The term “League average” Is the biggest crock of BS floating around now. The only thing that is important in any player your team acquires is the does he have the ability/tools to help make your team better relative to what your needs are. What good is a players “league average” in relation to what any team needs to win at anytime? If he’s a good fit for YOUR team than it’s the right move regardless of what his “league average” status is.

Yes….in a year when everyone was dropping like flies and we had the likes of Santos, Schneider and Castro. Not much of competition there.

“When Travis was 22, he was facing AA pitchers”

While winning MVP & Defensive Catcher of the Year honors. At ANY level, could you say the same about Thole, who has proven to be nothing more than a #2/#3 catcher?

Look away from the stats for the hidden tendancies of both catchers, Buck and Thole.

The huge problem we had last season was with Thole’s intimidation blocking the plate with the runner coming on full speed. Though physically recovered, it seemed he never recovered emotinally from the experience of that concussion. He was never the tough one necessary the position ever since.

He had been in the majors too long to say it was a lack of experience which caused him to remove his catcher’s mask on that play to begin with.

I always liked Thole and still think he can return to the dependable hitter he was and will be rooting for him. I just hope he has gotten over the intimidation factor.

This is Thole’s 5th year in the bigs..

When Thole was 22, he was facing MLB pitchers

When Travis was 22, he was facing AA pitchers

plus his weight, and height work against him behind the plate, Travis more than likely will be a 1B before he hits 30

I have no idea why this is so important to you, it’s a smart move for both teams giving the Jays catching depth and the Mets stability and a nice veteran presence for their young pitchers and their heir apparent.

http://www.fangraphs.com/library/index.php/offense/woba/

True I’m not a statistician and maybe you understand formula’s better than I do (I tend to get a little lost after non homogenous second order recursion relations), but I’m also not dumb enough to use batting average to try and make an intelligent argument. I mean did you really think no one call you on that b.s.?

It means they wanted Thole because he would be a BETTER DEFENDER for the Knuckleball!

If he can catch a Knuckleball better than Buck then he must easily be able to catch the much easier pitches now can’t he?

POOF goes the Buck is better defensively line we are being fed here now isn’t it?

Tell which is WEIGHTED higher in wOBA Vig….
a Hit or an RBOE?

Is a HR weighted 4 times what a hit is?

Then tell me who understands wOBA better….

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/01/anthopoulos-talks-oliver-thole-extensions-1.html

I don’t have to prove your full of it everyone pretty much knows it already….

Run along doggie!

The rest of us don’t stand for your duplicity….

I never get the absolute ignorance that some people are so proud of when it comes to stats.