Rob Johnson, Professional Catcher
by Jeff Sullivan on Aug 12, 2009 11:20 PM PDT
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No wonder the staff loves him!
The first one also doubles as a missed strike-three called.
Who frames well now, bitch?
The next Dan Wilson!
Is that the light at the end of the tunnel, or the headlights of an oncoming train?
You mean he will be our starter for the better part of a decade?
And actually bat .250?
by magistermilitum on Aug 12, 2009 11:25 PM PDT up reply actions
Why dont they let him call the games from the bench?
The Yankees suck-a-doodle-doo!
by JamMasterJesus on Aug 12, 2009 11:26 PM PDT reply actions
I was wondering this as well
all the ‘intangibles’ that he has. Can’t we get those if he works with the pitcher before the game, talks to the pitcher and Kenji between innings, and calls most (all?) of the game from the bench?
by Snuffleupagus on Aug 12, 2009 11:57 PM PDT up reply actions
All sarcasm aside, 'intangibles' just mean 'the pitchers like throwing into his glove'.
All other ‘intangibles’ seem like bull.
The Yankees suck-a-doodle-doo!
by JamMasterJesus on Aug 13, 2009 12:02 AM PDT up reply actions
I was watching with my dad...
We were both irate, but disagreed on why Johnson sucks so much at catching pitches. He is convinced it’s lack of concentration and not watching the ball into the glove. I say it has to be skill because he constantly does it and if it’s a concentration issue you’d figure it would get better over time not worse. Then again, he’s from Butte so he’s probably not super bright.
Thoughts?
When you do something as mechanical as catching for that long, you get good at it. It MUST be a concentration thing.
Give him some adderall?
The Yankees suck-a-doodle-doo!
by JamMasterJesus on Aug 12, 2009 11:28 PM PDT up reply actions
He made a pretty savage throw to third, though
by Steven was taken on Aug 12, 2009 11:29 PM PDT reply actions
That was a terrific play and I'm beginning to come around on him
He does however seem to have great trouble catching a baseball.
by Jeff Sullivan on Aug 12, 2009 11:31 PM PDT up reply actions
But Kenji's done that as well.
Well, he’s come close to doing it.
A Mariners fan in Seattle
by Coach Owens on Aug 12, 2009 11:32 PM PDT up reply actions
If Felix didn't want Rob he could tell Wak and make it so.
by SethGrandpa on Aug 12, 2009 11:30 PM PDT up reply actions
Or do you think it's purely accidental that Johjima is only catching the "new guys" now?
Felix, Bedard, Washburn, RRS…none of them seem to want much of anything to do with Johjima behind the plate, and the first three were veteran enough to call their own shots.
Jigsaw falling into place
Is there any evidence RRS has ever had a problem with Joh?
by SethGrandpa on Aug 13, 2009 12:07 AM PDT up reply actions
The empirical evidence that Kenji never seems to catch him?
I admit he’s a dodgier example to cite, since I just don’t have a strong memory of his starts. Whereas Johnson was ALWAYS behind the plate for Washburn and Bedard, and remains so for Felix.
Jigsaw falling into place
Yeah, he kinda sucks at blocking wild ones...
But don’t disregard that throw out at third. Kinda saved the game.
Sorry.
Really sucks at blocking wild ones.
I know you like Rob Johnson, and I do too.
But do you think we could sneak into his house tonight and threaten his manhood. So he blocks a damn pitch?
The Yankees suck-a-doodle-doo!
by JamMasterJesus on Aug 12, 2009 11:35 PM PDT up reply actions
Guilty pleasure
I love it when Rob Johnson loses the ball when it rolls behind/to the side of him. He looks like a dog after you’ve faked throwing something, and it takes him several seconds to realize where it went.
I was disappointed when Kelley pointed at the ball
I was hoping Rob Johnson would go into a frenzied panic and start accusing the umpire of stealing the baseball
These two don't quite illustrate the 'frantic searching'
The Yankees suck-a-doodle-doo!
by JamMasterJesus on Aug 12, 2009 11:37 PM PDT up reply actions
*two examples
The Yankees suck-a-doodle-doo!
by JamMasterJesus on Aug 12, 2009 11:37 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't find the frantic searching to be as hilarious as the simple missing of pitches in and around the plate
by Jeff Sullivan on Aug 12, 2009 11:45 PM PDT up reply actions
*Sigh*
The Yankees suck-a-doodle-doo!
by JamMasterJesus on Aug 12, 2009 11:46 PM PDT up reply actions
I love the way he just disappears from the picture
by Jeff Sullivan on Aug 12, 2009 11:50 PM PDT up reply actions 18 recs
Now that's comedy!
