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2007 As a Yankee, Kelly Stinnett struck out in more than a third of his at-bats, and the results of his short-lived stint as Randy Johnson`s personal catcher weren`t anything to brag about. Released in July, the Mets signed him to replace Castro temporarily. He stayed just long enough to earn his second release of the season at the end of September. 2006 Was their most productive catcher by most meaningful counting and rate stats, which isn`t bad for a journeyman afterthought. The D-Backs could have done worse for a veteran placeholder until at least one young catcher is ready, but instead they tried to send him to Tucson. He refused the outright assignment, then hit the jackpot by signing with the Yankees as a free agent. 2005 On June 18, Benito Santiago broke a bone in his hand. On June 19, Stinnett, who was signed precisely because he wouldn't embarrass himself if forced to start for an extended period of time, injured his right elbow so severely that he had to have Tommy John surgery. An underrated backup catcher throughout his career, don' be surprised if he shows up in Diamondbacks camp with his suitcase filled with horseshoes and rabbit's feet. 2003 Stinnett’s saga makes you wonder if sometimes anybody is driving the Big Red bus. The career backup was given a two-year, $2.55 million contract extension a month into his first season with the Reds in 2001. Not even a year later, he was placed on waivers to try to dump that contract. When nobody bit, the Reds put him on the DL with simple elbow tendonitis and didn’t reinstate him for three (!) months. Then, instead of being showcased for a possible trade, he saw limited action the rest of the season. Stinnett will be a reliable, if overpaid, reserve wherever he ends up. 2002 Stinnett was traded by the Snakes to keep him away from the Giants, which was great for Benito Santiago and for the Reds, but it didn’t do much for the Giants or Stinnett. His season ended early due to elbow and knee problems, but the Reds came away sufficiently impressed. If they decide to hold on to LaRue, they can just as easily convert Stinnett into a prospect by trading him to whatever team loses its starting catcher to a spring-training injury. 2001 Kelly Stinnett’s career as a regular is dead, but considering that Jeff Reed is still around, Stinnett should be able to play as long as he wants. He had his best chance at stardom and big money taken from him when the Brewers wasted two years of his career so that they could play Mike Matheny. The Snakes were smart enough to take him on and use what was left of the best years of his career. 2000 Stinnett has always been a favorite of ours, and we were pulling for him to take the catching job in Arizona and run with it. He had a disappointing season, largely sabotaged by injuries, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be able to shake Miller anytime soon. He’s still got time for a couple of All-Star games if he hits the way he’s capable of hitting. 1999 Nice to see him get a chance after taking apart the American Association for two years. Stinnett is the best catcher the D'backs have at the upper levels, and should settle in as an above-average catcher for the next few years. He'll have one big year in the next few, bouncing up around a .900 OPS. 1998 He’s outplayed Mike Matheny every year of their careers. There is no question about Stinnett’s glovework: he basically derailed the career of a bad prospect named Bobby Hughes because he was the catcher the Zephyrs pitchers wanted to work with. Whether he makes a habit of spitting in Chris Bando’s coffee or something, I just don’t know, because there is no good explanation for why Stinnett isn’t playing ahead of Matheny. Taken in the Expansion Draft by Arizona. 1997 Another catcher snagged by Sal Bando. Might be good enough to start for a few years; if not, certainly a capable backup. If Pat Borders has a job, there’s no reason Kelly shouldn’t have one. 1996 A decent acquisition as a Rule V pickup two years ago, Stinnett may find himself challenged by Mayne for the role of backup catcher. The Mets may find themselves forced to carry three catchers, which, if Hundley is healthy, is really unnecessary. A trade may be the best thing for both Stinnett and the Mets. Sent to Milwaukee, in the mix there with Matheny and Nokes.
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