Catcher has never been a position that the Tampa Bay Rays have had a lot of luck with. If you were to play a version of the game show Family Feud and ask a hundred Rays fans which are they more likely to see in their lifetime Scarlett Johansson naked in person or their catcher hitting 20 home runs. Given their history, all a hundred would no doubt say they far more of a chance seeing Scarlett than their catcher serving up 20 big flies.
Last year, the Rays catchers muscled up for a combined 21 home runs. Of course, of those 21 pops, 16 came from the unexpected bats of Curt Casali and JP Arenciba. Previous to that, Rays catchers rom 2012-2014 hit a combined 25 home runs. Last year, the Rays hoped to fix their catching problems when they acquired Rene Rivera from the San Diego Padres in a deal that also saw them acquire Stephen Souza Jr. from the Washington Nationals. Apparently, the Rays felt that Rivera had turned the corner with his bat in 2014. Always a good defensive catcher, Rivera's bat was the big question. With the Padres, he managed a .252/.319/.432 slash line. Eleven home runs and 44 RBIs made him all the more appealing. Rays fans were in for a shock. Rivera looked more lost at the plate than former centerfielder BJ Upton.
(Photo : (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