The Yankees suck-a-doodle-doo!
by JamMasterJesus on Aug 12, 2009 11:51 PM PDT up reply actions
HE LOOKED IN THE BALL'S DIRECTION INITIALLY
WHY THE FUCK IS HE LOOKING TO HIS LEFT?! THERE IS NO REASON TO LOOK THERE.
Everybody else saw exactly where the ball went except Rob.
FUCK THE ANGELS! FUCK THE ANGELS! FUCK THE ANGELS!
Incredible.
The best part is that Kelley is closer to it than Johnson by the time the .GIF ends.
Jigsaw falling into place
Right as the ball deflects off his glove, watch his head
There’s a little hitch, I think he’s peaking at the runner just as the pitch arrives
Well...
I’m Moore’s biggest fanboy outside of the organization and even I recognize that he’s had his issues, too…
This signature space for rent.
by PositivePaul on Aug 12, 2009 11:44 PM PDT up reply actions
Despite all the talk about Moore being the future starter
I just don’t see Rob Johnson getting less than 300 PA a year for the foreseeable future. He’s going to be a part of this team for a long time.
by Manzanillos Cup on Aug 13, 2009 12:15 AM PDT up reply actions
I wonder how bad Clement must have been, if we are tolerating this type of defensive effort
Anybody know how Moore compares to Johnson defensively?
Clement was so bad that he couldn't even get in a catchers stance.
The Yankees suck-a-doodle-doo!
by JamMasterJesus on Aug 12, 2009 11:40 PM PDT up reply actions
MY PRINT SCREEN ISN'T WORKING, AND IM GOING TO CRY.
The Yankees suck-a-doodle-doo!
by JamMasterJesus on Aug 12, 2009 11:50 PM PDT up reply actions
Can you do me a favor, implicate yourself, and print screen that for me?
The Yankees suck-a-doodle-doo!
by JamMasterJesus on Aug 12, 2009 11:54 PM PDT up reply actions
Damn. Foiled.
The Yankees suck-a-doodle-doo!
by JamMasterJesus on Aug 13, 2009 12:26 AM PDT up reply actions
Okay, I think we all get this...
But, really, catcher has to be the toughest position on the field to play. It’s easy to make fun of them, sure.
Finding a reasonably good one is really really really hard. They take longer to develop in the system, traditionally. It had to be one reason Fontaine picked Clement over, say, Tulo. While Clement’s catching skills were even considered rough back then, the sum of the parts was possibly considered by Fontaine and company to be equal to T2, and what pushed them over the edge was the position.
So, yeah, hahaha Rob Johnson can’t catch the ball. He’s not good. He’s overrated by some and under-appreciated by others.
Where the hell are we going to get a better catcher? Kenji’s not better. Adam Moore might become better, but even being the Moore fanboy I am, I’d still take Robby in the bigs over Adam right now.
Adam can’t finish his development fast enough for me…
This signature space for rent.
"Kenji's not better."
He hits better. He catches better. He throws runners out better.
I’m not Rob Johnson hater. But, tonight was painful, he easily could have cost us the game. And it isn’t like we don’t have options. We have a catcher on the bench who is measurably better at much of the game.
by Snuffleupagus on Aug 12, 2009 11:55 PM PDT up reply actions
I am no longer of the opinion that Kenji's a better hitter
by Jeff Sullivan on Aug 12, 2009 11:57 PM PDT up reply actions
But
the last thing I remember Kenji doing was hitting a game winning home run. Langerhans and he are the teams best hitters right?
Still, that’s interesting.
by Snuffleupagus on Aug 13, 2009 12:00 AM PDT up reply actions
The ugly truth is that the pitchers don't want to throw to Kenji for whatever reason.
I’m not saying it’s fair, I’m not saying it’s rational, all I’m saying is that it’s bleedin’ obvious by now. Both the endless media reports, some which come right out and say it (remember Washburn “throwing him under the bus?”) and others which dance around it (see Drayer’s recent Rob Johnson post for strong hints). And when it comes to two otherwise roughly similar catchers, the pitchers are going to get what they want. It’s not like Kenji is Jorge Posada (another catcher reputedly unpopular as a gamecaller with many of his batterymates) here.
Also, I don’t necessarily think Kenji is a better hitter anymore.
