Bill Batterman is the It wasn’t supposed to be this way. When the Brewers acquired Chad Moeller as part of the Richie Sexson trade this past off-season, General Manager Doug Melvin was hoping that he had found his team a solid catcher capable of contributing both offensively and defensively. Sporting OPS totals of 770 and 852 over the past two seasons, the 29-year old looked to be an offensive upgrade over the previous season’s duo of Eddie Perez and Keith Osik.
Melvin also acquired veteran backup Gary Bennett, a poor hitter with a good defensive reputation, and manager Ned Yost decided to split time between the two backstops. Thus far, Moeller has received 242 plate appearances while Bennett has received 156, a split of almost exactly 60/40.
The results have not been as expected, and that is putting it politely. The Brewers’ catchers have been anemic at the plate, combining for an abysmal .277 on-base average and 584 OPS. Batting mostly in the #7 and #8 spots in the lineup, Moeller and Bennett have become a near-automatic out at the bottom of the order, a second pitcher on a team in desperate need of offense.