There was no police escort for Doug Mirabelli out of town the way there was when he flew back into town on May 1, 2006, hours after being reacquired by the Red Sox, who had been appalled by Josh Bard’s attempts to catch Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball. The Red Sox rushed Mirabelli onto a chartered plane in San Diego, and he arrived at Fenway Park in the nick of time to catch Wakefield against the Yankees that night.
The Red Sox released him yesterday, giving the job of Wakefield’s personal catcher to Kevin Cash, whose only real advantage over Mirabelli is that he’s seven years younger.
I don’t understand why so many Red Sox fans — and members of the media — were always so down on Mirabelli. IMHO, he was the consummate backup catcher, a guy who could catch and throw and didn’t complain about his playing time. Sure, he didn’t hit much for average, but he was good for a half-dozen homers a year and was always, at the very least, a threat at the plate.
If Red Sox fans thought Mirabelli’s bat was bad, wait ‘til they get a long look at Cash’s. The guy has never even reached the Mendoza Line, and he doesn’t have Mirabelli’s power or batting eye. Cash’s best year was .193-4-21 in 60 games for the Blue Jays in 2004.
Here’s a comparison of Mirabelli’s and Cash’s career stats:
Batting Average: Mirabelli .231, Cash .167.
On-Base Percentage: Mirabelli .317, Cash .223.
Slugging Percentage: Mirabelli .407, Cash .265.
Okay, I’ll grant you it was seven years ago when Mirabelli was Cash’s age. But in 2001, when Jason Varitek broke his elbow, Mirabelli stepped in and hit .270 with nine homers and 26 RBI in 54 games for the Red Sox.
Varitek is also seven years older now and more prone to getting hurt. If something serious were to happen to Varitek, could Cash be expected to step in and contribute the kinds of numbers Mirabelli did? Somehow I doubt it.
The one thing Cash does seem to have in his favor is that, like Mirabelli, he is a good defensive catcher. He has caught 27 of 75 base stealers during his major-league career, an impressive 36 percent. He’ll probably be able to handle Wakefield’s knuckler.
But if he can’t ... well, Doug Mirabelli might be getting another police escort to Fenway Park by May.