My Top 10: Catchers
By: Max Greenfield
Beyond the pitcher, the catcher is the most important position in baseball. It’s a grind of a position that can be under appreciated at times. They call games, block pitches in the dirt, throw out base runners, manage a pitch staff, and consistently talk to the coaches throughout the game about the pitcher. It’s a demanding position and the 10 players below are the best at their jobs. Admittedly, the top of the catching class is good but after the top 3 players, but a lot is left to interpretation. These players were picked off their past seasons and potential output looking ahead.
1. J.T Realmuto
2. Buster Posey
3. Gary Sanchez
4. Wilson Ramos
5. Willson Contreras
6. Yasmani Grandal
7. Yadier Molina
8. Salvador Perez
9. Kurt Suzuki
10. Francisco Cervelli
J.T Realmuto
J.T Realmuto played for a bad Marlins team last year. His only protection in the lineup was Starlin Castro, who outside of Yankee stadium, doesn’t have the same power he did at Yankee stadium. Despite that, Realmuto had a very good year. He hit .277/.340/.484 with an OPS of .824. Realmuto had 21 home runs and 30 doubles to go along with 74 RBI and 74 runs scored. He also had an impressive 4.8 WAR (1st among catchers) and 126 wRC+ (2nd among catchers). Realmuto was the lone bright spot on an otherwise miserable season for the Marlins. Leading him to be one of the biggest trade candidates of the offseason so far. Realmuto’s defense was subpar as he had -7 Rdrs (Defensive runs saved on average with 0 being average) but Realmuto had the fastest pop time in all of baseball on throws to 2nd base and was 8th quickest exchange. He also had the 2nd best average arm in baseball at 87.8 mph on his throws according to Baseball Savant. In simpler terms, Realmuto was very hard to run on because he got rid of the ball so quickly with a strong arm. Realmuto is still young at just 27 years old and is going into his prime. I expect him to be in the top of the catching class for years to come.
Buster Posey
Buster Posey is the guy that comes to mind when most people think of the top catcher in baseball. For good reason. The 3X World Series Champion, ROY award winner, and MVP has produced every year of his career. Posey only played in 105 games last year and wasn’t having a typical Posey like season before that. However, he had played in 140 games 6 straight seasons before his injury last season. He had been durable up until that point. Posey was hitting .284/.359/.382 with a .741 OPS. Posey isn’t a power hitter as he only hit over 20 home runs twice in his career, but he only had 5 home runs with 47 RBI and 41 runs scored. Granted, San Francisco isn’t a hitter friendly park which is why he still had a 106 wRC+ and 2.0 WAR. Posey is also still a gold glove caliber defender behind the plate. He ranked 2nd among catchers with at least 100 games caught last year with 12 Rdrs. Posey was middle of the pack on pop time and exchange but made up for it with an above average arm. Posey is still 31 years old and may not have many days left at catcher, but for now, he is still an elite guy behind the plate.
Gary Sanchez
This is the pick that might make some people scratch their head. Sanchez had an awful 2018 plagued by a shoulder injury and groin injury. Sanchez had people question his heart, his defense, and his overall ability over the year. Sanchez struggled offensively in 2018 with a .186/.291/.406 slashline and a .697 OPS. He hit 18 home runs still with 51 RBI and 51 runs scored. Yet, Sanchez still had a better slugging percentage than Buster Posey and had career highs in walk rate and his lowest chase percentage of his career. The problem was Sanchez wasn’t hitting the ball on a line enough. He had a career low in line drive % and that lead to more balls being fielded and caught than before. So why is he 3rd on this list? Because in his first 162 games, Gary Sanchez hit 50 home runs. Which is almost unheard of for a catcher. Sanchez had a wRC+ of 129 and a WAR of 4.4 in 2017. A healthy Gary Sanchez is dangerous. His defense is also better than people think. Sanchez had a 6 Rdrs in 2018. He also had the 6th best pop time and 4th best average velocity on his throws from behind the plate. He is bad at blocking, but he was also one of the better strike stealers as Sports Info Solutions rated him the third best strike stealer in baseball. Sanchez has a lot of upside as he just turned 26. He could very well be number 1 on this list next year.
Wilson Ramos
Wilson “The Buffalo” Ramos had a career year in 2018. The journeyman catcher hit .306/.358/.487 with an .845 OPS. He hit 15 home runs with 70 RBI. Splitting time between the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies last year, Ramos lead all catchers in wRC+ with 131. He was also 5th in WAR among catchers with 2.4 according to Fangraphs. Ramos has been an inconsistent player offensively, but he was the top offensive catcher in baseball last year. He has posted 2 seasons with a wRC+ of 120 or better in the last 3 years however. Ramos is close to league average defender with -2 Rdrs in 2018 and ranks in the top half of the league in pop time, exchange, and arm velocity. Ramos signed with the Mets this offseason for 2 years 19 million and it’s fair to say that he is worth that contract. He can help the Mets compete in a division that is open for anyone.
