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BP Annual Player Comments

Year		Comment
2003		Haselman has always been a below average defender, and now his bat has pretty much disappeared as well. He can still paste lefties over the last three years (.325/.384/.476), so he could still make himself useful for another couple of seasons if he can find a lefty-hitting catcher to back up or platoon with. It doesn’t look like he’s found it by signing a minor league deal with Detroit, where right-handed Brandon Inge is the mainstay.
2002		The final tally looks like an ordinary Bill Haselman season; however, getting there was anything but ordinary. In a six-month period, Haselman was cut more than Chuck Wepner, undergoing surgery on his rotator cuff, labrum, and elbow. If the Rangers have designs on dealing Ivan Rodriguez, they shouldn’t count on Haselman picking up the slack.
2001		He's a solid caddy. This is a good gig for Bill Haselman, who has some value off the bench and can spell Ivan Rodriguez on those rare occasions he needs an off day. If Haselman played full time, he could probably rival Ben Grieve for double-play propensity. This is not a fast man, and he hits a lot of ground balls to shortstop.
2000		Haselman was justifiably angry after the Tigers told him he’d have a chance to start, then traded for Ausmus. He settled in and had another fine year as a second-stringer. Right now, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better backup catcher in the game. He was traded to Texas in the Gonzalez deal, and will back up Ivan Rodriguez in 2000.
1999		The second nicest surprise in the Aaron Sele trade. Even with Pudge having his best season at the plate, Haselman hit just as well in his limited ABs. He’s never met a pitch he didn't like though: against lefties, he achieved the rarely-met "Guillen standard" -- a higher BA (.405) than OBP (.400). A free agent.
1998		Indistinguishable from the next guy, although His numbers were deflated by a nagging shoulder injury. He’s also about to hit arbitration, and since he doesn’t do anything better than Hatteberg or McKeel, the Sox were wise to trade him. Unfortunately, they received a slightly older and more expensive version of Haselman in the form of Jim Leyritz, who will likely take His role as Hatteberg’s platoon mate.
1997		Nice to see him finally get some playing time. He backed up Stanley and became the regular when Stanley’s neck problem ended his season. Not the best combination, since they’re both slow right-handed hitters with power and just fair defensive skills, but it beats carrying a Manwaring. Stanley’s expected to see more time at DH in 1997, so Haselman, Hatteberg or McKeel stands to benefit. I’ll bet on a Haselman/Hatteberg platoon.
1996		The subject of "Haselmania", despite being very nearly average in every respect. His hitting is about average for a catcher, his catching is about average.... I guess that's what you'd expect from someone who has spent most of his career in the minors.

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