Leif Garrett, “Runaround Sue,” #13, January 22, 1978
Leif Garrett was a typical “teen idol” singer who’s now known better today for his on-and-off drug issues that what he actually did to make himself famous. “Runaround Sue” was the second single from his self-titled debut album released in late 1977 (eight of the 10 songs on the album were remakes of songs made over 10 years earlier, ranging from the standard “That’s All” to the Billy J. Kramer hit “Bad to Me,” written by Lennon & McCartney), and they all sound pretty similar: multitracked vocals, swoopy strings, etc. Basically, it was the same playbook Donny Osmond worked from at the beginning of the decade – which is no surprise, given producer Michael Lloyd had been a VP at MGM Records during Donny’s heyday. (Did I mention that Lloyd either wrote or cowrote the other two songs?) Anyway, it is what it is. By the way, this was the only video I could embed of this – don’t ask me why it has nothing but Kristy McNichol pictures, I have no idea.


Kansas, “Point of Know Return,” #28, January 22, 1978
Given all the airplay this song got, I would have thought it was a bigger hit – perhaps I was listening to WPLJ more then, or perhaps it came back after the song was blown away (sorry) by the second single, “Dust in the Wind.” Still a catchy song 30 years later, and no doubt a key song during Kansas’ concerts at state fairs and the like. Gotta love this video – it’s so ‘70s.


Stevie Wonder, “As,” #36, January 22, 1978
By January 1978, it had been over a year since Songs in the Key of Life was released, and Motown was still pumping out singles. This was the fourth Top 40 hit from Stevie’s magnum opus after “I Wish,” “Sir Duke,” and “Another Star.” (“Isn’t She Lovely” got tons of radio airplay, but Wonder never authorized Motown to release it as a single.) Nothing wrong with this song; more likely it didn’t get much of a label push. By the way, that wasn’t Stevie banging away on a Fender Rhodes in the original version; it’s Herbie Hancock.


Donny & Marie Osmond, “You’re My Soul and Inspiration,” #38, January 22, 1978
And speaking of Donny Osmond, this was his 31st Hot 100 hit of the ‘70s (just the ninth for Marie, however), and, yes, it’s a remake of an oldie. Out of print, and it suffers from the typical Donny & Marie duet issue: most duets are written as love songs between the singers; it sounds a little icky when it’s being sung between a brother and a sister. (Saturday Night Live did a sketch in 1982, featuring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Marie and Gary Kroeger as Donny, that took that ick factor to the extreme.)


Marilyn Scott, “God Only Knows,” #61, January 22, 1978
Another one that’s out of print. Marilyn Scott has had (and continues to have) success as a jazz vocalist. It’s a remake of the 1966 Beach Boys hit from Pet Sounds; it has an interesting arrangement but won't eclipse the original.


Sammy Hagar, “You Make Me Crazy,” #62, January 22, 1978
Post-Montrose and pre-Van Halen, Sammy charted with this song that could easily have been mistaken for an Andrew Gold or Stephen Bishop tune. Which is probably why we never hear it nowadays, even though it’s still in print – who wants a wimpy Sammy Hagar when we can have the one on “Poundcake” and “Why Can’t This Be Love?”


The Ramones, “Rockaway Beach,” #66, January 22, 1978
Well, you have to give Sire Records credit for trying. The Ramones’ second of three Hot 100 singles (all from the album Rocket to Russia) may not be their most recognizable song (“I Wanna Be Sedated”? “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School”? “Blitzkreig Bop”?), but it’s had a long shelf life – my son recognized it instantly as a “chase theme” song from an episode of What’s New, Scooby-Doo? Ruh-roh.


Al Green, “Belle,” #83, January 22, 1978
Green’s last Hot 100 entry in the 1970s came a bit before he temporarily stopped recording secular music. It’s a fine song, if a bit similar to some of his previous efforts. It’s likely being on the small Hi Records label (which didn’t have a lot of other artists at this point) started to slow his career momentum down; Green had also become an ordained pastor, which refocused his energies. He stopped performing and recording secular music altogether in favor of gospel a year after “Belle,” but has since balanced both genres.


