by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (5/7/2013) Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco chose a good time to hit his first home run of 2013. He entered Tuesday's contest against the Braves in the ninth inning with his team trailing by one and launched a game-tying, solo shot off closer Craig Kimbrel.
Shin-Soo Choo would follow with a solo homer to give Cincinnati the 5-4 win.
Mesoraco is batting .237 with eight RBI through 20 games.
Devin Mesoraco gets day off Tuesday
by Chris Cwik | CBSSports.com (5/7/2013) Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco is not in the team's starting lineup Tuesday.
Mesoraco has received a large portion of playing time with Ryan Hanigan on the disabled list. Corky Miller will take his place behind the plate and bat eighth. In 58 at-bats, Mesoraco is hitting .224/.319/.293.
Devin Mesoraco receives a breather
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (4/23/2013) Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco was left out of the lineup Tuesday against the Cubs. Corky Miller replaced him behind the plate.
Mesoraco caught 35 innings over the previous three games after a couple went extra innings.
"I'm fine. I feel like I can catch as many as we play, no matter when it is," Mesoraco told MLB.com. "It's different in the big leagues, I think, because the stakes are much higher. I feel like I trained for this in the offseason, to play every day and catch as many innings as they want."
Consider Devin Mesoraco for a catching upgrade
by Al Melchior | Data Analyst (4/22/2013)Devin Mesoraco hasn't produced much as a major leaguer, but then again, the Reds haven't given him much of a chance to play. Now with Ryan Hanigan (oblique) on the 15-day disabled list, Mesoraco should see some regular starts, at least for awhile.
With an uptick in playing time, Mesoraco could easily be an upgrade in Fantasy over several catchers who are more widely owned, like Francisco Cervelli, Welington Castillo and Jason Castro. Don't expect Mesoraco to hit for average, but he could provide a boost to your lineup's power and run production.
Devin Mesoraco begins stretch of full-time play
by Chris Cwik | CBSSports.com (4/22/2013) Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco has seen a lot of time behind the plate recently, but will officially be in a full-time role for the next two weeks.
The Reds have placed Ryan Hanigan on the disabled list, allowing Mesoraco to receive the majority of the playing time with the club. Mesoraco is a former top prospect who hasn't seen a ton of chances in the majors yet. If he performs well over this stretch, it could lead to more consistent appearances once Hanigan returns.
Devin Mesoraco might help in the short run
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (4/21/2013) Ryan Hanigan going on the disabled list means good news -- at least in the short-term -- for Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco, who should inherit most of the playing time in Hanigan's absence. Though, Reds manager Dusty Baker still seems to have some problems with Mesoraco's defensive game.
"Mesoraco is catching better and hitting better," Baker said, per MLB.com. "He just has to control the running game. It’s hard to control the running game like Hanigan controlled it."
Corky Miller was brought up to take Hanigan's roster spot, so it's not like Mesoraco's competition is a top prospect or a crafty veteran. This seems like a good time for Cincinnati to lean on Mesoraco and let him learn trial by fire.
Fantasy owners in need of catcher help can certainly look to Mesoraco in the short-term. He is improving offensively. He's hitting .273 with a .414 on-base percentage and .823 OPS in seven games after a productive spring, which he hit .326 with a .535 slugging percentage and .955 OPS in 23 games.
Devin Mesoraco on base for seventh-straight game
by R.J. White | CBSSports.com (4/20/2013) Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco has played seven games and reached base safely in each after Saturday's 3-2 extra-innings win over the Marlins. He had two singles and a walk to give him a line of .273/.414/.409 in 29 plate appearances and could see extra playing time with Ryan Hanigan dealing with a thumb injury.
Not much time for Devin Mesoraco
by Chris Towers | CBSSports.com (4/5/2013) Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco has the pedigree as one of the top prospects in the minors over the last few years, but he has been unable to translate that to the major-league level so far. He was on the bench for the fourth game in a row Friday, as he continues to struggle to find playing time.
Reds manager Dusty Baker told MLB.com that Mesoraco will start Saturday, but the team does not have a set plan for getting him consistent playing time right now. Baker did say he will likely begin to split time a bit more evenly between he and Ryan Hanigan as the season progresses.
"We needed Hanigan, who throws out [48.5] percent of baserunners to negate the speed of the Angels," Baker said. "As we get deeper along, I might feel the need to mix and match. [Hanigan] shouldn't be tired early. When the weather gets hot and as he gets tired, I might mix and match."
