OAKLAND -- The catcher position is an important one, especially for A's manager Bob Melvin.
A 10-year catcher in the bigs, Melvin knows how underappreciated the position could be, but not to him.
For the A's, however, the position appears quite young. If today were Opening Day, 25-year-old Sean Murphy would be the starter behind the plate.
Not that this would be particularly a bad thing. In 60 big-league plate appearances last season, Murphy slashed .245/.333/.566 with four home runs and eight RBI.
"And certainly the development of Murphy," Melvin told NBC Sports California at A's Media Day last Friday.