CLEVELAND – It certainly can’t be cited as a controversy, or even a conundrum.
And if one player weren’t making $8 million per year for the next three years as part of a surprising and much-criticized contract extension, there would be little conversation, let alone debate.
The fact that rookie Rob Johnson seems to have supplanted Kenji Johjima as the main catcher for the Seattle Mariners has become apparent in recent weeks. The reality hit with force when Johnson started three straight games in Cleveland, including a day game after a night game, which rarely happens in the majors.
When Johnson started Thursday afternoon’s game against the Indians – his third in a row – the trend became obvious to Mariners fans – Johnson was starting all the games when the Mariners’ top three pitchers – Felix Hernandez, Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn – were on the mound.
Since June 25, when Johjima was activated from the disabled list, he’s started games only when Garrett Olson, Jason Vargas or Brandon Morrow were on the mound.
Johnson has started and caught every start by the top trio.
It may have seemed like a coincidence, but manager Don Wakamatsu acknowledged it wasn’t.
“It’s just as a manager and a guy overseeing this club, you try to pair up the timing” of the starts, Wakamatsu said. “Right now, Rob seems to be catching those guys well.”
And that’s where the debate should end.
On matters like this, it’s wise to look to the advice of a retired catcher who has Zen-like wisdom in these matters. No, not Yogi Berra, though his simple thinking does have its place.
The guy with all the answers is Crash Davis, the longtime minor league catcher played by Kevin Costner in the 1988 movie “Bull Durham.” Or as he refers himself early in the movie, “I’m the player to be named later.”
Want logic and understanding about complex situations? Refer to the voice of reason of catchers. Maybe Davis is nothing more than a movie character, an out-of-date character at best. But that doesn’t make his wisdom any less valuable.
Need an example?
How about for the far-too-thoughtful Olson, who seems to suffer pitching paralysis by analysis?
Davis would tell him: “Don’t think; it can only hurt the ballclub.”
It appears as though Erik Bedard has been taking Davis’ advice when it comes to media savvy.
“You’re gonna have to learn your clichés,” Davis preached. “You’re gonna have to study them, you’re gonna have to know them. They’re your friends.”
We’re not sure how many friends Bedard actually has, but the oft-used answer of “I just wanted to go out and throw strikes” might be his best.
What would Davis make of this whole situation with Johnson and Johjima? He’d do exactly what Wakamatsu is doing.
In many ways, Davis and Wakamatsu are similar. They were both catchers who understood what it took to get to the big leagues but just could never stick there for whatever reason.
Davis’ thinking often involves a slightly more crass vocabulary, while Wakamatsu uses terms such as “belief system” and “trust,” but they both get back to one basic premise: If you believe you are having success for a certain reason, then you most likely are.
In the movie it’s abstinence and a pitcher wearing lingerie. For the Mariners, it’s a light-hitting rookie catcher getting the start over a better-hitting veteran when the team’s best pitchers are on the mound.
“A player on a streak has to respect the streak,” Davis said. “You know why? Because they don’t happen very often.”
And so we have the 2009 Mariners.
Seattle is playing solid baseball and surprisingly finds itself in the middle of the American League West race. The Mariners are six games above .500 at 49-43.
Maybe Johnson catching Hernandez, Bedard and Washburn isn’t the reason those pitchers have had so much success. But if those pitchers believe it makes a difference, is it really prudent to challenge their thinking?
Successful starting pitching is such a valuable and volatile commodity, to risk sabotaging a good thing would be silly.
Yes, Johjima is the better hitter. He’s hitting .279 with three homers and 12 RBI in just 134 plate appearances. He’s a career .271 hitter who averaged 16 home runs in his first two seasons with the Mariners.
Johnson, who’s never been known for his bat, is hitting .209 in 171 plate appearances with 12 doubles, a homer and 19 RBI. He also has 41 strikeouts, and it’s clear he’s trying to learn the strike zone while reworking his batting approach at the big-league level.
Yet on a team that barely can scratch out four runs per game, is it smart keeping the lesser of two bats out of the lineup?
Wakamatsu knows starting pitching has won the Mariners more games than the offense. It’s why Johjima was on the bench the day after getting three hits.
“I had a discussion with Joh, and we try to prioritize what’s most important for this club,” Wakamatsu said. “Getting hits is not the No. 1 thing. Winning ballgames is.”
Leave out the statistics, the language barrier and the past complaints – both public and private – from pitchers about Johjima’s game-calling.
If Hernandez, Bedard and Washburn believe they are winning because Johnson is behind the plate, then let them.
This isn’t about egos, or who makes more money, or who has played longer. It’s about wins, and the Mariners need to do all they can to keep winning.
It can always be changed. Or as Crash Davis would say:
“Write this down: ‘We gotta play it one day at a time.’”
Ryan Divish: 253-597-8483
