Tim Wakefield/Doug Mirabelli Trade

May 9, 2006 @ 14:29:34

By Ryan Erb
Edited by KFFL Staff

How could catcher Doug Mirabelli's reacquisition by the Boston Red Sox  on Monday, May 1, possibly have a positive affect on one of the American League's more feared offenses? It is not like Mirabelli, a career .239 hitter, is going to push current Red Sox captain, catcher Jason Varitek, for playing time.

The Red Sox traded catcher Josh Bard, pitcher Cla Meredith and either a player to be named later or cash considerations to the San Diego Padres for the services of Mirabelli. Mirabelli's services, which were not targeted by Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein for offensive reasons, were sought out to reunite the 11-year veteran backstop with renowned knuckleballer pitcher Tim Wakefield.

THE BREAKUP

Wakefield, who has spent 12 of his 14 years in the league with Boston, is a household name in major league cities as the most accomplished knuckleballer over the last two decades. After throwing all but 25.2 of his 616.0 innings pitched the last three years to Mirabelli, Wakefield entered the 2006 campaign without his trusty battery mate.

Epstein traded Mirabelli December 7, 2005, to the San Diego Padres in return for second baseman Mark Loretta. Varitek already was catching every other Red Sox starting pitcher, so Bard began learning the trade of catching a knuckler during spring training.

The Red Sox' knuckler opened the season with a 1-4 record in six starts with a 3.89 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 39.1 innings. For a pitcher who has won 10 or more games the last four seasons, this was far from what Wakefield expected.

Bard also was struggling behind the plate with Wakefield on the mound, allowing 10 passed balls in 39.1 innnings. He was batting .278 (5-for-18) with one double and two runs in seven games, which was clearly not enough to justify his troubles in catching the knuckleball.

BATTERY MATES REUNITE

In steps Mirabelli to save the day.

In a whirlwind trip across the country in a single day, Mirabelli made it to Fenway Park to catch for Wakefield in the knick of time. Varitek warmed up Wakefield for his start on May 6, which was around the same time Mirabelli's charter jet arrived at Logan International Airport, 6:48 p.m. With a 7:09 p.m. start time, Mirabelli changed into his No. 28 uniform in the backseat of a state trooper SUV during the short five-mile drive from Logan to Fenway.

Mirabelli was announced as the starting catcher at 7:07 p.m. and once again all was right in Red Sox nation. Wakefield threw six innings against the Baltimore Orioles, allowing three earned runs and seven hits en route to a 7-3 Red Sox victory. More importantly, Mirabelli caught every single inning and committed zero passed balls.

FANTASY IMPACT

The battery of Wakefield/Mirabelli is far more effective for the Red Sox than any other combination with Wakefield. Wakefield was 16-8 in 2005 with a 3.66 ERA in 29 starts with Mirabelli, compared to a 0-4 mark with an 8.86 ERA in four starts without him.

Table: Wakefield with Mirabelli Statistics (2003-06)

Year	Team	Starts	IP	ER	K	PB	ERA	W-L
2003	BOS	33	200.1	92	169	14	4.13	11-7
2004	BOS	30	186.0	102	116	15	4.93	12-10
2005	BOS	33	204.0	104	151	6	4.59	16-12
2006	BOS	1	6.0	3	3	0	4.50	1-0
CAREER	BOS	97	596.1	301	439	35	4.54	40-29

Wakefield held opponents to a .245 batting average in 2005, which was sixth overall in the AL. His comfort level is obviously higher with Mirabelli behind the plate, and is backed up statistically courtesy of his 0-4 mark without Mirabelli last year.

Table: Wakefield without Mirabelli Statistics (2005-06)

Year	Team	Starts	IP	ER	K	PB	ERA	W-L
2005	BOS	4	21.1	21	14	3	8.86	0-4
2006	BOS	6	39.1	17	20	10	3.89	1-4
CAREER	BOS	10	60.2	38	34	13	5.63	1-8

There is no statistic for runs scored off of passed balls, but Bard's 10 passed balls while catching for Wakefield were clearly not leading to wins. Mirabelli committed just six passed balls in 2005, a staggering mark considering many of the balls he was catching not even the pitcher knew were they would end up.

With Mirabelli wearing his familiar No. 28 Red Sox uniform, Wakefield should become an immediate pickup in deep leagues and AL-Only leagues. Mirabelli will afford Wakefield more confidence in his knuckleball and also lead to far less unnecessary runs from the passed ball.

As a fantasy option himself, Mirabelli is not a useful addition while playing only once every five days. His .239 career mark at the plate is not going to blow away any AL East hurlers, nor will his .167 clip this season.

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Ryan Erb
Ryan has been a KFFL contributor since 2006.

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