RYAN DOUMIT

4/3/81; '99 2nd; Moses Lake, WA (HS)
S/R; 6-0, 180

Level
BA
OBP
SA
AB
2B
3B
HR
BB
K
SB
CS
1999 R
.282
.410
.376
85
5
0
1
15
14
4
2
2000 A-
.313
.371
.439
246
15
5
2
23
33
2
2
2001 AA
.250
.400
.250
4
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
2001 A
.270
.333
.351
148
6
0
2
10
32
2
1
2001 R
.235
.316
.353
17
2
0
0
2
0
0
0
2002 A
.322
.377
.453
258
14
1
6
18
40
3
5
2003 A+
.275
.351
.434
458
38
1
11
45
79
4
0
2004 AA
.262
.343
.489
221
20
0
10
21
49
0
1
2005 NL
.255
.324
.398
231
13
1
6
11
48
2
1
2005 AAA
.345
.415
.630
165
11
0
12
16
36
1
3
2006 NL
.208
.322
.389
149
9
0
6
15
42
0
0
2006 AAA
.318
.375
.455
22
1
1
0
2
4
0
0
2006 AA
.333
.412
.533
15
3
0
0
0
1
0
0
2006 R
.000
.125
.000
14
0
0
0
1
4
0
0
2007 NL
.274
.341
.472
252
19
2
9
22
59
1
2
2007 AAA
.415
.493
.717
53
4
0
4
8
12
3
2
2008 NL
.318
.357
.501
431
34
0
15
23
55
2
2
2008 AA
.429
.429
.429
7
0
0
0
0
2
0
0

Doumit established himself early as a good prospect, but the injuries started just as early and quickly became a major theme in his career.  After he had a strong season in 2000, his 2001 season was largely wiped out by back problems.  He was bothered by knee problems in early 2002, then missed the second half with a broken finger.  The Pirates nevertheless added him to the 40-man roster to avoid losing him in the Rule 5 draft.  He managed to stay healthy in 2003 and had a good season, but the bug returned in 2004.  He missed the first week of the season due to mono, then developed tendonitis in his throwing elbow.  He was limited for much of the season to DH and PH duties and, when the elbow didn't improve, he was shut down.  He ended up catching only 25 games.

In 2005, however, Doumit stayed healthy and got off to an outstanding start in AAA.  The Pirates called him up in early June.  It wasn't entirely clear whether they did so because they thought he was ready—at that stage he still had very limited experience above class A—or because they simply were desperate for somebody who could hit the ball.  Doumit quickly became yet another example of the Pirates' paranoid-schizophrenic approach to young players.  He started off well, but slumped after about a week.  The Pirates' response, rather than either putting up with the struggles or sending him back to the minors, was to bench him in the apparent hope that he'd start to hit while not playing.  He came out of the slump in August, although Lloyd McClendon was still reluctant to use him regularly—at one point he went 7-for-12 over five games, then sat out three of the next four.  It's hard to understate how foolish their handling of Doumit was, given that they were wasting much-needed development time with a player who might not have been able to get it back due to the lack of options.  As it became more and more apparent that the team was headed for 90+ losses, however, Doumit gradually became the primary catcher.  He had a very good August (364/425/515) and respectable September (262/304/415).

In 2006, Doumit appeared likely to be the regular catcher, especially after Cota's second half collapse in 2005.  Manager Jim Tracy more or less platooned the two at the beginning of the season, then suddenly announced that Doumit's ability to set a target was too poor for him to catch in the majors.  The fact that Zach Duke and Paul Maholm had been very successful with Doumit catching late in the previous season apparently didn't register on Tracy.  The issue was mooted, however, by a groin pull shortly afterward.  The Pirates put Doumit on the DL, but in an oft-repeated pattern under former GM Dave Littlefield, they brought him back before the injury was fully healed.  Sure enough, he aggravated it and missed nearly half the season.  When he returned, he got semi-regular playing time at 1B, but didn't catch any more.  He didn't help his own cause by struggling at the plate.

In 2007, the Pirates, having acquired an extra option for him, sent Doumit to the minors after a few PH appearances in early April.  They preferred to keep Cota, who was out of options.  Doumit tore up the International League until the team, desperate for offense, called him back up.  For once, Doumit got hot at the right time and was arguably the team's best hitter for much of the first half.  His playing time, though, remained sporadic as Tracy still hesitated to let him catch despite Paulino's horrific first-half slump and deteriorating defense.  The concerns about Doumit's defense were always exaggerated, especially in comparison to Paulino.  Doumit has a strong arm and has thrown out 29% of baserunners in his career, compared to 31% for Paulino.  Both have been handicapped by a pitching staff that, outside of Zach Duke and Paul Maholm, does a poor job of holding runners.  Doumit is error-prone and does not block pitches well, but Paulino is also error-prone and even worse at blocking pitches.  One factor that never seemed to register on the Pirates and on many fans was that, going into 2008, Doumit had only a fraction of Paulino's experience behind the plate.  In fact, at that point he'd caught only about one season's worth of games above class A.  Eventually, Doumit started seeing time in RF in 2007 due to Xavier Nady's occasional injuries.  Doumit played respectably there, showing a very good arm.  Unfortunately, Doumit hurt his wrist in mid-August and went on the DL.  When he came back in early September, he sprained his ankle badly in his very first game and missed the rest of the year.

In 2008, finally freed of the abysmal evaluation skills and stereotyping of McClendon, Tracy and Littlefield, Doumit had a breakout season.  He started off in a catcher tandem with Paulino, but quickly took over the job full-time as he got hot and Paulino continued to struggle mightily.  He batted .348 in April and eventually hit at least .290 in every month.  He hit for much more power early in the year, as he slugged .554 before the break, with 11 HRs in 55 games, but .442 after the break, with 4 HRs in 60 games.  He continued to hit a lot of doubles, though.  The reduced power may have resulted from the fact that pitchers became noticeably more careful in pitching to him.  To his credit, Doumit didn't respond by flailing away and still slugged at least .455 in every month except August, when he slugged .387.  He didn't walk much, but he also had a low K rate for a guy who takes a big cut.  Doumit once again missed time due to injury, with a broken finger that cost him several weeks and a concussion that also cost him some time.  The Pirates were careful to rest him as well.  Defensively he did not play especially well, with continued problems blocking pitches, but defense just isn't going to be his strong suit.  Considering the kind of offense most teams get from their catchers, having a catcher, like Doumit, who's good enough to hit third in the order is a huge advantage.  Doumit is especially valuable in PNC, because he's a pull hitter when he bats left-handed.  In 2007, all of his HRs came from the left side and all but two came at home, where he slugged .541.  In 2008, he posted an OPS of .958 at home and .758 on the road.  Prior to 2008, he was a much better hitter from the left side—his OPS was .865 LH and .633 RH in 2007—but in 2008 he hit slightly better right-handed.  The Pirates have credited Doumit's breakout, as well as their willingness to give him the catching job, on the fact that he reported to camp in the best condition he'd been in as a pro.  He even runs reasonably well for a catcher now, although he's prone to baserunning mistakes.  The Pirates signed him to a multiyear contract in the off-season.  The three base years run through his arbitration eligibility and guarantee Doumit $11.5M.  The Pirates, however, have an unusual one-time, two-year option for his first two free agent years, making the deal's total potential value around $27M.  Doumit will be one of the team's key players in 2009, as everybody holds their breath hoping he'll stay healthy.

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