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2008 In five partial seasons in the majors (as well as his last two years in the minors), Kevin Cash has never gotten his batting average off the interstate (MLB career .167 AVG). 2005 He can't hit, not even in the Mark Parent/Tim Laudner way that might get people like us interested. Worse for him is there are complaints about how he receives the ball, death for a guy with a career 484 OPS. There's little question, however, that he can throw: He's gunned down 38% of basestealers in parts of three seasons. Dealt to the Devil Rays in December, Cash will have a chance to back up Toby Hall for a man with a history of liking defensive catchers. 2003 It appears that the darkhorse has won the catching race, as the favorites heading into 2002 aren’t suited for the rigors of the position. Ex-manager Buck Martinez was so taken with Cash in spring training that he wanted the converted third baseman to head north with the squad. Cooler heads prevailed, although Cash was pushed aggressively. He wasn’t overmatched until his September sip in Toronto, showing excellent extra-base pop and a good eye in Double and Triple-A. He can put the clamps on the running game, too, gunning down nearly 45% of would-be basestealers. The team’s current backstops are merely placeholders until Cash arrives sometime around the All-Star break. Think Jason Varitek. 2002 A non-drafted free agent out of Florida State, Cash is the dark horse in the Blue Jays’ wild catching scramble. Cash has adapted quickly to the move from third base to catcher, leading both his minor leagues in throwing out base thieves. He’s no slouch with the bat either, posting an EqA 21% better than the average Florida State League backstop. Similar success at Double-A will vault Cash to within a few lengths of the other masked men in the organization.
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