I'm pretty excited to see how Mesoraco performs against the next level of competition

[Kingspoint]

This is the make-or-break level of a Catcher. This is where we'll find out if Mesoraco will be a solid Defensive Catcher for us in the future or if he'll have to rely on his Offensive skills to find a way to get to the Majors.

That second half "turnaround" he had last year was so encouraging. I had no idea he had it in him. It shows the REDS did some excellent scouting when they made him their first round pick.

Looking forward to the first "reports" where his Coach or his Manager talks about his "game-calling" skills this season. I'll be able to see his numbers on "throwing out runners", but it won't be until I see those reports where I'll have an idea on how he's doing with the "game-calling". So much of that is behind the scenes where the Catcher, Pitcher(s) and Manager/Coaches get together before the game and after the game, in addition to the "live" game-calling.

If anyone cares to give "their feel" about what they see if they're able to sit behind the backstop of any of his games, I'd really appreciate any opinions someone might have about what they may gleen from their observations.

[Kingspoint]

Guess I won't be seeing what he'll do at the next level for a while.

That's OK, though. I love how the REDS have handled Mesoraco since he's been a RED. It's hard to "guess" where a Catcher is at defensively in the system without watching him every day in person.

[Joseph]

I think they did the right thing with Mes. While we all want Lincecum like or Leake like rises out of our first round draft picks, sometimes they take time, especially catchers. Putting him in High A now that he's reportedly 'figured it out' is a good thing. If he's got the talent, he'll shine and get bumped.

Next year start him at AA and be ready to move him to AAA. In 2012 maybe he's ready to make the show at some point. Who knows.

[mbgrayson]

Through the first 15 games of the 2010 season at Lynchburg(High A), Devin Mesoraco is doing fine:

.300/.379/.620 for an OPS of .999 with 4 HRs. He has struck out 6 times, and walked 4 times in 54 plate appearances.

[GIDP]

Whats good to see is the strike outs and walks are almost 1:1 and that his slash line seems pretty darn reasonable. No .390 BA with an OBP of .400.

Good signs.

[Edd Roush]

If Mes can develop into an above-average catecher in the ML, he is the most important player in the Reds farm system. We still are working with a small sample size, but it is encouraging. Let's hope he keeps it up and stays away from the injury bug.

[gonelong]

Through the first 15 games of the 2010 season at Lynchburg(High A), Devin Mesoraco is doing fine:

.300/.379/.620 for an OPS of .999 with 4 HRs. He has struck out 6 times, and walked 4 times in 54 plate appearances.

Glad to see it. I hope Mes proves me wrong, but after seeing this kid at Dayton I just can't see him making any kind of impact at the MLB level.

I'd rather be wrong with a MLB caliber catcher than be right without one.

GL

[lollipopcurve]

I hope Mes proves me wrong, but after seeing this kid at Dayton I just can't see him making any kind of impact at the MLB level.

There were reports this spring that he's made a lot of progress defensively. That's why time in the minors is called development -- and in this case it appears to be working.

[dougdirt]

Glad to see it. I hope Mes proves me wrong, but after seeing this kid at Dayton I just can't see him making any kind of impact at the MLB level.

I'd rather be wrong with a MLB caliber catcher than be right without one.

GL

So because 2 seasons ago you weren't impressed by a 19 year old, you basically gave up on him?

[TRF]

So because 2 seasons ago you weren't impressed by a 19 year old, you basically gave up on him?

it's funny what 1st impressions will do. We all are wrong all the time about players we like and don't like. I was convinced for three straight years Tyler Pelland was going to be a star.

[lollipopcurve]

We all are wrong all the time about players we like and don't like.

Amen to that. Nothing wrong with changing one's opinion as players develop/don't develop.

[REDblooded]

So because 2 seasons ago you weren't impressed by a 19 year old, you basically gave up on him?

Not to mention one that had missed a season of high school due to TJ, and hadn't really played against elite competition...

[RedsManRick]

I'd say there's a difference between being down on a guy's chances of making it and writing him off completely. Though I've seen a more than a few posters neglect to make the distinction.

I too was down on Mes b/c I simply don't trust in the Reds ability to develop, well, anybody and he clearly had a lot of developing to do. But I certainly like what I've seen from him over the last 8 months.

[TRF]

I'd say there's a difference between being down on a guy's chances of making it and writing him off completely. Though I've seen a more than a few posters neglect to make the distinction.

I too was down on Mes b/c I simply don't trust in the Reds ability to develop, well, anybody and he clearly had a lot of developing to do. But I certainly like what I've seen from him over the last 8 months.

But to be honest here, when was the last time the Reds developed a bad catcher defensively? Corky Miller is a good receiver. Hanigan is. Tatum is. It's the offense these catchers provide that generally is lacking. Which is odd as they seem able to wring every last ounce of offense out of the rest of the position players.

[gonelong]

So because 2 seasons ago you weren't impressed by a 19 year old, you basically gave up on him?

No, I just downgraded his chances (IMO) of making a substantial impact on the MLB roster to practically nil.

1. I don't get to give up on them or push them through the system, that's the organizations domain. As a fan, I don't tend to invest to much into the guys until the make the MLB team. At 40, I'm not all that interested in devoting much time to following a guy that (IMO) might have a chance to not suck in 5-6 years. I'll stick with the guys that show something interesting.

2. I only see 8-10 Dragon's games a year. I work on small sample sizes.

3. Armchair GM'ing is intersting. So is armchair scouting. For the number of times I see these guys at the single-A level, I have a been pretty successful prediciting position players which will make a MLB roster at some point, and who has a good chance of being more than roster filler.
* Pitchers and Catchers are a different animal to be sure. *

That said, frankly I thought the bat boy had about as much potential to make the bigs as Mes did, based on what I saw.

Sure he was 19 at the time and has lots of time to improve at a difficult position known for long development times ... but he was just so *completely* unimpressive in nearly every aspect of the game that I'll be pleasantly suprised if he makes a positive impact at the MLB level.

GL