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Thole As the #2 Hitter


By Mike Silva ~ August 30th, 2010. Filed under: Mike Silva, New York Mets.

This has been mentioned before on the site, but Josh Thole looks to be a great fit for the #2 hole in the lineup. I mentioned Paul Lo Duca as a comparison to Thole, specifically how well he did as the #2 hitter back in 2006.

Take a look at Lo Duca’s numbers that year:

5 homers, 49 RBI, .318 batting average, OPS of .783

In a small sample of 44 games Thole is:

2 homers, 10 RBI, .307 batting average, OPS of .778

Thole is actually putting up a similar year to Lo Duca in his brief 128 plate appearances. Obviously this is more than just numbers, as Thole has a decent eye and makes contact.

As I have said before, the Mets have some interesting pieces for 2011. Thole is certainly one of them.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com
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8 Responses to Thole As the #2 Hitter

  1. R U Kidding
    August 30th, 2010 at 9:22 am

    Murphy has to bat second. Put a guy with some pop behind Reyes. Getting all those fastballs Murphy will hit 15-20 homers and bat 290. No way Thole can do that.

  2. 86mets
    August 30th, 2010 at 9:31 am

    If Thole is an “interesting piece” for 2011, the Mets are going to be very UN-interesting. Josh Thole is Mackey Sasser 2.0. His only hitting skills are a “decent eye” and making contact. The Mets have another player whose only offensive skills are those very same things. Oh wait, who is that? Oh yeah! It’s Luis Castillo! And defensively, Thole couldn’t throw out Mike Piazza trying to steal a base with a washing machine tied to his waist. LoDuca was a better defender with a fair amount more power. Thole, at best, is a back up catcher. I wonder if Rod Barajas will be available this winter?

  3. Huh?
    August 30th, 2010 at 1:03 pm

    Who have you been watching? Thole has been very solid with the bat and pretty decent behind the dish. He’s no Henry Blanco with the arm but is light years ahead of Mike Piazza. His swing and approach suggest he will remain around the .300 mark and won’t strike out much, with line drive, gap-type power. He’s pretty much an ideal #2 hitter.

  4. Mike
    August 30th, 2010 at 2:07 pm

    @RU Kidding – epic fail. OPB > BA.

    @86mets – please stop. Thole can throw the ball back to the pitcher, unlike Sasser. Thole’s eye is better than decent, and you’re underrating his defense. Also, Barajas was one of the worst players in baseball this season. You have to suck pretty badly to have a sub .300 OBP, catcher or no catcher.

  5. Steve69
    August 30th, 2010 at 2:19 pm

    @86Mets you clearly have no idea what you’re talking about if you’re calling Thole an “uninteresting piece” for next year. And i know for a fact you dont know what you’re talking about considering Thole has thrown 6 of 16 would-be basestealers which is an excellent rate.

    Oh, and LoDuca had more pop than Thole you say? Were you also aware that LoDuca was a roid-head? How about you go read the Mitchell Report and get back to me.

  6. Anthony
    August 30th, 2010 at 3:03 pm

    Really…Barajas? I know that was a joke but come on. So a guy steals second…big deal. I would rather the catcher who gets hits and can get runners in than a catcher who strikes out 9/10 times and goes long maybe once a month.

  7. Tim
    August 30th, 2010 at 3:51 pm

    wow, you guys are wrong, Thole is a pretty miserable defender (hes been decent in his short stretch in the pros) you only need to add his AAA numbers into the mix to get a decent look at the truth about his defensive abilities. He’s only thrown out 16 out of 67 runners in 2010, he has a very very high rate of PB (8 in his 82 professional games this year). Defensively he is and will always be a weakness at catcher, the question is whether a guy with a pretty good OBP, no pop, no speed, and an average thats going to be tooling around the 270-285 range is a successful everyday Catcher.

  8. Huh?
    August 30th, 2010 at 5:03 pm

    Thole’s caught stealing percentage is league average; nothing to be ashamed of. His passed balls will be higher on a staff with a knuckleballer and will go down with experience. He blocks the plate well and is aggressive with his tags, not afraid to get physical. And apparently, pitchers like throwing to him, suggesting he calls a good game. He is therefore an overall average catcher at worst and in my estimation is probably overall above average, with no clear glaring weakness.

    He has a good OBP and hits for good average, and he hits the ball HARD, so the power will come — at least consistent doubles power with occasional homers. He will hit better than .270 with his short swing, approach, and pitch recognition, and he won’t strike out a whole lot. I’m thinking .290.

    Agreed he has no speed. This is not unusual for a catcher.

    Given his age, Thole is likely to only get better.

    Thole is a solid fit and would make a fine #2 hitter. He is one of the least things we need to worry about right now.

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