Randy Newman, “Short People,” #2, January 29, 1978
Hard to believe the guy who’s known now for such family-friendly fare as “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” and “We Belong Together” was a controversial figure due to this song, which was clearly – clearly – a lampoon of the reasons why we dislike some people and not others. It’s a terrific joke, and made Newman, who previously could best be described as a cult figure, into a household name. I’m actually just as familiar with the parody of this parody, Chevy Chase’s 1980 song “Short People,” which keeps the melody but changes the lyrics to sing the praises of those who are height-challenged (“They don’t take up much space/You can get a dozen in a car”).


Paul Simon, “Slip Slidin’ Away,” #5, January 29, 1978
Paul Simon took what amounted to a five-year break between the Still Crazy After All These Years album and One-Trick Pony (which was both a failed movie starring Mr. Simon and a somewhat more successful soundtrack of them same); this song and “Stranded in a Limousine” were the only two songs Simon released during that period. The two of them were on the 1977 Greatest Hits, Etc., which was released to let Simon fulfill his contractual obligations to Columbia Records; all of his releases since then have been on Warner Brothers (although now the back catalog has gone back to Columbia – if anyone can figure out the music industry, please let me know). In any case, this is a memorable lyrics grafted onto a gospel tune, and certainly stands up to his other work.


Styx, “Come Sail Away,” #8, January 29, 1978
Styx’s first big hit on their primary label, A&M (their previous top 10 hit, “Lady,” was on the much smaller Wooden Nickel Records), and it’s been an AOR staple ever since. Styx’s overall oeuvre is a matter of personal taste (me: eh), but if their fans were polled, this would probably be their quintessential track.


Leo Sayer, “Easy to Love,” #36, January 29, 1978
Easy to love, but hard as hell to listen to. The second single off his Thunder in My Heart album, and sung mostly in falsetto (remember, The Bee Gees were breaking sales records doing the same at this time) barely scraped into the Top 40, as had the title track two months before. That was a big comedown from the two #1 hits he’d notched in 1977, “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” and “When I Need You.” No doubt a big money loser for Chrysalis Records, which probably pressed a sizeable number of copies assuming Sayer’s star would continue to ascend; I remember seeing this album in cut-out racks for years.


Kenny Rogers, “Sweet Music Man,” #44, January 29, 1978
Gentle and basically uninteresting ballad from just before the time when Kenny Rogers would dominate the pop and country charts. This was a top 10 country hit, but too contemplative for a major crossover.


Rose Royce, “Ooh Boy,” #72, January 29, 1978
After scoring a #1 hit with their debut single “Car Wash” in early 1977, this group struggled to maintain momentum, and this single fit right in – it sounds as if it could have been a Motown release from 10 years before. As a result, it missed the top 40 by a mile (their last chart single, "Love Don't Live Here Anymore," would be far more successful). Solidly produced by Norman Whitfield, but nothing that would make anyone jump out of their chair.


Kellee Patterson, “If It Don’t Fit, Don’t Force It,” #75, January 29, 1978
The first of this series to go into a very special subset: That’s What She Said. (This was an era with lots of double-entendre song titles, most of which didn’t chart terribly highly.) Patterson hailed from Gary, Indiana, becoming popular there around the same time as The Jackson 5. She recorded a few albums with minor labels (one in the mid-1990s in a jazz vein); this was her only Hot 100 entry. It was tempting to say this was a disco one-shot without hearing it; it’s actually more of a soul/funk piece, and certainly deserved to be heard.

Superhits '78; Part 1

Since I've been listening to lots of music from 1978 while putting together a CD set, I thought other people might want to hear what people were listening to that year as well.

