Bandy

[ten ocho recon scout]

I know theres other threads for this guy, but whats everyones take? With work and the team in the dumps i havent watched near as many games this year, but does he like a real deal type? Not superstar, but legit starter to cover C for the next few years? Or is he playing a bit above his head right now?

[Billy_Ball]

Mike Napoli Jett Bandy!

[Angelsjunky]

He's a better defender than Napoli was, with seemingly a more accurate arm. Won't quite have Napoli's power, but I think could settle in as an overall above average regular. One interesting thing about his minor league record is that he gets hit by a ton of pitches, which boosts his OBP a bit. 75 HBP in 426 minor league games translates to 20-25 per season.

[Second Base]

 

Scioscia runs a timeshare at catcher. Even when Iannetta was having his best season he was still routinely being substituted for. Bandy is going to be a very good major league catcher for a very long time. But I don't think he'll be a starter than plays more than 100 games a year.

[Oz27]

14 minutes ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

I know theres other threads for this guy, but whats everyones take? With work and the team in the dumps i havent watched near as many games this year, but does he like a real deal type? Not superstar, but legit starter to cover C for the next few years? Or is he playing a bit above his head right now?

I think both might be true. His minor league numbers say he shouldn't be this good a hitter so he likely will regress offensively. But given his defensive value he's still a perfectly acceptable starter, even if his bat regresses quite a bit. I see that as his floor with his ceiling being an above average catcher.

[eaterfan]

Bandy is better than Ianetta defensively so I think he'll get more playing time if he can put up decent offensive numbers. But I think about 125 games will be the upper limit. And honestly, that is fine for a decent catcher. 

I think average regular catcher is what Bandy will be, and that's great. Maybe his offense improves and he turns into a good starter and occasional all-star. There's nothing wrong with either option!

[kevinb]

You don't need an all star at every position. He is an above average catcher and if they have more above average players on the Angels starting than not they should be in a pretty good spot

[DMVol]

Two catchers is a good thing....we may be in good shape going forward.....

[ettin]

4 hours ago, ScottyA_MWAH said:

 

Scioscia runs a timeshare at catcher. Even when Iannetta was having his best season he was still routinely being substituted for. Bandy is going to be a very good major league catcher for a very long time. But I don't think he'll be a starter than plays more than 100 games a year.

And not only does he run a timeshare he rarely allows a young catcher like Bandy to pick up the bulk of games, he usually relies on the more veteran player and they allow the younger one to gain 2-3 years experience before taking over the head job.

[Angel Oracle]

Bengie wasn't up here to stay until   age 26 in 2000.

Let's see how Ward progresses the next two seasons on the farm.

[AngelsFaninGA]

Young player with talent? Let's hope he stays hydrated. 

[jsnpritchett]

Anyone here familiar with Rob Delaney?  He's a great follow on Twitter.  One of his running gags is making up weird/funny names for his "sons."  Now he's been turned on to Bandy:

 

 

[totdprods]

I keep expecting him to go through a brutal week or two, and he hasn't. He barely strikes out, he takes a walk here and there, he makes good contact, and he's a big enough dude to really drive the ball. And Scioscia seems to be high on him.

I'm all about Bandy at this point. I go in to next season with him as my starting catcher for 100 games, easy. Even if he drops down to a .220/.300/.420 line he's well worth it, but I'm not sure that's going to happen with his contact rate. His BABIP isn't inflated either.

[ScruffytheJanitor]

He's one of those players for whom the term "a real professional" isn't a backhanded complement. Seems like a legit major league catcher. 

[Billy_Ball]

Bandy = Mathis and Napoli rolled into one?

[Angelsjunky]

How's his SquatZ stat?

[Angelsjunky]

WARNING SIGN: His catcher ERA is 4.85 this year!

Trade him for Ryan Howard.

[Second Base]

I think Bandy's offensive profile is that one of one that actually improves in the major leagues vs what he was in the minors.  Bandy isn't going to be the sole catcher, Scioscia just doesn't play his catchers that way.  Bandy's not expected to control the entire pitching staff on his own and add the pressure of making to the major leagues.  He's made it. 

Now, he hits when he's fresh, relaxed and in the zone.  If he goes in a slump, that's fine.  Scioscia will give him some time off until he gets his swing back.  Sharing time with another good defensive catcher like Carlos Perez really helps the Angels pitching staff.  And when either of them are hitting, it's really a bonus.  

I think that at the end of the day, the Angels will get more value from the catching position than most teams will, and Bandy plays a big role in that. 

[Angel Oracle]

9 hours ago, Angelsjunky said:

WARNING SIGN: His catcher ERA is 4.85 this year!

Trade him for Ryan Howard.

LOL

Then again, Perez' and Soto's are probably not all that good either.

[Inside Pitch]

On 8/24/2016 at 9:39 PM, Oz27 said:

I think both might be true. His minor league numbers say he shouldn't be this good a hitter so he likely will regress offensively. But given his defensive value he's still a perfectly acceptable starter, even if his bat regresses quite a bit. I see that as his floor with his ceiling being an above average catcher.

Yeah, I don't know that we aren't seeing the real Jett Bandy...  Keep in mind he's spent the bulk of his time in A and AA in severe pitcher's parks.  To date his wOBA is right in line with what he's done at AA and AAA the last two years... given catcher's are often slow to develop offensively -- we might actually be seeing what he's capable of.    If he ends up settling in as a .250/.325/.425 hitter I think we would have to call that a win -- particularly when we take into account that the AL average catcher is sitting at .682 this season.  Mostly, I just want to see his OBP continue to be a strength.

[Oz27]

46 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

Yeah, I don't know that we aren't the real Jett Bandy...  Keep in mind he's spent the bulk of his time in A and AA in severe pitcher's parks.  To date his wOBA is right in line with what he's done at AA and AAA the last two years... given catcher's are often slow to develop offensively -- we might actually be seeing what he's capable of.    If he ends up settling in as a .250/.325/.425 hitter I think we would have to call that a win -- particularly when we take into account that the AL average catcher is sitting at .682 this season.  Mostly, I just want to see his OBP continue to be a strength.

If he ends up a .750 OPS hitter then you're probably talking about a top six or seven catcher in baseball. I'm a bit more pessimistic but I can still see him settling north of .700 and if he does that he will be a very valuable player. His defensive skill set means he can be worse than that with the bat and still an acceptable primary catcher and even if his offense completely tanks, he'll make it work as a backup.

[Dick B Back]

4 hours ago, Inside Pitch said:

 given catcher's are often slow to develop offensively...

Exception = Posey. Damn, I wish the baseball gods would have let us sign him out of high school.

edit - didn't start catching till his second year in college after smart move by a coach so it wouldn't have mattered. He was a helluva pitcher in high school though.

Edited August 26, 2016 by Dick B Back
Did some homework.