As detailed here in an article by Derrick Goold, Mike Matheny did something cool.
I admit, I’m not Matheny’s biggest fan, and have been very critical in the past, especially the preference he seems to have of playing veterans or “his guys” over rookies or trade acquisitions. I’ll probably be critical of him in the upcoming season as well, and I won’t be alone.
In what was supposed to be a workout with Cardinals catching propect Michael Ohlman, a catching prospect we acquuired from Baltimore, Mike instead got there and found uber prospect Alexander Reyes, and ended up stepping in and catching the kid, which I have to admit, is pretty cool.
I have to admit I’m jealous of Mike on this one. I wish (provided I had the catching skills of course) that I was the one catching Reyes, and seeing what this wunderkind can do. For all my criticism, this is one thing Mike does right: handling players, connecting to them, and leading them, both on the field and in the clubhouse. If his on field tactics (which are a work in progress and I grudgingly admit will probably get better) matched his player relations, there’d be no pining for Joe Maddon, which is for me saying something, as I pined for Maddon as soon as his status for this year was noted to be up in the air (and a little before then).
I have to admit, I am a huge fan of Reyes, and probably have waaaaay too high expectations of him. The kid is a few years off, and there’s always a chance that he won’t pan out. If he does though, it’ll be a sight worth seeing, and Mike was lucky enough to get a glimpse of that future.
Very cool Mike.
As always, thanks for reading.
Nice story, sir. Well done.