Bob Welch, “Sentimental Lady,” #8, January 8, 1978
Welch made a smart move by recycling one of his best Fleetwood Mac songs for his first solo album (after two flop LPs with a power trio, Paris, which no doubt confused his fans). He made a better move by bringing in Mac mates Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, and Lindsey Buckingham (who joined the band after Welch left, actually replacing him) to work on the song. Nowadays Welch has no communication with them (apparently he was excluded from the membership list for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame), but back then anything any member of Fleetwood Mac appeared on pretty much guaranteed a Top 20 hit. The resulting publicity (plus a paucity of other rock albums at the time) made Welch’s album French Kiss a surprise smash.


Bay City Rollers, “The Way I Feel Tonight,” #24, January 8, 1978
The Rollers’ last Top 40 entry – heck, their last entry on the American singles charts at all – is a drippy ballad that could have been recorded by half the artists in the Arista stable (no surprise; the album was produced by Harry Maslin, who later produced many of Air Supply’s hits). Hard to believe they made four studio albums after this one.


Diana Ross, “Gettin’ Ready for Love,” #27, January 8, 1978
Given that “Love Hangover” had been a huge #1 hit nine months before, the first single from Ross’ new album peaking below the top 20 was kind of a disaster. One of the problems Ross has always had is she almost never sticks with the same producers from one album to the next, so you never get the same sound. This was produced by Richard Perry after Carly Simon and Ringo Starr, but before The Pointer Sisters, so he probably didn’t have a handle on how to handle middle-of-the-road R&B just yet. It’s also a little too “girly,” given Ross was nearly 34 years old at the time.


Cheech & Chong, “Bloat On (Featuring The Bloaters),” #41, January 8, 1978
Parody of The Floaters’ “Float On” and a salute/warning to overeating, which probably would have benefited by appearing on an album quickly after its release (C&C had some label issues, so the single came out on Ode Records, but didn’t appear on an album until two years later on Warner Brothers). Comedy records were having a tough time making Top 40, and the belching at the top and end of the record probably put off some radio stations. Shame, since it’s pretty funny on the whole, and is a good reminder that Tommy Chong is also a damn good musician – he’d been in the Motown band Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers (“Does Your Mother Know About Me”) for a long time, including when they were known as Four [gross euphemism for black men] and a [gross euphemism for a Chinese man].

Cheech & Chong And The Bloaters. Bloat On.1977 by capitainfunkk

KC & The Sunshine Band, “Wrap Your Arms Around Me,” #48, January 8, 1978
The start of a fallow period for KC and the guys – five of their previous seven singles went to either #1 or #2, but this started a run of six singles that didn’t break Top 30. It doesn’t sound significantly different than the others, so it’s hard to say why, except maybe market oversaturation – too much disco from other artists, and too much KC in too short a period.


Eric Carmen, “Boats Against the Current,” #88, January 8, 1978
Pretty but inconsequential mopey ballad that suffered in comparison with Carmen’s big hit in a similar vein, “All by Myself.” I’m sure a few people were wondering, “Is this the same guy from The Raspberries?”


David Castle, “The Loneliest Man on the Moon,” #89, January 8, 1978
Never heard this one before looking it up on YouTube; it's out of print. And, well, it's definitely different. Castle's one and only hit.


The Alan Parsons Project, “Don’t Let It Show,” #92, January 8, 1978
A good ballad that never should have been released as a single, from their breakthrough album I Robot. It took a couple of years for Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson to write songs that would work on Top 40 radio.


Player, “Baby Come Back,” #1, January 15, 1978
Standard pop-rock single notable because a lot of people thought it was Hall & Oates. It has a little similarity to “She’s Gone,” I suppose, but while lead singer Peter Beckett has a similar range to Daryl Hall, he has none of the latter’s vocal characteristics. Huge hit from RSO Records in between huge hits from their Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.


Dolly Parton, “Here You Come Again,” #3, January 15, 1978
Parton’s first big Top 40 pop hit, but the singer-songwriter went elsewhere for this one; it’s written by Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, who had been around since the Brill Building in the early 1960s. Parton’s voice was certainly unique for top 40 radio at the time; a lot of listeners (like myself) undoubtedly thought she was a new artist, and didn’t realize she’d been hitting the country charts for 10 years.


