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2007 A message to all you parents out there: if your son dreams of one day joining the International Brotherhood of Backup Catchers--hey, it`s easier to join than the Priory of Sion--get him working on his left-handed swing. Bako has hit under .230 in five of the last seven years, he`s hit one homer in the last four, yet he keeps finding teams interested in a left-handed stick to complement their right-handed starter. The latest is the Orioles, who are paying him $900,000 to impersonate a minimum-wage backup. 2006 A good-field/no-hit catcher whose defensive abilities are somewhat overstated, Bako tore his ACL in a rundown in June, shelving him for the season. The injury wasn`t a total loss, as it forced the team to take a long look at Navarro, with happy results. Despite being 34 and coming off of knee surgery, the Royals have signed him to provide the veteran gravitas John Buck lacks. We imagine something like Edwin Newman in a mask. 2005 Gabor is coasting on his defensive reputation, but over the course of his career, he's caught just under 31% of attempted basestealers, a figure no better than pedestrian. Reputedly he works well with pitchers and helps old ladies cross the street and all that, but there's nothing separating him from 10 or 15 catchers in the International League. None of this is meant to be an endorsement of Henry Blanco, who was brought in to be Bako's replacement, but at least Blanco does his job as advertised. 2003 Bako is what he is: an adequate backup who bats lefty for spice. Acquired by the Cubs in their ingenious plot to acquire every solid backup catcher, except that they’re already running out of roster room to bring the scheme to fruition. If they don’t add anybody else, he should be Damian Miller’s caddy. 2002 “Bits” is your basic good backup to a slugging right-handed-hitting catcher with a few defensive limitations. In other words, he's a great guy to have when Javy Lopez is your regular starter. Lopez's return to Atlanta should guarantee another year of employment for Bako, catching Greg Maddux every fifth game. 2001 The season-ending injury to Eddie Perez left the Braves with only Fernando Lunar behind Javy Lopez, so claiming Paul Bako off waivers was a good idea. Bako, a left-handed, low-power, average defensive backstop, is a near-perfect complement to Lopez. He'll be around for a while and have a lot of years like 1998. 2000 A curious addition to the Brad Ausmus trade, Bako’s value was no mystery after Mitch Meluskey went out for the season in late April. A .260 hitter who can work the count a little and throw out 35% of attempted base-stealers can make a useful player: just look at Tony Eusebio. When you can do that and bat left-handed like Bako, you can stay in the majors for 10 years. Now that Eusebio has been re-signed, Bako may be the odd man out in Houston. 1999 He's been touted as one of the bright spots to the season, but he's no long-term answer. His dexterity behind the plate doesn't compensate for a weak stick, and he turns 27 in June. If he's able to recapture the ability to draw walks he showed in 1994-95, he could stick in a platoon role, and left-handed hitters are valuable behind the plate. But Rob Fick, also a lefty, has grabbed on to his collar and is ready to pull. 1998 Bako’s a good defensive catcher who had shown improvement in his hitting. He’s qualified to be a major league backup right now, and could play about even with Joe Oliver as Eddie Taubensee’s backup. Traded to Detroit, where the competition isn’t as stiff. I think he’ll be above average for the position in 1998. 1997 Naturally, the second Bako started hitting, his defensive reputation started to slip. A good hitter who will get better, and I think he’s fine behind the plate. The Reds probably have more depth at catcher and shortstop than any other organization. They’ve also got the most Marge Schott. Bako will start the year in Indianapolis and likely will stay there until September.
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