Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais headed for Arizona early this year. A few weeks ago he said he traveled there to meet his new catcher, soon-to-be 27-year-old Omar Narvaez.
Servais was as staunch a supporter of his former catcher, Mike Zunino, as anyone in the Mariners organization. As a former big-league catcher Servais knew that despite Zunino’s agonizing trips to the batter’s box that the former third-overall pick made up for it with his presence and abilities behind the plate.
Narvaez? His skillset is almost opposite. He controls the strike zone at the plate, but not so much behind it.