Rod Stewart, “You’re in My Heart (The Final Acclaim),” #4, January 15, 1978
Stewart’s big hit off Foot Loose and Fancy Free, near the peak of his popularity, and back when he actually wrote what he sang. I hated this song when it first came out, and I’m still put off by the lyrics today(yes, “lyrical” and “physical” rhyme, but man, is that an awkward lyric). Not even sure who’s it’s written to – the disparaged “big-bosomed lady with the Dutch accent” is clearly his ex Britt Eklund, but I don’t think it was Alana Hamilton, whom he would marry in 1979, that was in his heart at the time.


Shaun Cassidy, “Hey Deanie,” #7, January 15, 1978
Oh good, Eric Carmen again. Except he only wrote this one. Cassidy’s third and last Top 10 hit, as the momentum from The Hardy Boys Mysteries was starting to wear down. Not a bad piece of pop-rock, actually; Cassidy’s songs were a little less agonizing than those of other teen idol pop stars. (Yes, I’m talking to you, Leif Garrett and Donny Osmond.)


Wings, “Girls School,” #33, January 15, 1978
Here’s one most of us in the good ol’ USA missed altogether. This was released as the B-side of “Mull of Kintyre,” McCartney’s tribute to his Scottish home, which was a gigantic hit all over the world, hitting #1 in five countries (and it’s still the fourth-biggest selling single in the UK ever). But here in America, it held no interest – so DJs flipped the single over and started playing the trifle “Girls School” instead. That broke Top 40 (barely), but considering how hot the band had been over the previous few years, it was considered a flop. It was left off the subsequent album London Town (as was “Mull of Kintyre”), and has only been released since (to my knowledge) on a 1993 London Town rerelease. Wikipedia also notes Capitol Records’ lack of promotional enthusiasm for Paul that year helped lead to his temporary exit for Columbia Records in 1979.


Peter Frampton, “Tried to Love,” #41, January 15, 1978
Last and least of the three singles from I’m in You, following the title track and a remake of Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours).” 1978 wasn’t a particularly good year for Frampton, who had this “hit” and his acting debut in the wretched Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band movie (well, I’ve heard it’s wretched; I’ve never actually seen it) to his credit. If Mick Jagger's on the record, he's buried in the mix.


Millie Jackson, “If You’re Not Back in Love by Monday,” #43, January 15, 1978
Odd that an R&B star with a taste for raunchy lyrics would have a big hit with a Merle Haggard ballad, but 1970s music was nothing if not unpredictable. Jackson’s career has been long and varied, but this song was one of her bigger hits, and also one of her last. She should have had a hit with her 1985 duet with Elton John, “Act of War,” but it started up slowly in the US and Geffen Records left it off the subsequent LP Ice on Fire. (It’s still pretty hard to find here.)


John Denver, “How Can I Leave You Again,” #44, January 15, 1978
One in a string of flop singles for Denver after 1975. Before that, he’d had four #1s (“Sunshine on My Shoulders,” “Annie’s Song,” “Thank God I’m a Country Boy,” and “I’m Sorry”), a #2, and a #5 out of seven singles (the only lesser hit was the #13 “Sweet Surrender”). After the #13 “Fly Away” in early 1976, however, the world seemed to tire of Denver simultaneously, and he never again registered a Top 20 hit. This is a pretty confessional, but nothing that would make anyone jump out of their chair and run to the local record store.


Al Martino, “The Next Hundred Years,” #49, January 15, 1978
Seriously? Al Martino charted in 1978? The last of his long run of charts hits, and a little gimmicky at that. Love the video thought -- from the old show Dinah!


Cat Stevens, “Was Dog a Doughnut,” #70, January 15, 1978
So odd you have to wonder if Stevens was tired of the pop music grind long before his conversion. Eons from “Morning Has Broken.”


