Stuff and nonsense, I say! This is one of my favourite players of the current 'era' of baseball. I haven't got time to research it now, but he's made comments in the past (specifically when he was with the Tigers) that have led me to believe he's a thoughtful catcher who will work well with young pitchers.
Call me delighted, not embarrassed.
Projection numbers from CHONE:
AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO HBP BatAve OBP SLG DEF
Rodriguez 428 48 107 21 2 9 45 19 82 2 .250 .285 .371 3
Nieves 257 23 64 12 1 3 29 18 45 2 .249 .303 .339 -5
DEF is a projection of defensive ability, where 0 is average.
EDIT: Brian Oliver, at Nationals Farm Authority, whose blog I have inexplicably left off my list in spite of visiting it most regularly since 2005, is less impressed.
