Matt Thaiss

[tdawg87]

What the fuck.

[Warfarin]

I'd rather just have Wallach serve as the backup catcher until Stassi is ready to return.  Thaiss just isn't really good enough defensively to be a catcher.  Wallach can't hit, but he definitely is superior defensively, and that's where most of the value is when it comes to catchers.

[Stradling]

It’s weird how a guy who wasn’t ready proves he wasn’t ready. 

[jsnpritchett]

13 minutes ago, Stradling said:

It’s weird how a guy who wasn’t ready proves he wasn’t ready. 

I don't know that it's so much "wasn't ready" as it is just "not good."  He's about to turn 28 and was drafted 7 years ago.  If he's not ready now, it's highly unlikely he ever will be.

Edited April 15, 2023 by jsnpritchett

[m0nkey]

Matt Thaiss makes me miss Mathis

[Barf]

 

[Revad]

@Tank please let Minasain know that we approve if he wants to dfa Thaiss.

[fan_since79]

8 minutes ago, m0nkey said:

Matt Thaiss makes me miss Mathis

...who was responsible for the last feel-good postseason moment for this team...14 years ago.

Ponder that.

[Warfarin]

8 minutes ago, Barf said:

 

Obviously a very small sample size, but Thaiss has looked terrible defensively and the team getting lit up every game he catches is obviously not a good sign.

DFA him, add Wallach, and hope that Stassi's situation resolves in a positive manner, so that he can return and be a solid backup to O'Hoppe.

[Docwaukee]

1 hour ago, Barf said:

 

Thaiss sucks, but this is silly.   He got Suarez/Barria, Anderson, Anderson.  

But yeah.  He's losing games because of his glove (literally) and his bat isn't good enough to make up for it.  

[DMVol]

We need Stassi back….with O’Hoppe, that’s a pretty good catching tandem…

[Revad]

If he were starting more we’d have a better idea, but the fact he’s played so little suggests Nevin doesn’t trust him.

[ylangel]

When is Stassi coming back?   No idea what's going on and wish him the best, but if he isn't going to play, he needs to make that known so we can add another MLB catcher instead of trying to limp along with Thaiss.

[gurn67]

With a rookie starting catcher, the backup should be a veteran good fielding catcher to mentor him. Thaiss can't even hit, so it makes no sense why he's on the major league roster. No ones going to claim him if he's DFA's. He's a AAAA catcher at best.

[Warfarin]

10 minutes ago, gurn67 said:

With a rookie starting catcher, the backup should be a veteran good fielding catcher to mentor him. Thaiss can't even hit, so it makes no sense why he's on the major league roster. No ones going to claim him if he's DFA's. He's a AAAA catcher at best.

Yeah, I don't think it'd be any kind of loss even if he gets claimed.  O'Hoppe is our primary starter now.  Stassi will (likely?) be back at some point.  Wallach is fine as a defensive-minded backup.  Quero is looking rather good at age 20 in AA.  It seems like our catching organizational strength is rather solid.  Don't think there should be any concerns letting Thaiss go.

[Jason]

3 hours ago, Warfarin said:

I'd rather just have Wallach serve as the backup catcher until Stassi is ready to return.  Thaiss just isn't really good enough defensively to be a catcher.  Wallach can't hit, but he definitely is superior defensively, and that's where most of the value is when it comes to catchers.

Thaiss can’t hit either so I’ll take the defense 

[Stradling]

3 hours ago, jsnpritchett said:

I don't know that it's so much "wasn't ready" as it is just "not good."  He's about to turn 28 and was drafted 7 years ago.  If he's not ready now, it's highly unlikely he ever will be.

He’s caught less than a seasons worth of games at the professional level. That simply isn’t enough. 

[Angel Oracle]

Just now, Stradling said:

He’s caught less than a seasons worth of games at the professional level. That simply isn’t enough. 

And doesn’t hit well enough to play another position.

[jsnpritchett]

1 minute ago, Stradling said:

He’s caught less than a seasons worth of games at the professional level. That simply isn’t enough. 

He can't hit in the majors, either, though.  So if he can't hit and either "isn't ready" to catch or simply isn't talented enough to do it at the major league level, there's still not much of a reason to keep him around at this point.  Again, he's about to turn 28.  What is his upside at this point?  And he's out of options, so if you still think he can develop as a C with more time in the minors, then you have to hope he goes unclaimed (which he very well might).  But it's clear at this point that he has no business as a C at the major league level.

[Stradling]

2 minutes ago, jsnpritchett said:

He can't hit in the majors, either, though.  So if he can't hit and either "isn't ready" to catch or simply isn't talented enough to do it at the major league level, there's still not much of a reason to keep him around at this point.  Again, he's about to turn 28.  What is his upside at this point?  And he's out of options, so if you still think he can develop as a C with more time in the minors, then you have to hope he goes unclaimed (which he very well might).  But it's clear at this point that he has no business as a C at the major league level.

I agree

[Warfarin]

20 minutes ago, jsnpritchett said:

He can't hit in the majors, either, though.  So if he can't hit and either "isn't ready" to catch or simply isn't talented enough to do it at the major league level, there's still not much of a reason to keep him around at this point.  Again, he's about to turn 28.  What is his upside at this point?  And he's out of options, so if you still think he can develop as a C with more time in the minors, then you have to hope he goes unclaimed (which he very well might).  But it's clear at this point that he has no business as a C at the major league level.

Yeah.  I mean it'd be one thing if he were 23-24 and we thought there was still considerable potential.  He was previously moved off of catcher because it was thought he couldn't really play well enough defensively.  While he could improve with more reps, I think his upside is really just that of a middling backup catcher.  There isn't really much risk in letting someone like that go.

I would think Wallach would be a better option than Thaiss, in that we at least know he is good defensively.  

[m0nkey]

Thank you, EpPler for this useful pick!

[Revad]

I imagine some team will see him as a potential lefty hitting utility guy.  He has less than 300 MLB at bats over the last several years with over half of them in 2019.  He may be a league average hitter for all we know.  Right now he’s not a MLB quality catcher.

[ten ocho recon scout]

I don't follow anywhere that close anymore. But am I crazy (yes), or up to like 2 years ago or so, wasn't Thaiss one of our better prospects bat wise? Or am I confusing him for someone else?

[AngelsLakersFan]

8 minutes ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

I don't follow anywhere that close anymore. But am I crazy (yes), or up to like 2 years ago or so, wasn't Thaiss one of our better prospects bat wise? Or am I confusing him for someone else?

He was a first round pick but he's been a disappointment from the beginning. You are probably just thinking about him in the way the organization was touting him that first year and not paying close enough attention to tell that the bloom came off the rose.

After his ability to hit like a MLB first basemen came in the question the organization started to test him out at second, third and in the outfield. You may remember Maddon letting him blow two games at different positions at one point a few years back. When it became clear that he didn't have the bat to play first or the glove to play another infield spot Matt asked to take a stab at his original position of catcher. Sadly this looks like another spot that his glove won't play.

Gotta feel for the guy. In the grand scheme of things he's a great ball player, just not quite good enough with the bat to play first, not quite good enough with the glove to play second or third and not quite good enough behind the plate to be a catcher. In the end you are left with a player who is not quite good enough at anything to stay on an MLB roster.