Ronnie Milsap, “What a Difference You’ve Made in My Life,” #80, January 15, 1978
Bleurgh. One of those songs that would have made me reach for the next push button on the car radio the second it started to play (not that WABC or WNBC were playing this song anyway). One in a tremendous string of Top 10 country hits that ran unbroken between 1974 and 1991, but as far as the pop charts were concerned, an unsuccessful followup to 1977’s “It Was Almost Like a Song.”

Here’s another article trying to open up a can of worms about Mike Quade being chosen manager of the Chcago Cubs over Ryne Sandberg.

Yes, Ryne Sandberg is a hero in these parts. He’s a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. All but a couple of games in his career were played in a Chicago Cubs uniform. (He’s going to manage the Phillies’ AAA team – he was originally traded to the Cubs from the Phils as a throw-in, with Larry Bowa going to Chicago and Ivan DeJesus to Philadelphia.) And all of his accolades are deserved. He’s a good guy, and deserves a chance to manage in the big leagues someday.

But let’s make two points here:

- Mike Quade also deserves a chance to manage. Sandberg’s managed in the minors for four years, the last year with the Cubs’ AAA team. Quade managed in the minors for 17 years, nine of which were at the AAA level. He also spent three and a half years as a Cubs coach and three years as an Oakland Athletics’ coach. So in terms of experience, Quade wins that one.

- Sandberg is a baseball Hall of Famer, but what happens to managers?

They get fired. And it doesn’t happen often to a team hero like Sandberg has been to the Cubs. And when it does happen, it’s not pretty.

I’ve come up with a list of 11 members of the Hall who have also managed in the big leagues. And only one really managed in the same place where he achieved all his success as a player. Here’s the list, in reverse chronological order:

Frank Robinson
Eddie Mathews
Bob Lemon
Yogi Berra
Lou Boudreau
Ted Williams
Joe Cronin
Bill Terry
Mel Ott
Frankie Frisch
Rogers Hornsby

Boudreau, Cronin, Terry, Ott, Frisch, and Hornsby were all player-managers for significant portions of time. (And all were pretty successful in both roles with the exception of Ott, who never finished above third place and supposedly inspired successor Leo Durocher to comment “Nice guys finish last.”)

Ted Williams never managed the Red Sox, just in Washington and Texas. Bob Lemon never managed the Indians, just in Kansas City, Chicago, and New York.

Eddie Mathews was a star for the Milwaukee Braves, but managed the Atlanta Braves. He only played in Atlanta for a year near the tail end of his career.

Frank Robinson had some great years with the Orioles, and managed the Orioles, but wasn’t exclusive to either team – the O’s were the second of five teams he played for, and the third of four teams he managed.

Yogi Berra – ah, here’s the issue. He managed the Yankees in 1964, won the pennant, just barely lost the World Series – and was fired anyway. Understandably bitter, he went over to the Mets and achieved some success as a coach and manager. Back over to the Yanks, he coached for another eight years, then managed the team again for a year and change – and was fired again, just 15 games into the season, despite assurances from George Steinbrenner he’d be given a real shot at managing the team. He wouldn’t set foot in Yankee Stadium again for nearly 15 years.

It wasn’t pretty. Just as I’m sure it wasn’t pretty when the Packers fired Bart Starr as their coach. After nine seasons. During which he made the playoffs once, and had an overall record of 52-76-3.

Look, I don’t know if Mike Quade’s going to be a great manager, or if Ryne Sandberg will be, or both, or neither. Quade had a good quarter-season at the end of 2010, but that’s usually pretty meaningless. (The Angels had a run of firing managers mid-season, the new guy did well in August and September, they’d be impressed and give him a two- or three-year deal, and the team would be lousy for the next year and a half – until they’d fire the manager mid-season and start the cycle over.)

But I know, all other things being equal I’d rather take a chance with a guy with more experience, and if he fails have no problem in letting him go, that going with a guy that I’d hate to fire because he was a superstar for the team for years and years. It’s not worth the messy divorce.

Will One of the Mets' Big Three Return?

