A tip of the cap

merryaugust · 06-02-2022, 10:33 PM

In baseball, it takes all 26 men to compete. And while guys with names like Buck, Mickey, General and Hondo get all the attention here in DC, every last man contributes. In our case, that last man is backup catcher Lew Drill.

See, only the finest players to ever don a uniform with a Senators, Nationals or Grays name across the chest, and also getting a card in the game, are even considered for the team. So you can imagine my relief to find that I did not have to use Ray Brown and Brady House as my reserve catchers, but could actually have the services of Lew. I had no other choice in fact! But that's Lew, making my life easier.

Besides catching his standard 49 games a year, Lew is also coaching our organization's top backup catching prospect, Quincy Trouppe, into the role. So while young Quincy is catching regularly, he's also being groomed for his future here in DC. Lew's stats will never reveal his impact in this way, no matter how closely they resemble every other coach on the team.

But Lew plays too; I'd be a fool not to play this guy! A classic 5 Tool player (Mitt, Mask, Chest Protector, Shin Guards, and Cup), Lew burst onto the scene in 2023, slashing .296/.393/.414 and piling up a 1.2 WAR. But as good as his offense was, we here in DC don't like to give offense to anyone, nor make WAR. So in 2024, he turned things around, and how! His 5-1 K to walk ratio and 9 RBI raised everyone's eyebrows, and his .529 OPS led all DC backup catchers for the second season in a row. On defense, he showed massive improvements, setting career highs in Passed Balls (4), and Innings in Right Field (1).

Now in 2025, he's putting it all together, raking at a .218 clip, and on track to shatter his career highs in strikeouts and passed balls, without ever challenging for the starting role. It's hard to find words for his contributions to the team.

It's obvious where I'm going with all this. Some managers might say they wouldn't know what they'd do without a guy like Lew, but not me. I know exactly what I would do. But in the meantime, respect where respect is due. Lew Drill - you ARE the DC Capital Giants'...

UNSONG HERO!

rburgh · 06-03-2022, 12:37 PM

Duplicating their spelling error on Lew's card. Incredible that there's no card for Josh Gibson. Greatest catcher ever.

06-02-2022, 10:33 PM	#1
merryaugust Bat Boy Join Date: Jun 2021 Location: Virginia Posts: 14	A tip of the cap In baseball, it takes all 26 men to compete. And while guys with names like Buck, Mickey, General and Hondo get all the attention here in DC, every last man contributes. In our case, that last man is backup catcher Lew Drill. See, only the finest players to ever don a uniform with a Senators, Nationals or Grays name across the chest, and also getting a card in the game, are even considered for the team. So you can imagine my relief to find that I did not have to use Ray Brown and Brady House as my reserve catchers, but could actually have the services of Lew. I had no other choice in fact! But that's Lew, making my life easier. Besides catching his standard 49 games a year, Lew is also coaching our organization's top backup catching prospect, Quincy Trouppe, into the role. So while young Quincy is catching regularly, he's also being groomed for his future here in DC. Lew's stats will never reveal his impact in this way, no matter how closely they resemble every other coach on the team. But Lew plays too; I'd be a fool not to play this guy! A classic 5 Tool player (Mitt, Mask, Chest Protector, Shin Guards, and Cup), Lew burst onto the scene in 2023, slashing .296/.393/.414 and piling up a 1.2 WAR. But as good as his offense was, we here in DC don't like to give offense to anyone, nor make WAR. So in 2024, he turned things around, and how! His 5-1 K to walk ratio and 9 RBI raised everyone's eyebrows, and his .529 OPS led all DC backup catchers for the second season in a row. On defense, he showed massive improvements, setting career highs in Passed Balls (4), and Innings in Right Field (1). Now in 2025, he's putting it all together, raking at a .218 clip, and on track to shatter his career highs in strikeouts and passed balls, without ever challenging for the starting role. It's hard to find words for his contributions to the team. It's obvious where I'm going with all this. Some managers might say they wouldn't know what they'd do without a guy like Lew, but not me. I know exactly what I would do. But in the meantime, respect where respect is due. Lew Drill - you ARE the DC Capital Giants'... UNSONG HERO!

06-03-2022, 12:37 PM	#2
rburgh All Star Reserve Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 988	Nice touch Duplicating their spelling error on Lew's card. Incredible that there's no card for Josh Gibson. Greatest catcher ever.