Sunday, February 13, 2000
CATCHING
1-2 OK, then it's buckle-my-shoe
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Reds have only one problem with Jason LaRue: He doesn't have a twin.
LaRue saved the Reds last June when backup catcher Brian Johnson needed arthroscopic knee surgery. LaRue arrived from Triple-A Indianapolis and made himself at home the rest of the season, as Cincinnati went 17-10 in his starts and pitchers recorded a 3.81 ERA when he played.
Now that LaRue is entrenched as Taubensee's complement, the Reds have nobody in the minors as a logical fill-in if either of them were injured. And since catching is baseball's most physically grueling position, some attrition is inevitable.
Cincinnati's only non-roster catchers with major-league experience, Guillermo Garcia and Mike Hubbard, have played just 109 games in the bigs between them. The Reds would prefer a backup with more of a track record, explaining why they pursued veteran Benito Santiago. LaRue had no big-league experience, but he was considered one of the best catching prospects in professional baseball. None of the Reds' minor-league receivers fits that description, though some observers are high on 23-year-old Corky Miller.
Taubensee seems to be improving offensively with each season. Last year he established career highs with a .311 average, 21 homers and 87 RBI. Manager Jack McKeon correctly reasoned that he could maximize Taubensee's production by regulating his playing time.
McKeon must continue to hope that he, not injuries, will determine how he rations activity for Taubensee and LaRue this year.
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