The Big Three of 1996, that is.

Long, long ago, the New York Mets had three brilliant pitching prospects that everyone figured couldn't miss. They were to challenge Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and John Smoltz of the Braves for starting superiority within a few years. Guaranteed.

Except it didn't happen. All three had major arm issues -- possibly brought on by throwing too many innings at too young an age (which was allegedly manager Dallas Green's idea), possibly not. In any case, Bill Pulsipher washed out of the major leagues altogether, Paul Wilson put together a few so-so years with Cincinnati, and Jason Isringhausen was turned into a reliever -- and was traded to Oakland for Billy Taylor during the 1999 stretch run. Which turned out to be a big mistake, as Isringhausen became a star closer for the Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals.

Now Isringhausen is back in the Mets' camp and looking to latch on as a bullpen guy. He likely wouldn't be a closer (although he might be used as such to keep Francisco Rodriguez's option year from vesting -- if Frankie closes 54 games this year, it happens), but he'd be a veteran arm. It might happen.

I've written before about the Mets picking up players past their prime and expecting great things. No one is expecting great things from Jason Isringhausen at this point. He's not going to save 30 games. He won't be on the mound at the end of October when the Mets win the World Series. It's not going to happen.

But it would be nice to see him make a small comeback with the team that got him started, and for the Mets to get a small return on a long-ago (but not forgotten) investment.

2011 Cardinals Already in Trouble

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting Adam Wainwright is being examined for what may be a "significant" elbow injury.

The Cardinals already have enough trouble with Albert Pujols still unsigned beyond this season, but let's put that to the side. They finished in second last year with Pujols, Matt Holliday, Chris Carpenter, and Wainwright all reasonably healthy. If Wainwright misses a significant period of time, they'll have a hard time contending.

The Cardinals have built a team with a few legitimate superstars (see above) and a lot of role players (their double-play combo this year will be Skip Schumaker and Ryan Theriot). Losing one of the superstars for an extended length of time changes the equation; it also means, come June or July, the Cardinals might be more willing to deal Pujols to a team that can sign him for what he wants (read: Yankees) rather than keeping him and getting draft picks.

We'll see what happens.

Why I Like the Naperville Public Library

Beside the long hours they're open, the convenience of their old books at ridiculous prices -$1 for a hardcover and 50 cents for a paperback is the going rate, but sometimes they go for as cheap as a quarter or a dime.

And so, tonight, I expanded my baseball collection:

Veeck, As in Wreck (Veeck/Linn) -- The autobiography of Bill Veeck, which I've been meaning to read for years.

Mind Game: How to Boston Red Sox Got Smart, Won a World Series, and Created a New Blueprint for Winning (Baseball Prospectus/Goldman) -- The problem with some books is they wind up looking ridiculous in retrospect (and a lot of them wind up going up for sale at the library as a result). For example, I had a chance to buy Tim McCarver's book, The Perfect Season - Why 1998 Was Baseball's Greatest Year, but time has shown that year was, in fact, its most steroidal (is that a word?). This one, by the usually reliable guys at BP, should last.

Blue Skies, Green Fields: A Celebration of 50 Major League Baseball Stadiums (Rosen) -- Coffee table book (not really well designed, unfortunately) featuring great stadiums of the past and present. I haven't seen this very often, so I was happy to find it hear.

Ed Barrow: The Bulldog Who Built the Yankees' First Dynasty (Levitt) -- Published by University of Nebraska Press, which means it's a labor of love for the author. Barrow was the VP/GM of the Yankees from the 1920s through late 1940s.

Yankee for Life: My 40-Year Journey in Pinstripes (Murcer/Waggoner) -- Yeah, I can't stand the Yankees, but Murcer was a good guy, and one of the few reasons to watch the team in the early 1970s (when they featured an infield of Danny Cater, Horace Clarke, Gene Michael, and Jerry Kenney).

Built to Win: Inside Stories and Leadership Strategies From Baseball's Winningest GM (Schuerholz/Guest) -- probably not the first book I'll read, but he did build a fantastic run of Braves teams.

