On Saturday, June 14th San Fernando catcher Dale Olds did something for the first time in the 2059 season: he threw out an attempting base-stealer. In the top of the 5th inning Louisville Sluggers star outfielder Amphibian Johnson tried to swipe second base. After receiving the pitch, Olds threw the baseball down to second. Shortstop Kensaku Kato caught the ball and applied a tag to Johnson before he reached the base. Perhaps Olds was aided by the fact lefty Richard Bullock was pitching. Prior to this moment, Olds had allowed 34 stolen bases without retiring a runner. Olds would go on to allow two more successful stolen base attempts in this game and is now 1 for 37 on the year.
The 24 year-old backstop moved quickly thru the San Fernando farm system. Olds was a modest prospect with an across-the-board toolset. Contrary to what you might assume after reading the previous paragraph, defense is the area that bumped for Olds late in his development. His catcher ability is rated 8 and his catcher arm is rated 6. In 2058, the switch-hitter made a promising first impression by batting .259/.319/.406 across 75 games. More pertinent to this story, Olds was also much more effective at throwing out base stealers by retiring 11 of 45 attempts (24.4%). While his pitching framing is slightly improved in 2059, his struggles with the arm and at the plate (.211/.290/.276) currently results in a sub-replacement WAR.
On fan message boards there are several competing theories attempting to explain what is driving Olds’ arm performing like an old man. The most popular conspiracy is that it relates to new rules implemented by the league. League-wide, base-stealing attempts are up significantly. Others wonder if it’s a change in San Fernando’s pitching staff’s ability to hold runners or simply a sophomore slump. Some fans even wonder if an offseason spent working out in Long Beach resulted in a loss of arm strength for Olds.
No matter the reason, what is for certain is that Dale Olds is expected to be part of the Bears’ solution at catcher for years to come and this aspect of his game must improve.
