Bob Herson of okcredhawks.com says that Texas Rangers catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia is having problems in the Minor Leagues. Not the typical offensive or defensive issues that many players have. He’s stuck with the Oklahoma RedHawks because he can’t throw the ball back to the pitcher.

The problem is similar to that of Rube Baker from the the 90’s movie Major League II. Baker used his obsession with Playboy centerfolds in order to get the ball back to the pitcher.

Herson says the problem started last year as a result of a shoulder injury which was eventually diagnosed as Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. He ended up having a rib removed in surgery in September.

In Saltalamacchia’s last game, 12 of his throws back to the pitcher landed either short of the mound or in center field. He had five errant throws in the first inning alone.

“He’s just got to keep playing until he gets it right,” RedHawks manager Bobby Jones said. “I don’t know what else to do. It’s a shame. It’s definitely what’s keeping him here. He’s blocking the ball well and swinging the bat well. He’s just got to figure it out. It’s a shame.”

Saltalamacchia said, “Everything feels good. My throws have been good down to second. We’ve been working on different arm angles, getting on top of the ball more rather than getting on the side. So everything’s going smoothly and we’ll see where it goes.”

Gregg Zaun of the Milwaukee Brewers had this problem earlier this season. You can read about Zaun’s problems here, but here’s the video of Zaun’s incident.