Total spent: five dollars.

Yes, I'm a happy man tonight.

2010 National League Catchers

Catchers are underrated – many teams settle for guys who can call a good game and have “intangibles.” But what a team really wants is a guy (or guys) who can reach an .800 OPS and can call a good game, as well as pitchers who hold runners on well.

Stats:

BA – batting average

OBP – on-base percentage

SLG – slugging average

OPS – on-base percentage + slugging average

SEC – secondary average (created by Bill James to indicate how many runs a player will produce, it’s extra bases on base hits + walks + stolen bases / at-bats + walks)

Rankings are in order of OPS.

1. Brian McCann, Atlanta (.269 BA / .375 OBP / .453 SLG / .828 OPS / .302 SEC)

Yes, the days when a catcher would be among the very best hitters in the NL are long gone. McCann’s been the best the NL has to offer the last two years, and probably will continue to do so. Warning: his power has dipped a bit. Note McCann also has the top secondary average in the league – he’s easily the best option here.

2. Carlos Ruiz/Brian Schneider, Philadelphia (.286 BA / .386 OBP / .431 SLG / .817 OPS / .256 SEC)

Give the Phillies a lot of credit here – they have a good platoon catching system at a cheap price (Ruiz and Schneider combined made a bit over 3 million last year.) The best catching prospect, Sebastian Valle, played A ball last year and both Ruiz and Schneider are signed for 2011, so don’t expect changes.

3. Ramon Hernandez / Ryan Hanigan / Corky Miller, Cincinnati (.292 BA / .369 OBP / .424 SLG / .793 OPS / .217 SEC)

This is kind of a fluke – Hernandez’s numbers were a little higher than normal, Hanigan’s a lot higher. Hanigan’s 30, so last year’s .300 average probably represented an outlier year. Miller’s a journeyman catcher. All three are back for 2011.

4. Buster Posey / Bengie Molina / Eli Whiteside, San Francisco (.281 BA / .335 OBP / .439 SLG / .773 OPS / .215 SEC)

Yeah, Buster Posey’s going to be great, but that wasn’t all him. He doesn’t take a lot of walks, which is a little worrisome. Molina’s now in Texas, and Whiteside’s not going to be a viable regular, so the Giants better hope Posey’s healthy.

5. Geovany Soto / Koyie Hill, Chicago Cubs (.253 BA / .341 OBP / .417 SLG / .759 OPS / .267 SEC)

If Soto had stayed healthier, this number would have been higher – Hill had a .552 OPS, Soto .890, which would have topped Brian McCann for #1 in the league. But Soto missed 57 games and only had a little over 400 plate appearances. Cubs have to upgrade the backup position if that continues to happen, because if they have Hill behind the plate for 50-70 games a year, they won’t win anything.

6. Miguel Montero / Chris Snyder / John Hester, Arizona Diamondbacks (.245 BA / .333 OBP / .419 SLG / .752 OPS / .270 SEC)

Montero won the job after a fine 2009 season, but struggled with injuries last year. Snyder was dealt to the Pirates midyear, so he’s out of the rotation. Hester’s around but isn’t really a factor; Henry Blanco has been signed as the backup, but he turns 40 in August, so the D-Backs are in trouble if Montero suffers a serious injury.

7. Miguel Olivo / Chris Ianetta, Colorado Rockies (.246 BA / .316 OBP / .428 SLG / .744 OPS / .268 SEC)

Ianetta was one of the top catchers in the NL in 2009, so the Rockies let platoon partner Yorvit Torrealba go in favor of Olivo. Ianetta wasn’t the same player in 2010, but Olivo stepped up a bit, so the results were fairly similar. Olivo signed with Seattle, so Ianetta needs to step it up this year.

