Johjima gives Mariners steady presence behind plate - 美國職棒

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Around the Horn: Catchers
Johjima gives Mariners steady presence behind plate

By Jim Street / MLB.com



SEATTLE -- A Japanese battery the Mariners had hoped to use every fifth day
in 2008 never panned out, but there still should be plenty of juice behind
the plate this season to make catching one of the team's most reliable posi-
tions.

With the durable and dependable Kenji Johjima as the primary receiver, and
Jamie Burke returning as the backup, the position is in good hands. If former
first-round Draft choice Jeff Clement earns a spot on the 25-man roster,
there would be a third set of hands available to manager John McLaren.

Most MLB teams carry two catchers, but Clement appears to be Major League-
ready, especially on offense, as evidenced by the two memorable home runs he
hit in late September. The first was a pinch-hit, game-tying blast in the
bottom of the ninth inning against the Indians, and the second was a walk-off
jolt against the Rangers two nights later.

Clement bats left-handed and that also could become a factor in determining
whether or not he's on the Opening Day roster.

"I'm not saying [carrying three catchers] isn't something we couldn't do,"
McLaren said, "but let's see how it plays out in Spring Training."

In the meantime, McLaren gives two thumbs up when talking about both Johjima
and Burke, one of the most productive catching tandems in the big leagues
last season.

Between them, Johjima and Burke batted .290 (173-for-598), hit 12 home runs
and drove in 73 runs.

"We were very happy with those two guys," McLaren said. "I thought Joh had a
nice year. He threw the ball well, improved his receiving, and is getting
experience with the American way of calling a game. He made good strides
there and will get better and better. He is a very solid catcher for us."

Johjima, the only Japan-born catcher in Major League Baseball history, was
hoping to add another footnote to his country's MLB legacy by receiving the
first pitch from right-hander Hiroki Kuroda, a free-agent starter from Japan
who chose the Dodgers over the Mariners.

Even so, Johjima continues to make his own history.

He started 128 games for the Mariners last season and enters the '08 campaign
as the American League leader in innings caught over the past two seasons with
2,279 1/3.

Though he needs improvement in his plate-blocking technique, the former Japan
All-Star has shown progress in other areas of his defensive game, most notice-
ably in delivering quick, accurate throws.

He threw out 10 of the final 15 baserunners attempting to steal on him last
season and ended up with a 37.8 percent success rate, the third-best in the AL.
Johjima was particularly superb from May 1 through the end of the season,
gunning down 44 percent (30-of-68) of the potential base thieves.

"We worked with him on getting more on top of the ball, and he's gotten a lot
better at that," McLaren said. "It enables him to utilize his arm strength,
and Joh has a strong arm."


Strong enough to get a rare hat trick: nailing the AL's top three stolen-base
artists. Johjima gunned down Rays speedster Carl Crawford on May 24, Brian
Roberts of the Orioles on June 4 and the Angels' Chone Figgins on Sept. 22.
Crawford and Roberts shared the league lead with 50 stolen bases and Figgins
ranked third with 41.

Johjima also spent most of his time on the same page as Seattle's pitchers.

"He has more knowledge of the league now and I understand that he communicates
a lot better with the pitchers now, because his English has improved,"
McLaren said. "Like I said, we're very happy with Joh."

Johjima's offensive numbers last season went down a little from 2006, when he
had the most hits (147) by an AL rookie catcher in 44 years, and tied the
club record for most home runs by a catcher (18). But he still had a solid
sophomore season at the plate.

The right-handed hitter batted .287, hit 11 home runs, drove in 63 runs and
struck out just once every 12.5 plate appearances, making him the third-
toughest batter in the league to strike out.

On the days that Johjima rested, the 36-year-old Burke played.

"I thought Jamie did an excellent job backing up, offering support to Joh,"
McLaren said. "He got some big hits for us and called a good game."

Among Burke's 34 hits was his first Major League home run, which came in the
regular-season finale against the Rangers at Safeco Field.

"I thought our catching was a plus for us last season and I expect the same
thing this season," McLaren said.



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