The Washington Nationals catcher position has been an offensive black hole all season. So now, it’s time to try something new and start Spencer Kieboom more
Catcher has been a gaping hole for the Washington Nationals so far in 2018. So now it’s time to give something new a try and give Spencer Kieboom the bulk of the starts behind the plate.
Each time Matt Wieters went down injured, it was Pedro Severino who stepped up initially. But after a nice start to his time as the full-time starter, Severino has been one of the worst hitters in baseball.
In his first 13 games after Wieters went on the DL a second time, he hit .263 and had an OPS at .773. Nothing other-worldly, but good for a catcher. However since then, he’s hit a putrid .086 with an OPS of .261, which is practically an automatic out.
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With the Nationals looking for any answers on offense, it may be time to try Kieboom as the primary starter. He’s been solid enough lately for the team after he got accustomed to the majors initially.
In June, Kieboom played 12 games, compiling a .267 average, with an OPS just north of .700 and had five walks compared to seven strikeouts. Again, like Severino’s nice spell, it’s not great but acceptable for a catcher.
And Kieboom has been solid with the glove behind the plate too, which had been the primary reason for Severino starting. According to FanGraphs, Kieboom’s Defensive Rating is 1.9, compared to Severino’s 3.8, despite playing in four times the number of innings.
The incumbent Severino is probably still defensively superior, as we’ve seen him gun out runners and be praised by starters this year. But Kieboom is proving that he’s not all that far behind in that part of his game.
So far Kieboom has been Erick Fedde‘s personal catcher, and they seem to have developed a good understanding. Fedde has been pitching better than his results have shown.
So on the flip side, Severino should remain Max Scherzer’s personal catcher given their chemistry. But Kieboom deserves a shot at starting the majority of the other games for the immediate future.
It’s still highly likely that the Nationals make a move to fix their catcher spot at the trade deadline. Wieters has underwhelmed too when healthy, so getting a Wilson Ramos or Francisco Cervelli type would be a huge upgrade.
Spencer Kieboom isn’t the ideal solution to the Washington Nationals catching woes. But as of right now, surely he’s got to be better than Pedro Severino is with the bat and close enough with the glove to make a switch worthwhile.