Willson Contreras
Willson Contreras rounds out my top 5 for catchers despite having a down year in 2018. Contreras hit .249/.339/.390 with an OPS of .730. He had a massive drop off in home run production, hitting only 10 in 2018 but did hit 21 on 2017. Contreras produced a 100 wRC+ which is league average and still produced a 2.6 WAR. Sure, Contreras took a step backwards, but he is still only 26 and can improve for the future. Contreras struggled to produce in the 2nd half of the season when everyone else around him not named Javier Baez was seemingly doing the same. It’s not an excuse for Contreras but more just adding to the mystery of what happened to the Cubs in 2018. Contreras is a league average defender with 2 Rdrs in 2018 but is ranked in the top 10 in pop time and average velocity on his throws. I’m betting on the future of Contreras as his first 2 seasons he had a wRC+ of over 120 both seasons.
Yasmani Grandal
Another guy who had a career year, Yasmani Grandal has numbers that traditional guys won’t love but the analytics people will. Grandal hit .241/.349/.466 with an OPS of .815. He also hit 24 home runs and drove in 68 men at the plate. The combination of his OPS and on base percentage that’s 100 points higher than his batting average is good. Where Grandal shined was that he ranked top 3 among catchers in HR’s (2nd), Slugging % (3rd), wRC+ (tied for 3rd), and WAR (2nd). He had a 125 wRC+ and 3.6 WAR last year, career highs for him. Grandal was a threat at the plate for the Dodgers but was seemingly underrated behind the plate. Yasmani Grandal had 9 Rdrs last season because of his excellent strike stealing ability. He struggled to block in the postseason and that’s all people remember but he had a good year behind the plate. Grandal shocked the market when he only took a 1-year deal with the Brewers, but he is betting on himself to have another good year to try and get paid in the future.
Yadier Molina
The surefire Hall of Famer at this point in his career produced a solid year at the plate for the Cardinals. The Cardinals backstop hit .261/.314/.436 with an OPS of .750. He also hit 20 home runs for just the 2nd time in his career and drove in 74 men at the plate. He had a 103 wRC+ and a 2.2 WAR. Yadi is aging well with his ability to remain a constant presence at the plate, but Molina has become known for his defense in his career. He won his 9th gold glove of his career in 2018 though he probably didn’t deserve it. He had -1 Rdrs last year and isn’t throwing our runners at the same rate he had been in the past. Molina and another catcher on this list might have their reputation carrying more weight than their numbers. I still believe Molina is a hall of fame catcher and worthy of this list but him winning the Gold Glove over Posey was slightly ridiculous. He has 2 seasons left in the show and I’m sure he will be a presence in those final 2 seasons.
Salvador Perez
One of the big pieces of the 2015 World Series winners, Salvador Perez has a strong reputation in the league as being a great catcher. He’s made 6 straight all-star games, won 5 gold gloves and 2 silver slugger awards. He matched his career high with 27 homers and 80 RBI in 2018 on the way to winning that 2nd silver slugger award. Yet, Perez had wRC+ of 89 and a WAR of 1.7 last year. Perez hit .235/.274/.439 with an OPS of .713. Perez capitalized on a very down offensive year for catchers and Wilson Ramos being traded to the Phillies. He also won a gold glove for a similar reason, because he had a 1 Rdrs last year and didn’t rank in the top 10 in exchange, pop time, and velocity. His reputation mattered more than his actual numbers last year. The good news for Perez is that he is only 28 and could be good trade bait moving forward or a central piece of a Royals rebuild.
Kurt Suzki
Suzuki had a great 2 years in Atlanta. In 182 games in Atlanta, Suzuki hit .276/.341/.485 with an OPS of .825. He hit 31 homers and drove in 100 men at the plate. Suzuki hasn’t played more than 120 games in his last 3 years but he’s a valuable piece to pair with another catcher like Atlanta did with him and Tyler Flowers. It’s the game plan for him and Yan Gomes in Washington as well. Suzuki produced an average of 2.3 and wRC+ of 115 in his 2 seasons with Atlanta as well. Suzuki was the veteran presence on a young team and was key leader in their push. He’s always been worthy of recognition but after his 2 years in Atlanta, we can say he is one of the better catchers in baseball today.
Francisco Cervelli
Cervelli also had his best season to date last year. Cervelli hit .259/.378/.431. Cervelli put up career highs in home runs (12), RBI (57), slugging % (.431), and wRC+ (125). He also had his 2nd highest WAR of his career with 3.3. Cervelli plays in park that is not forgiving and yet still slugged over .430, which is good for a catcher and good enough to put him 8th overall in that category among catchers. His 125 wRC+ tied him with Yasmani Grandal for third among catchers last year as well. Cervelli is underrated as he enters the final year of his contract. Unfortunately for him, the market has not been kind to aging players and he may not get the payoff he deserves.
This list can vary and if you compare my list to the shredder from MLB Network there will be some notable differences. This list is not perfect, and things can change throughout the year. All of the stats information came from Fangraphs, Baseball Reference and Baseball Savant. There should be a list of top 10 relievers coming out some time this week. Follow me on twitter @GreenfieldMax18
