think more about hitting than who he is catching. I think JP has the makeup to be an everyday catcher, but he has to improve his catching skills and game-calling ability.

Brett Wallace looks like a real good hitting prospect, but he is learning a new defensive position at first base. Let him get comfortable in the field, playing every day in the minors, then make a judgment as to when he is ready to step in and take over. There is a very fine line of mixing youth and experience that the coaching staff and front office are well aware of.

TERRY ASKS: Why not give Randy Ruiz a shot as the everyday DH ? He seems to hit at every minor-league location he's been at. Is that not what that position is about? In this time of uncertainty why not give him 400-500 at-bats?
RICHARD ASKS: Hi Buck, why do analysts regularly tie production to positions like "you expect your first baseman to drive in runs." Is that not a function more of the batting order?

BUCK: There are "traditional" power positions on the field that are a product of a couple of things. First base has always been a position that gets little defensive respect. Many teams in the past have put players at first because they can't play any other position, but they can swing the bat and need to be in the lineup. Catcher, shortstop and center field are positions that can be offensively less productive because their position on the field requires better defensive skills.
GEORGE ASKS: Having a lame duck manager is in my opinion a detriment to the team and development of the players. Do you think the Jays are making a mistake by not securing the services of a manager who will be with these young players for years to come and will be able to develop a relationship with the youngsters?
BUCK: I have been here in Florida with the team all spring and I get a good feeling about the chemistry of this team. Cito is very relaxed and upbeat. I know he will expect this team to play hard for nine innings and play it the right way. As for the "lame duck" manager, I think it will work as everybody knows the situation and Cito commands respect given his track record. Alex Anthopoulos is in his first year as the GM and it may have been too early in his tenure to ask him to hire a manager for three or four years without going through a season to get a sense for what he wants in a skipper.
- Buck Martinez is the Blue Jays' play-by-play man for Sportsnet. Read his blog weekly.
BUCK: Cito Gaston believes Randy Ruiz is capable of hitting 25-30 home runs if he had the opportunity to bat 400-500 times. The situation with the Jays is a tough one as you have Adam Lind in the DH role and Lyle Overbay as the first baseman. There are many players that Cito has to juggle in the line up which makes it difficult for Ruiz to get regular at-bats. Edwin Encarnacion has been slowed with his wrist surgery in the off season, but he appears to be ready to start the season at third base. That pushed Jose Bautista to right field and Adam Lind back into the DH spot. Ruiz will probably make the team as an extra player with Lind, Bautista and Overbay playing every day. Randy Ruiz will have to stay ready, as Cito has said several times this spring that he will use his bench more this year in an effort to keep all of the regulars rested and productive. I think Randy Ruiz will be a valuable run producer for the 2010 Jays.