Retired big-league pitcher Dallas Braden joined Moose & Maggie on Friday to discuss the catching situation for both New York teams, and the former A’s lefty is clearly feeling more optimistic about the backstop in Queens than in the Bronx.
Braden went in depth on his observations around James McCann and Gary Sanchez, who figure to be starting behind the plate on Opening Day for the Mets and Yankees, respectively, and when the discussion came to Sanchez, Braden was hesitant to say that the 28-year-old could turn the corner and get back to his All-Star ways.
“The idea that Gary Sanchez throughout the offseason had no idea why he was removed from the offseason…when you hear things like that, I start to wonder ‘Does he have a false sense of who he is?’” Braden said. “’Does he have a false sense of security in the positon he’s in, and is there a fire hot enough that can burn bright enough that can get him excited and back in the cage and working on the things he needs to work on and making the adjustments he needs to make?’”
Sanchez lost some of his October playing time to backup Kyle Higashioka in the postseason, after labouring through a brutal slump that began down the stretch of 2019, a year in which he was posting MVP-type numbers through the first half of the season. It was the latest example of Sanchez’s frustrating streakiness that shows flashes of being one of the best offensive catchers in the game, only to be followed by prolonged swoons that make him seen as a liability.
Defensively, Sanchez has long been criticized for allowing too many passed balls, a department he improved upon in recent years, though his framing numbers were sacrificed in the process. Sanchez’s defense has always been under the microscope, and Braden doesn’t see it improving in 2021 if it hasn’t already.
“As far as the catching positon goes, it’s not good at all and it’s a liability,” Braden said. “I know there’s been conversations about him making progress, but I don’t see it and I wouldn’t bank on it. He better figure out how to roll that pole a little more efficiently. I can’t have a guy back there that we’re just asking to knock it down. That’s essentially what happens with Gary. When Geritt Cole, the guys who is making half a billion dollars comes over and Gary Sanchez looks like he’s flailing in a snowball fight trying to catch Gerrit Cole, that’s not a good thing.”
Sanchez gave way to Higashioka as Cole’s personal catcher last season, and manager Aaron Boone said on Wednesday that there is no plan in place to repeat that cycle in 2021, with Sanchez having a chance to take back the everyday role. But Braden’s hopes aren’t high on that lasting long this season.
“There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that with who Gerrit Cole is and what we’ve learned about who he is and how he goes about his business, with how cerebral he is and what he’s demanding of himself, by proxy is now demanded of the catcher as well, and I don’t know If Gary Sanchez is in a mental state where he can demand that of himself and live up to that…if he doesn’t believe in himself…how can he help Gerrit Cole or any of the other four in that rotation or anyone in that bullpen? That’s where we insert Kyle Higashioka and say ‘look, Gerrit Cole is telling the world ‘He’s my guy, the numbers tell you he’s my guy, and the most important number, Cash, the ones with all those commas that go in my bank account, that’s the one that will let you know that I want Higashioka and that’s who’s going to catch me.’ That conversation is going to be had…all it’s going to take is one day where Gerrit Cole and Gary Sanchez cannot get on the same page, they’re shaking, there’s some passed balls, and Gerrit Cole is going to walk into the clubhouse the next day and say ‘Are we ready?’”
Across town at Citi Field, Braden is high on Mets newcomer James McCann, who signed with the team on a four-year deal this offseason after posting an impressive .896 OPS with the White Sox in 2020. But Braden was more excited about what McCann will offer the team from behind the plate.
“I talked to a lot of guys from the White Sox organization, I know a lot of those guys, especially a lot of guys in that rotation, and each and every one of them echoes the same sentiment, which is ‘you can basically rush me to the ballpark, give me zero time to prepare, run me out to the mound and every single pitch that James McCann is going to put down, I have the utmost confidence that it is the absolute best pitch in that scenario and in that moment,’” Braden said. “That’s the kind of preparation he’s bringing to the table.”
The Mets will have plenty of newcomers on this year’s staff, including Carlos Carrasco and Taijuan Walker in the starting rotation, and Braden believes they will have no problem clicking with McCann, who should have no problem adjusting to his new surroundings himself.
“When you have a guy like James who is not only bringing the information and bringing the preparation, but has the ability to communicate as well, that is the biggest thing,” Braden said. “You’re out there on the mound, you have to be your own best pitching coach, and you’d like to have some help out there from time to time. When James McCann is the guy in the squat, that’s what you have. You have a sounding board and a field general out there. He’s not Yadier Molina, we’re not getting crazy here, but he fits the bill of what the Mets need, which is someone who can handle this pitching staff and be serviceable, and that’s exactly what the Mets have in James McCann.”
Listen to Braden’s full interview with Moose & Maggie below!
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