The Final Piece of the Puzzle?

[dxmachina]

Turns out DePo went out an done got hisself another catcher last night. From Dodger Thoughts:

the Dodgers have committed a roster slot to journeyman catcher Paul Bako with a $650,000 contract, plus another $100,000 in possible performance bonuses.

Without going into any detail, Bako cannot hit. Like Brent Mayne did, Bako does his non-hitting from the left side.

ESPN.com's scouting report does go into detail:

Bako is an inside-out hitter who rarely pulls the ball or hits it in the air. He gets most of his base hits by punching balls through the infield, especially to the right side when the first baseman is holding a runner. [In other words, he needs the defense to be out of position to contribute offensively... (DX)] Lefthanders have overmatched him in the limited chances he's had against them. Bako will take an occasional walk, but he strikes out a bit much for a contact-oriented hitter with little extra-base power. He occasionally was used as a pinch-hitter last year, though he didn't perform well, going 1-for-10. He has struggled with men in scoring position during his major league career, batting .181 in those situations.

While Bako is a solid all-around receiver with sound fundamentals, he doesn't excel in any one facet of the game. His arm is reasonably strong and accurate, he blocks balls capably, and his pitch-calling never has been questioned. He has little speed, though, and is a non-factor on the basepaths. He has stolen just three bases in 398 games in the big leagues.

Last season he batted .203 in 49 games with the Cubs. Also, his full name is actually Gabor Paul II Bako.

Damnit, I want a real catcher...

Comments

[dxmachina.livejournal.com]

I figured the II actually goes at the end, as in Gabor Paul Bako II, and upon looking at a couple more references, it turns out that's correct. It's weird, though, because more than one database has it formatted with the II in the middle. I guess it's the result of poor database design. Even worse, baseball-reference.com has Ken Griffey, Jr., listed as "George Kenneth Griffey Jr. Jr."