Jigsaw falling into place
Like I said
I’m not trying to hate on Rob Johnson. But when we watch passed ball after passed ball we shouldn’t pretend we don’t have options that are worthy of discussion.
by Snuffleupagus on Aug 13, 2009 12:01 AM PDT up reply actions
I think the discussion begins and ends pretty quickly with "what do the pitchers prefer?"
Because as I said we’re not dealing with two players with significantly different capabilities. Johnson is a slightly better hitter, Johjima’s a slightly better defender, they probably cancel one another out. But given that they’re basically tied, the tiebreaker goes to soothing the pitcher’s nerves. Whether it’s irrational or not (it probably is), you just don’t want to get inside your pitcher’s head by forcing him to work with a catcher that, for whatever reason, he feels drags his game down. Psychological bullshit? Probably. But psychological bullshit can still have a real effect on the field, so tie goes to Johnson.
Again: notice that Kenji’s caught French and Snell and Fister. Not an accident: they’re the new guys without any accumulated “veteran” prejudice.
Jigsaw falling into place
Kenji caught all three because Johnson was resting a sore elbow.
Hard to say how it would have shaken out if both catchers were feeling good.
I get the sense that the "sore elbow" thing is a story for outside consumption.
Jigsaw falling into place
I suppose I should take this opportunity to state my position again
I have come around on Rob Johnson and do not loathe him anymore. I do, however, think it’s funny that he can’t catch a baseball.
This game has made me loathe him again.
Fuck Rob Johnson.
FUCK THE ANGELS! FUCK THE ANGELS! FUCK THE ANGELS!
The problem with him is that he never lets you make the easy decision.
Sure you have all the passed balls.
But then you have the game-saving pickoff, and as much as we’d love to just credit Beltre exclusively, let’s be honest: that was really all Johnson.
And then there’s stuff like the line-drive double play, where you want to hate him but he did everything he could have been asked to do and just got terribly unlucky.
Unless you believe in karma, that is. In which case, fucker’s getting what he deserves.
Jigsaw falling into place
Fuck it, I blame Wak.
This game actually started souring my opinion on Wak- I’ve liked him for the most part this year, but his well-known flaws really came out. Not having Sweeney bunt in such a close game in the 7th, letting Rob Johnson bat past the 9th…. these things really wore me down today. It came out okay in the end, but I think this game could have been managed better.
Meh.
He’s got his flaws, but he’s a damned good manager who miraculously has a team that just last season had no chemistry all following him.
He’s going to make mistakes. He may be stubborn, but we should be so lucky these guys seem to love playing for him.
Illegible
Mike Sweeney is a nice man. And nice men need at bats.
The Yankees suck-a-doodle-doo!
by JamMasterJesus on Aug 13, 2009 12:37 AM PDT up reply actions
But I'm nice and it .400
Batting .400/.613/.500 in 8 games for PSSBL Rocky Diablos 2009
by Two Rs and Two Ls on Aug 13, 2009 1:52 AM PDT up reply actions
Ehhh
The passed balls didn’t hurt us that bad, he made an awesome snap throw, and he was a dash of luck away from a game-winning hit.
by Jeff Sullivan on Aug 13, 2009 12:02 AM PDT up reply actions
"
I couldn’t care less about the passed balls. Just imagine how boring this game would’ve been without them.
I mean, seriously.
by Steven was taken on Aug 13, 2009 12:22 AM PDT up reply actions
yeah
when he reached to pick up his mask after the tag I was sure that he was picking up the ball I assumed he had just dropped.
by Snuffleupagus on Aug 12, 2009 11:56 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, he would have lost all the good will he's gained if he had dropped that.
It’s taken me months to get over that first drop.
by Manzanillos Cup on Aug 13, 2009 12:08 AM PDT up reply actions
New York Vinnie is talking about how Rob Johnson should always be behind the plate
He called him a “defensive gem”!
My Mariners blog - SodoMojo Twitter Feed, Fuck the fucking Angels!
By the way, does anyone know what happened to Jack Wilson? I missed what he was pulled out of the game for.
Irredeemable ugliness?
Jigsaw falling into place
Blood was everywhere.
People were wailing and throwing up in the stands.
Illegible
by kevin_ess on Aug 13, 2009 12:13 AM PDT up reply actions 5 recs
Hamstring aggrivation
This signature space for rent.
by PositivePaul on Aug 13, 2009 12:13 AM PDT up reply actions
In the first three gifs,
there is a runner on second. I wonder if he is paying too much attention to what the runner is doing, as in he just takes his eye off the ball as the runner takes his steps down the base path. Now the last one, he just didn’t get in front of the ball…..
