Catcher Shortage: Stussy, O’Happy, Wallach and Injured Angels Catching Staff

Stussy, O’Happy, Wallach and Injured Angels Catching Staff

Angels pitcher Shohei Otani participated in the match against the Astros on the 9th (Japan time 10th) as “3rd pitcher and designated hitter” at the same time, and suffered the first loss of the season as a pitcher with 3 runs in 7 innings. It was catcher Chris Oakey, who had just been promoted on this day, that assembled the battery. Since he joined midway through April, this is the first time he has received Otani’s ball. It was a “substitute for a substitute” because catchers Logan O’Happy and Chad Wallach, who had been wearing masks since the opening, were on the injured list (IL) one after another. I asked Rhett Bollinger, the Angels reporter on MLB’s official website, how the reporter sees this situation.

“It would have been difficult. (Okey) had a wild pitch that he had to catch.”

After suffering his first loss, Bollinger spoke as if he cared about Otani. Only one split was thrown on this day. Otani revealed that one of the reasons was risk avoidance, saying, “I was the first catcher to team up.” In fact, in the 2nd inning with 1 death, there was a scene where he could not catch the sweeper that was thrown against Jurks and allowed him to swing away. As a result, he revolved around his fastball.

The Angels are facing a serious catcher shortage this season. Last season, catcher Max Stussy, who formed a battery in 26 of the 28 games Otani pitched, entered the IL before the opening, and there is still no prospect of a return. For that reason, he has teamed up with the young Ohhappy from the opening, but he is hopeless to return this season due to surgery on his left shoulder. In addition, Wallach also had a neck strain, and it became a situation where a substitute for a substitute appeared. Reporter Bollinger speculated, “The reason why he threw so many fastballs may be because he didn’t know if Oakey could catch the ball.”

A week ago, Bollinger predicted the surprise addition of catcher Gary Sanchez, who was a free contract from the Giants. He is a powerful catcher who boasts 154 home runs in MLB, including 34 home runs in 2019 when he was a Yankee. He is also known as a partner of pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (now Rakuten). However, on the 9th (10th), several US newspapers reported that the Mets had signed a minor contract.