PLAYING CATCH UP

    In last year's trades, the Marlins picked up not one but two catchers -- Rob Brantly from Detroit and Jeff Mathis from Toronto. The Marlins also picked up Jake Jefferies in 2011 from Tampa
    Brantly, 23, shows some promise, probably would be in minors with most teams. Like most people the Marlins go after, he has a power deficit -- 3 HR in 222 plate appearances in the majors over two seasons, with a batting average of .265.
    Mathis, 30, is special. He has spent nine seasons in the majors and is below the Mendoza line for his career at .197.
    Michael Yong at fishstripes.com has a devastating analysis of Mathis, calling him "one of the most interestingly bad players in baseball today. ... Mathis is ... one of the worst hitters of this generation."
    Jefferies, now 25, he's in AAA batting .222 and on the DL.
    Why the fascination with catchers? There's one name you don't hear much. That's Kyle Skipworth, 23, now batting .121 in AAA. Last year he hit .217 in AA.
    Skipworth was the sixth overall pick in the 2008 draft, one pick after Buster Posey. While Posey has soared to super-star status among catchers, Skipworth has languished. The Marlins front office still talks about him as "developing" but their trades for catchers show they've pretty much given up on him. Another huge front office disaster.
    After Tuesday's loss to the Phillies, wasting another great Fernandez outing, the Marlins are 13-33. The '62 worst-ever Mets were 12-34 at this point.