Last year Martin Maldonado was a catching Iron Man. He was behind the plate for a whopping 128 games, showing superb defense but seeing his offensive output wilt as the season wore on.
A big part of the reason Maldy was an everyday catcher was the lack of a quality backup; a problem which looks to be solved via the addition of Rene Rivera. While Rivera’s bat leaves much to be desired, he comes with superb defensive reputation.
All indications out of Tempe are that Mike Scioscia plans on riding Maldonado hard this year, hoping that his body adjusted after a grueling 2017.