BCB After Dark: Is Amaya a keeper behind the plate?

Welcome back to BCB After Dark: the hippest hangout for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and sit with us for a while. New friends and old, everyone is welcome. There’s no cover charge this evening. There are still a couple of tables available. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

The Cubs are still out in Los Angeles playing a late game. They’re losing while I write this. Let’s get some runs.

Last night I asked you about a proposed rule that would be an automatic (or almost automatic) ejection for any pitcher who hits a batter in the head. People had strong opinions on this and we got some good debate. I thank everyone who commented. In the end, the vote was really close as 54 percent of you think that the rule would be a good idea. The other 46 percent were against it.

On Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, I don’t normally do a movie essay. But I always have time for music, so those of you who skip that can do so now. You won’t hurt my feelings.

I couldn’t resist doing a bit more on Sergio Mendes, as we mourn his passing last week. Here’s the ABC News obituary and tribute to him.

“Deceptively sophisticated.” Yeah, that sounds about right.

And here is Sergio Mendes and Brasil ‘66 in 1968 doing “The Fool On the Hill,” originally by some obscure English quartet.

Welcome back to everyone who skips the music.

A month ago, I asked what the Cubs should do next season at catcher. At the time, I was responding to an article in The Athletics that reported that the Cubs saw Miguel Amaya as a backup and that they felt they needed to improve behind the plate this winter.

SInce then, Amaya has been on a tear. Much has been made about the Cubs remaking his swing, dropping the leg kick and how it’s brought him much better results. On top of that, he caught last week’s combined no-hitter at Wrigley against the Pirates. His pitchers certainly praised his game-handling skills that night.

Since I wrote that article, Amaya has hit .274/.308/.500 with three home runs in 65 plate appearances in 18 games. That’s clearly excellent for a catcher, but it’s also a really small sample size. We don’t know if the league will yet adjust to Amaya’s new approach.

So tonight, I’m asking you how you would feel if the Cubs entered the 2025 season with Miguel Amaya as their number one catcher? The Cubs could bring back Christian Bethancourt or get some other veteran catcher to back up Amaya, but Amaya would be the clear number one catcher. How would you feel about that.

A vote of “5” means you’re all for that and the Cubs should absolutely leave Amaya as the starting catcher. A vote of “1” means you think that’s a big mistake—even if you think Amaya should stay on the team as a backup, you think he shouldn’t play much.

I know earlier in the season, I saw a lot of Cubs fans on the internet saying that Amaya should be sent down to Iowa, even though he doesn’t have any options left. Maybe you were one of them. How to we feel about Amaya now?

Thank you for stopping in this evening. It was good to catch up with you. We hope you had a good time. Please get home safely. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.