Roster finalizations: Boggs accepts assignment to AAA Nashville; Almonte, Reed formally added to 40-man

[PrinceEatMeat]

http://www.jsonline.com/s...s/brewers/119038789.html

 

Based on that article, Roenicke is either going to use an extremely small sample to determine who the backup catcher will be for 2011, or he already knows and just isn't saying. Maybe I'm reading way too much into Nieves starting on Opening Day, but the fact that Nieves not only started but had 2 hits and made a few plays behind the plate that I rarely see Kottaras make has me wondering about just how much longer Kottaras will be a Brewer

I'm with you on this. I think there was a reason all along that Melvin signed Nieves. He and Roenicke both like him. If Kottaras is DFA'd there is still a chance he could be traded in the 10-day window they will have.

[The Truth]

Nieves has a career OPS of .570 ... its pretty clear that Nieves is a better defensive catcher but wow his bat has been historically awful. And at 33 years of age its not like he's going to magically transform his hitting ability. Meanwhile many might point to Kottaras' .203 BA last season, but he still had an OPS of over .700 ... Kottaras is a significantly better hitter than Nieves

 

I'd hate to lose Kottaras over a small sample of a week or two, or even based on spring training. Maybe they've just given up on Kottaras due to his defensive liabilities?

[strawbossisevil]

"If George swings the bat like he did in spring training (.367 average, 3 HRs, 12 RBI) and catches like he did, he'll be in there more often.

Key phrase of the whole article right there. This is what was said during the Royals broadcast. The backup job is Kottaras's to lose. Unless he hits/plays horribly, when Lucroy comes back Nieves goes.

How anyone could read that article and think that Kottaras is likely to lose the backup spot is beyond me. He clearly is the current favorite of the coaching staff to stick around.