Ryan Hanigan Can Handle a Pitching Staff

I liked Ryan Hanigan when he first came up in 2007.  He seemed like the hard-nosed, hustling type of player that Cincinnati fans always fall in love with. He hit .271 last year, which I will gladly take from a strong defensive catcher.

Not only does Hanigan play good defense (blocking balls, throwing out runners, etc.), but does a great job handling pitchers.  Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News wrote a nice piece on a spring training start by Johnny Cueto, but the main thing I took away from the article were the quotes from Ryan Hanigan:

"I was impressed with his ability to throw his fastball under the hands of righthanders when he needed that pitch. He changed speeds well, but I would like to see him get ahead of hitters a little more. What was positive was when he did get in trouble a couple of times, he really settled in and didn't panic and made pitches." 

He is not afraid to say what his pitchers need to work on. He makes note of what Cueto did well, but also what he wants to see next time out. I like this approach much better than some cliche-filled BS quote we have all heard a million times.

"Rolen is a great hitter, has a good swing, sees the ball, and is a tough guy to strike out.  Johnny worked him up and in, threw his off-speed, trying to get him to fish, then at the end threw a fastball out of the zone and won that one that time." 

Not only does Hanigan know the hitters, but has a mental log of what his pitcher did in a particular situation. You can bet that when they face Scott Rolen again, this at-bat will be playing through Ryan Hanigan's mind.

With Ramon Hernandez on the roster, Hanigan will have to wait and see what opportunities present themselves. I certainly hope he gets his share, because I believe the Reds have a great game manager behind the dish when Hanigan is in the lineup.