There is a piece in Newsday about Josh Thole and how he has spent his offseason working on defense. Josh traveled to Dallas multiple times to work with catching coordinator Bob Natal. Two worked to find a consistent catching stance for Thole through hours of video-sessions of not only Thole himself, but also of Yadier Molina. Josh seems more than ready to work this season and the perpetual presence of new bench coach Bob Geren, a former catcher, should keep him grounded throughout the season.
I understand the frustration surrounding Thole's development. The way his offense was hyped made it sound like his defense wouldn't matter. But with any catcher, defense is going to matter. The struggles have been magnified by his initial success and ultimate failure catching R.A. Dickey's knuckleball. The truth is, every catcher dealing with a knuckleball is going to struggle. I almost wish people would separate those statistics from the rest because it is simply a different skill.
Back to the point, Josh Thole knows he has to get better. He isn't satisfied with any part of last season so there is no reason for anybody else to be satisfied. But he has also been doing absolutely everything he can to improve. This season will obviously be a big one for Thole. The good news is that everything is set up perfectly for his success. The Mets have multiple people around to teach Thole. The Mets also finally decided what they want in their catchers and that seems to be strong defense. At last the Mets have done their job. Now it's time for Josh Thole to do his.
Let's Go Mets!
I understand the frustration surrounding Thole's development. The way his offense was hyped made it sound like his defense wouldn't matter. But with any catcher, defense is going to matter. The struggles have been magnified by his initial success and ultimate failure catching R.A. Dickey's knuckleball. The truth is, every catcher dealing with a knuckleball is going to struggle. I almost wish people would separate those statistics from the rest because it is simply a different skill.
Back to the point, Josh Thole knows he has to get better. He isn't satisfied with any part of last season so there is no reason for anybody else to be satisfied. But he has also been doing absolutely everything he can to improve. This season will obviously be a big one for Thole. The good news is that everything is set up perfectly for his success. The Mets have multiple people around to teach Thole. The Mets also finally decided what they want in their catchers and that seems to be strong defense. At last the Mets have done their job. Now it's time for Josh Thole to do his.
Let's Go Mets!
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