8. Yorvit Torrealba / Nick Hundley, San Diego Padres (.261 BA / .327 OBP / .396 SLG / (.723 OPS / .223 SEC)

Surprisingly decent offensive contribution from this position. No one expected much from Hundley, and Torrealba was the lesser half of a platoon in Colorado, but they kept the position from being a problem. Torrealba signed with Texas, so Hundley will have the full-time job.

9. Russell Martin / A.J. Ellis / Rod Barajas / Brad Ausmus, Los Angeles Dodgers (.256 BA / .348 OBP / .350 SLG / .698 OPS / .208 SEC)

The Dodgers finally realized Russell Martin wasn’t worth the money they would have had to pay him and let him go (the Yankees ridiculously paid $4 million to have him be Jorge Posada’s backup/successor). Barajas will supply his usual home runs-and-nothing else, with Dioner Navarro as the backup. I thought Brad Ausmus retired, but he’s still on the roster.

10. Jonathan Lucroy / George Kotteras / Gregg Zaun, Milwaukee Brewers (.237 BA / .311 OBP / .364 SLG / .675 OPS / .219 SEC)

Zaun was supposed to be the starter, but got hurt and was gone for the year in mid-May. Lucroy wasn’t ready yet, but he established himself pretty well. Kotteras is a standard backup guy, but the Brewers have also brought in Wil Nieves from Washington, for reasons unknown.

11. Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals (.262 BA / .329 OBP / .342 SLG / .671 OPS / .172 SEC)

This is another “Tony LaRussa must know something we don’t” entry, because most teams would be looking for someone else about now, while the Cardinals are going to pay him $5 million next year. I know he’s a great defensive catcher, and last year was a bit of a dropoff for him, but that’s still an awful lot of money for not a lot of output.

12. Rod Barajas / Josh Thole / Henry Blanco, New York Mets (.241 BA / .298 OBP / .372 SLG / .670 OPS / .194 SEC)

Most of the low on-base percentage is due to Barajas taking eight walks in 249 ABs in the first half of the season. Thole put up a .723 OPS in 202 ABs in the second half, which is a good sign. However, that came down to .743 against righties and .343 against lefties (admittedly, he only faced a southpaw 30 times), so the Mets nabbed Ronny Paulino, who has an .881 career OPS against lefties. This seems a better idea than the doofus blogger who lamented not outbidding the Yankees for Russell Martin.

13. Ryan Doumit / Chris Snyder / Jason Jaramillo, Pittsburgh Pirates (.220 BA / .304 OBP / .357 SLG / .661 OPS / .220 SEC)

Another of many areas the Pirates need to fix. Doumit’s pretty decent when healthy, which isn’t often enough. Snyder was dreadful after coming over from Arizona in midseason, but he’s still likely a better option than the light-hitting Jaramillo.

14. Ronny Paulino / Brad Davis / John Baker / Brett Hayes, Florida Marlins (.238 BA / .297 OBP / .353 SLG / .650 OPS / .189 SEC)

Paulino is a little stretched as a regular, but he was better than most of the other options the Marlins have. Baker is counted on to be the starter this year, which is likely a reach. I loved Davis in Midnight Express.

15. Ivan Rodriguez / Wil Nieves, Washington Nationals (.248 BA / .279 OBP / .336 SLG / .616 OPS / .129 SEC)

Hard to believe this wasn’t the worst catching pair in the league last year. Rodriguez was once on track for the Hall of Fame, but he may be ruining his chances in his quest to play more seasons than any other catcher (this will be his 20^th). Nieves has moved on to Milwaukee, so someone else will have to back Rodriguez up.

16. Humberto Quintero / Jason Castro, Houston Astros (.222 BA / .272 OBP / .304 SLG / .577 OPS / .139 SEC)

I don’t think the Astros, in their 50 years of existence, have ever had an All-Star catcher. I know they’ve never had one who’s hit 20 homers. Anyway, Castro is now the catcher of the future, now that it’s been established J. R. Towles can’t his big league pitching (.830 OPS in AAA, .600 in the majors), unfortunately Castro was just as bad last year (.573 OPS). At least they’re not talking about bringing Brad Ausmus back.