You know who you remind me of?
The kinds of people who used to make excuses for Hitler or Stalin. That’s who.
Jigsaw falling into place
by esoteric on Aug 13, 2009 12:43 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
So I've been lurking for a while,
and tonight I finally realized why everyone hates Rob Johnson so much.
mariner fan in anaheim
I hate Rob Johnson and everyone who doesn't hate Rob Johnson.
by lailaihei on Aug 13, 2009 2:02 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Same here. I can't stand a catcher who can't catch the fucking ball.
I don’t care how much of a suckup he is to the coaches and pitchers, his defense is almost unbelievably terrible.
If I was Clement, I’d sure be PO’d watching Rob Johnson “catch”.
They shouldn't.
Usually if the catcher fails to catch a ball that doesn’t bounce and he did get a glove on, that’s a passed ball.
The pitcher normally only gets credited with a wild pitch if the pitch bounces or it the catcher completely whiffs at it.
I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.
I don't hate Rob Johnson
Rob is a rookie playing one of the tougher positions to deal with. The staff likes him… and they pitch better. Is he a great hitter? Take away the top 5 in the league and you have mediocre bats running amok. He plays a position that is historically bad at hitting. Rookies need development time
If the staff is overachieving and believes it is because Rob Johnson is a lucky bunny foot and continues to believe so… then he gets to stay until he dies or they find someone better. Yes Kenji’s defense is better. But pitchers hate him. Yes Clement has a better bat. But he can’t catch or call a game. Moore isn’t ready for the bigs. Pissing off an overachieving staff with a bad offense seems like a bad idea
You say it louder
THE STAFF LIKES HIM AND THEY PITCH BETTER!!!!!!!!
Like that, maybe more exclamation points? I wasn’t sure exactly how many to use to I decided to error on the conservative side.
by Kermit. on Aug 13, 2009 8:19 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
OOOH OOOOH! Bold print!!
THE STAFF LIKE HIM AND THEY PITCH BETTER
And then there's repetition
THE STAFF LIKES HIM AND THEY PITCH BETTER THE STAFF LIKES HIM AND THEY PITCH BETTER
THE STAFF LIKES HIM AND THEY PITCH BETTER THE STAFF LIKES HIM AND THEY PITCH BETTER
THE STAFF LIKES HIM AND THEY PITCH BETTER THE STAFF LIKES HIM AND THEY PITCH BETTER
THE STAFF LIKES HIM AND THEY PITCH BETTER THE STAFF LIKES HIM AND THEY PITCH BETTER
THE STAFF LIKES HIM AND THEY PITCH BETTER THE STAFF LIKES HIM AND THEY PITCH BETTER
THE STAFF LIKES HIM AND THEY PITCH BETTER THE STAFF LIKES HIM AND THEY PITCH BETTER
THE STAFF LIKES HIM AND THEY PITCH BETTER THE STAFF LIKES HIM AND THEY PITCH BETTER
THE STAFF LIKES HIM AND THEY PITCH BETTER THE STAFF LIKES HIM AND THEY PITCH BETTER
by Kermit. on Aug 13, 2009 8:22 AM PDT up reply actions 5 recs
Got a GIF of Johnson's pick-off throw?
Just for comparison’s sake?
Fuck the Angels! And the Yankees and Red Sox while we're at it.
Butte High Fight Chant
"We’re the boys from Butte,
the land of rocks and ditches.
We bang our cocks off the rocks;
we’re dirty sons a bitches."
No, not a joke. The football team used to chant it before every game – probably still do. IMHO, Rob Johnson needs to bring that tradition to the Mariner clubhouse.
Wow....that's
something. “We bang our cocks off the rocks” doesn’t sound intimidating, it doesn’t ‘dirty,’ it just sounds painful and retarded.
“Rock-fucking crazy” has now supplanted “Pants-on-arms crazy” for me…..
Catcher Defense Rate
Seems like there’s a defensive metric floating around here – some function of mishandled pitches, throw release times and accuracy.
Hey you're right!
I love the high socks. More players should wear them like that.
Any particular reason or occasion?
Or has Felix decided to just become even more awesome for the hell of it?
Rob Johnson needs a swift kick to his intangibles
De Gutibus non disputandum est
by Bearskin Rugburn on Aug 13, 2009 11:48 AM PDT reply actions
No! Thats the source to all his power!
The Yankees suck-a-doodle-doo!
by JamMasterJesus on Aug 13, 2009 12:02 PM PDT up reply actions
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