I totally understand the skepticism in having faith in Hundley behind the plate but I just really like the kid. I love how he is so dedicated to the pitchers and the dude is absolutely ripped. He is a "workout-aholic" and strives to get better everyday. This guys works tirelessly on his craft which is why I think he can be solid beyond what we have seen in a somewhat of a small sample size.

I do not see him boxing balls like he did last year. He has a strong arm, he's very athletic, and he has some speed for a catcher. He has come on strong as of late, and is showing power to all fields with some late inning heroics.

In a locker-room interview with Darren Smith:

"If guys wanna complain about playing here they better check themselves and leave" Hundley said. How can you dislike this guy.... that is awesome!

Nick Hundley, the Padres starting catcher, has shared some time to the hot hitting veteran catcher Yorvit Torrealba. The Padres catching duo of Torrealba and Hundley have amassed the most production collectively out of any position. The Padres catchers now lead the team in RBI (Hundley with 16 and Torrealba with 14). Hundley is currently hitting .272/.362/.446 with 5 doubles, 1 triple, 3HR's, and 16 RBI.

Torrealba, his counterpart, is batting .287/.362/.383 with 1 HR, 14 RBI, and 3 stolen bases. How can you not start the veteran catcher when all he is doing is hitting .417 with RISP, .354 with RISP w/2 Outs, along with him hitting .333 with the bases loaded? Manager Bud Black seems to be staying with the hot hitter depending upon match ups. Both catchers are also more than holding their own behind the dish calling the games on a team that leads the NL in ERA which I think some times gets over looked. The catchers seem to be pushing each other bringing out the best of one another.

One thing is certain: both catchers are being very productive and obviously Yorvit has been a very solid acquisition by Jed Hoyer. Having said that, I do still think Hundley is the future. Even if Hundley drops to something like .250 .350 .420 and continues to improve defensively under the tutelage of Torrealba and the bench coach Ted Simmons, we have at least a major league average catcher.