Lets get right down to it, Most teams are lacking at the catcher position, cause it does take a toll on most catchers to catch 162 games a season. We will be going over who we think are the top 10 catcher’s in the MLB, starting off at #10 and going up to our #1. When we select the catchers, we are going by offensive and defensive stats in the 2014 season and think what we expect them to do in the 2015 season. So kicking it off with our first catcher is-
#10) Alex Avila (Detroit Tigers)
He had a stellar year defensively but his offense has been a struggle over the past few years. His defense has always been there. Leading the way on defense for the Detroit Tigers has been no easy challenge for Avila. In 2014 he had the opportunity to catcher for Max Scherzer, David Price and Justin Verlander (Who all have a Cy Young Award under their belt) Now you can say that’s a good achievement in his life. Avila’s 2014 season was his best since his All-Star season in 2011. he has shown some upside on offense in the second half of the 2014 season. Detroit is hoping he can carry that over into 2015.
2014 stats
Avg HR RBI’s FPCT CSB CS CS%
.218 11 47 .995 71 36 .336
#9) Miguel Montero (Chicago Cubs)
Over the past 9 seasons, Montero has been a Arizona Diamondback. His 2014 season was one of his worse defensive years. racking up 13 errors and having a season low CS% (Caught Stealing Percentage) .289 since 2009 when he placed a CS% of .259. His Offense has always been there for a goof lefty catcher. Signing with the Cubs this offseason could help him bounce back defensively with a new look and scenery in Chicago at Wrigley Field.
2014 stats
Avg HR RBI’s FPCT CSB CS CS%
.243 13 72 .988 64 26 .289
#8) Salvador Perez (Kansas City Royals)
Perez is a young catcher who keeps getting better and better each year he plays. Only being 24 and making it to the World Series in 2014 will help him dramatically and make him into a better player than what he already is. Each year since 2011 his stats on offense and defense have improved. Give him another year or two and he will be in the top 5 for catcher’s.
2014 stats
Avg HR RBI’s FPCT CSB CS CS%
.260 17 70 .992 57 25 .305
#7) Devin Mesoraco (Cincinnati Reds)
Mesoraco had a outstanding season in 2014. Leading all catcher’s in homeruns and coming in 2nd in RBI’s behind Buster Posey (89) with 80. Had a pretty good season defensively with a fielding percentage of .997 and throwing out runners 26% of the time. Its his second full season as the starting catcher for the Reds and his Homerun and RBI totals have jumped dramatically (2013- HR-9, RBI’s-42)-(2014- HR-25, RBI’s-80). For being 26 years old, look for him to come out and put up good numbers again. With a healthy Reds squad, this team can be dangerous.
2014 stats
Avg HR RBI’s FPCT CSB CS CS%
.273 25 80 .997 51 18 .260
#6) Jonathan Lucroy (Milwaukee Brewers)
Over the past 3 years. Lucroy has put up some very good offense and defense numbers for the Milwaukee Brewers. Being only 28 years old, more than likely he will be around for the next few years as their starting catcher. Hitting 176 hits in 2014 and getting 66 walks were the most he has done in a single season. So most people would say 2014 was his best season yet, but in 2013 he hit 18 HR and 82 RBI’s but 30 less hits than he did in 2014. He has shown improvement in different categories but kept the stats pretty even through out the years.
2014 stats
Avg HR RBI’s FPCT CSB CS CS%
.301 13 69 .996 83 29 .258
#5) Russell Martin (Toronto Blue Jays)
For the past 9 years, Martin has just put up good numbers on both sides of the field. In his early years, he could also steal bases, and for a catcher to be able to do that, was very rare to see. For being 32 and still catching most games, he still can run but not like his early stage of his career. Put still can give you that stolen base when you need it. Leading the MLB in 2014 with 37 men caught stealing, is still showing that Martin has a good arm behind the plate.
2014 stats
Avg HR RBI’s FPCT CSB CS CS%
.290 11 67 .994 59 37 .385
#4) Yan Gomes (Cleveland Indians)
This guy came out in 2014 and showed he could be one of the top catchers in baseball. Having a breakout season for the Indians, made things easier for them, Knowing that they have a steady guy behind the plate and running the show, was a good feeling for the ball club. Having a career high in Homeruns (21) and RBI’s (74) in 2014 made him one of the elite catchers in 2014. The only downfall was that he led the American league in errors with 13, but that should improve over the years with experience. Expect him to come out and could be the new face of the Indians very soon.
2014 stats
Avg HR RBI’s FPCT CSB CS CS%
.278 21 72 .988 66 31 .319
#3) Yadier Molina (St. Louis Cardinals)
What can I say? This guy has just been a dominance defender over the past 7 seasons, Been selected to the All-Star game for 6 straight seasons and has 7 straight Gold Glove Awards. Yadier is the youngest of the Molina family, that are all catchers who have played in the big league, but for the ones who know baseball, Yadier has been the most successful one of them all. Only having 23 attempts against Molina last season was a season low for him. Most teams know that he has a cannon behind the plate and will throw you out from his knees, making it look like he’s not even trying to throw. If his hitting was a little better, I would guarantee that most writers and fans would think he is the best in the game.
2014 stats
Avg HR RBI’s FPCT CSB CS CS%
.282 7 38 .998 23 21 .477
#2) Brian McCann (New York Yankees)
Being a 7 time All-Star and having 5 Silver Slugger Awards under his belt, shows that the guy can clearly straight out hit the ball. Playing in his first full season with the Yankees in 2014 was a pretty solid year. The previous 9 seasons, he was with the Atlanta Braves. Had a very good career there. You can arguably say that 2014 was his best season behind the plate. Over the 9 seasons with the Braves, he wasn’t the best defender in the shed, “If you know what I mean”. The thing about McCann is that you can always depend on 20+ Homeruns and 70+ RBI’s.
2014 stats
Avg HR RBI’s FPCT CSB CS CS%
.232 23 75 .998 49 29 .371
#1) Buster Posey (San Francisco Giants)
Who can’t pick Posey as the number 1 catcher in baseball? He has a MVP under him and he hits for power and average. Plays good defense and is a all around stellar guy. Great in the locker room and a fan favorite in San Francisco and I would say, the face of the Program. He has never struckout more than 100 times in a season.
2014 stats
Avg HR RBI’s FPCT CSB CS CS%
.311 22 89 .994 59 25 .297
- There are three types of baseball players: Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen and those who wonder what happens. – Tommy Lasorda