Reds won't reveal plan for catchers
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (3/27/2013) Reds manager Dusty Baker refused to reveal his plans for the team's rotation at catcher this season between Ryan Hanigan and Devin Mesoraco.
"I’ll let you know," Baker said, per the Cincinnati Enquirer. "It will vary. (Ryan) Hanigan caught (Jonny) Cueto seven (innings) last night. It’s Mesoraco’s turn to catch (Wednesday). Day after night. That’s going to happen sometimes. You want to keep them both sharp. You don’t want to pair them up too much. What happens if your guy can’t hit a guy or day after night? It’s a long season. You look at that calendar with that schedule. When they fire that gun to go, there ain’t no stopping for a long time.”
Devin Mesoraco could matter in Fantasy
by Scott White | Senior Fantasy Writer (3/27/2013) Clearly, my colleague Michael Hurcomb isn't as optimistic, but I sense Dusty Baker's perception of Devin Mesoraco has changed enough that the 24-year-old former prospect could begin to realize his potential for the Reds this year.
He's had a good spring, for whatever that's worth, but more notable is Baker's acknowledgement of his good spring and recognition that he's improved since last season.
True, Mesoraco is still the backup to Ryan Hanigan to begin the year, but if he hits well enough in that role, I have a feeling the situation will sort itself out.
Then again, it's Baker we're talking about.
Devin Mesoraco beats out Miguel Olivo
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (3/27/2013) With the Reds offering catcher Miguel Olivo a $100,000 retention bonus to accept a minor-league assignment, the move essentially means Devin Mesoraco will make the 25-man roster, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Mesoraco is batting .361 (13 for 36) with two homers, three doubles and 11 RBI in 19 spring games.
"It’s not like he didn’t deserve it," manager Dusty Baker said of Mesoraco. "He did play well. (Monday), he had a bad game, but other than that he’s been great. You hope he’s gotten to the point -- and he says he has -- where he’s mature enough to realize it’s only a bad game and forget about it, then work on it, which he did yesterday.”
Devin Mesoraco's spring won't make a difference
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (3/26/2013) Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco could have hit 20 homers this spring and I don't think it would have made much of a difference in terms of his playing-time projection in 2013. We all know Mesoraco has a world of potential and is considered the future behind the plate for the Reds. But "future" is the key word.
While Mesoraco's spring surge might land him a spot on the 25-man roster, Ryan Hanigan's presence will prevent Mesoraco from being an everyday catcher, so don't move Mesoraco up Fantasy draft boards.
Reds manager Dusty Baker is a huge fan of Hanigan's because of Hanigan's defensive presence. The Reds are built to contend, so Hanigan's handling of the team's pitching staff is going to play a huge part in how Baker splits up the playing time behind the plate. It would be beneficial for the Reds to keep Mesoraco on the roster and have him continue to acclimate playing at the major-league level, but the catcher position isn't all about offensive production and Baker knows that. Mesoraco is still best left for deeper NL-only and Rotisserie formats that start two catchers.
Devin Mesoraco making case for backup job
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (3/25/2013) Despite going 0 for 4 Monday, Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco is batting .361 this spring with two homers and 11 RBI. He has also slugged a solid .611 through 19 Cactus League games.
Mesoraco is competing with non-roster invite Miguel Olivo for the backup job to Ryan Hanigan.
"I feel like I came in with a good plan and came in prepared," Mesoraco told MLB.com. "I knew it was going to be a little bit different thing than last year. I had to prove myself. I'm happy with the way I've played and with the way things have turned out."
Mesoraco trying to improve
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (2/14/2013) MLB.com reports Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco spent the offseason studying tape of his rookie season in attempt to improve on a disappointing campaign. "I watched beginning of the year, middle of the year and end of the year -- a good amount of each to see where I needed to improve," Mesoraco said. "Offensively, (video scouting manager Rob Coughlin) sent me certain swings of mine and I requested some other hitters throughout the league to see what makes them successful. I will try to morph that into my game a little bit." Mesoraco struggled adjusting to playing sparingly last season and it's a similar situation he could face in 2013 with Ryan Hanigan still in the mix. "Sometimes you've got to go backwards," manager Dusty Baker said of Mesoraco's 2012 season. "We're not really sure what will happen this year, either. He's a heck of a talent. But he's very young. Most guys don't come out of high school and catch. Buster Posey came out of college. That's four years where he had more experience."
