The case for Matt Wieters — revisited
Photo: Greg Mac
In my first post with Maryland Sports Blog, I had five simple words for the Baltimore front office regarding Matt Wieters:
Give him what he wants.
I stand by that comment. Nowhere in Major League Baseball will you find a more complete catcher. He’s a top-notch hitter. He fields the ball cleanly. Would-be base stealers either stay at 1st or trot to the dugout in shame. Matt calls a good game.
And he has one intangible that cannot be measured by statistics: leadership.
Ever since the “phenom” joined the organization, pitchers were calmer on the mound. Wieters was able to maintain a good pace with the pitcher, understand the batters, and relay signals from the dugout without missing anything on the field. He never demanded respect. He commanded it.
Before considering him for trade or letting him go in the off-season, Dan Duquette would be better off retooling the entire starting rotation before giving up the best backstop in baseball. Here’s wishing Matt a full, speedy, and healthy recovery after a successful surgery. Yes, I believe prayer works. Praying for a well-guided doctor performing surgery is something to do as well.
