MLB Player News

Bryan Price has shot down any speculation that he will use a platoon at catcher in 2014. Devin Mesoraco is his starter. Price even ended talk that Brayan Pena could work with particular pitchers. But he added that Pena will receive playing time with the Reds to take advantage of his bat.

"I don't want to get into the setting 'Mesoraco is going to catch these three guys or four guys and Brayan is going catch these one or two,'" Price told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "Because I think there are going to be certain times when a matchup is going to be in our favor having Brayan back there as an offensive weapon."

The difference offensive was certainly striking last year, when Mesoraco batted a career-high .239 and Pena hit .297.

Reds manager Bryan Price announced Wednesday his projected batting order for when a right-handed pitcher is on the mound.

Price said Billy Hamilton will lead off, and he will be followed by Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Ryan Ludwick, Todd Frazier, Devin Mesoraco and Zack Cozart.

Price said he would likely switch Bruce and Ludwick in the lineup when a left-handed starter is on the hill. 

Price also reiterated he hasn't given much thought to batting Votto second.

Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal has drastically altered his stance, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. 

Grandal said the aim of his new stance was to take some pressure of his surgically repaired knee. He's replaced a leg kick with a toe tap, and lowered his hands. The changes have been encouraging thus far, according to Grandal. "I hit a ball over the top of the batter’s eye [during batting practice]. I don’t think I’ve ever done that," Grandal said. Grandal is hoping the changes help his rediscover the success he had during his rookie season.

Last year, Grandal hit .216/.352/.341 in 88 at-bats in the majors. 

Brewers catcher Martin Maldonado has reported to camp 26 pounds lighter, according to MLB.com. 

Maldonado said he focused on eating right during the offseason, which led to the weight loss. He added that he's in the best shape of his life. Maldonado hit .169/.236/.284 in 183 at-bats last season. Maldonado will compete to backup Jonathan Lucroy.

Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco needs to work on his communication with pitchers, according to cincinnati.com.

Mesoraco didn't get a ton of playing time the past few seasons, which led pitchers to prefer throwing to Ryan Hanigan. Now that Mesoraco is stepping in as the starter, he'll need to be on the same page with his pitchers. 

Manager Bryan Price said it's not all on Mesoraco to make things work. "This isn’t a one-way situation," Price said. "The pitchers have to be as committed to building the relationship as the catcher does." 

Price went on to indicate that the team is fully behind Mesoraco as the starting catcher. "It's his time," Price said.

Mesoraco hit .238/.287/.362 in 323 at-bats last year.

Mets hitting coach Dave Hudgens expects catcher Travis d'Arnaud to improve at the plate this season, according to ESPN.

Hudgens said d'Arnaud was probably trying too hard last season. "It looked like he was trying to hit every ball out of the ballpark and overswinging a little bit and probably just trying to do too much," Hudgens said. He added that d'Arnaud has been much more relaxed in camp this year.

While Hudgens wouldn't discuss what he expects from the young catcher, he does seem encouraged by d'Arnaud's skills. Hudgens said he believes more reps is all d'Arnaud needs to turn into a strong player. 

Last season, d'Arnaud hit .202/.286/.263 in 99 at-bats.

No backup catcher for the Giants is destined for much playing time behind Buster Posey, but at least Hector Sanchez will feel good when he does squat behind the plate once a week.

Sanchez not only lost 20 pounds in the offseason, but has deemed his shoulder to be fine. It landed him on the disabled list late in the 2013 season.

Bud Black appears to be coming around to the possibility of Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal returning in time for the regular season. Grandal has accelerated his recovery from a knee injury that all but wiped out 2013 for him.

"Watching him (Wednesday) doing some agility drills on the field, we're really encouraged about how he's moving and what he's doing on the field," Black told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "You talk to the doctors, you talk to the therapists, you talk to the strength guys, they are really - I don't want to say amazed - but they are extremely happy with his progression."

Nick Hundley is considered the starter on the team depth chart, but Grandal would likely usurp that role if he proves himself healthy.

I like what I'm hearing from Mets rookie catcher Travis d'Arnaud, who said he spent the offseason working on simplifying his offensive approach after hitting a disappointing .202 in 31 games last season. He was a pretty good hitter in the minors, so there is little concern he will eventually find his footing in the majors.

Look, d'Arnaud isn't the first and won't be the last highly touted catching prospect to struggle offensively after his promotion to the majors. Most rookie catchers are burdened with defensive responsibilities upon their promotion and don't have the time to dedicate the attention needed to offense. But it sounds like d'Arnaud took care of that in the offseason, so maybe we will see a different hitter in 2014.

As far as his Draft Day value, catcher is a deeper position than you think. You could end up with players like Matt Wieters, Salvador Perez, Evan Gattis and Wilson Ramos in the middle rounds and be happy.

I'm not sure you want to go into your draft with the strategy d'Arnaud is going to be your starter. He definitely has upside, but d'Arnaud is more of a late-round Fantasy sleeper and you are probably better off bringing him off your bench in standard Head-to-Head leagues.

Mets catcher Travis d'Arnaud told reporters Monday about some of the changes he made to his offensive approach this season after he hit a disappointing .202 following his promotion to the majors last season.

"I worked on just shortening my swing," he said, per the New York Post. "Last year, I feel like every pitch, I was thinking something about my swing compared to focusing on the ball and focusing on seeing the ball and hitting the ball. I just have to slow the game down, and toward the end I started feeling a little more comfortable and a lot of weight came off my shoulders."