Brewers: Kendall’s defensive approach gets props

It’s not exactly heartening for an ex-catcher turned manager of the Milwaukee Brewers to discuss the catching situation in his organization and throughout the other 29 organizations in the major leagues, but reality is reality.

“I don’t know what the problem is,” manager Ned Yost said recently, one of 15 former professional catchers now managing in the major leagues. “They need to do a national study on it. Catching is so thin in high school, colleges and the professional level.

“You can count on one hand the number of good young catchers in the game. They all want to go in the (batting) cage. They come offensively before they come defensively. “I tell kids that if you can play a little bit, catch.”

...Nine of the Brewers’ post-Matheny catchers have come in Yost’s five years as manager. Several, such as Estrada, Gary Bennett, Keith Osik and Eddie Perez, were one year and done. Others, such as Damian Miller and Chad Moeller, stayed a few years. Now he has added Kendall to the list with newcomer Eric Munson the expected backup.

“I think it’s because I haven’t found exactly what I’ve been looking for,” Yost said of the catchers who have marched in and out of the organization. “I know what I want, somebody who’s defensive-minded and defensive-oriented.

Sorta like Dave (1 for 21) Huppert, I guess.