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Olneys Top Ten MLB Catchers
With that, we finish up our positional rankings series by ranking Perez and others among baseball's top 10 catchers, based on input from evaluators and players:
1. Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
Buster PoseyThe Giants would love to see him catch 100 to 110 games next season and play even more at first base, as they gradually transition him from behind the plate and keep his bat in the lineup. Posey hit .318 last year and drove in 95 runs despite the fact that San Francisco was beset by key injuries, including ones to Hunter Pence, Joe Panik and Angel Pagan. Posey also has become extremely adept at framing pitches, the details of which are posted on Statcorner.com; Posey ranked fourth in the majors at presentation, according to these metrics.
2. Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
Yadier MolinaScouts say there is some erosion in his skills, especially in his ability to block pitches in the dirt, and going into 2016, there are questions among rival evaluators about how much longer he can hold up under the incredible workload he fights to maintain. He has had eight seasons in the past decade in which he has played at least 124 games, and he needs only 64 games to reach 1,500 in his career. Only 30 catchers in the history of baseball have caught 1,500 MLB games, and if he catches 200 games over the next two seasons, he'll move into the top 20 of all time.
Molina has such value to the pitching staff and the coaching staff thanks to his preparation, knowledge and in-game calls that it's easy to overstate the importance of any current deficiencies. And he still shuts down running games: Last year, he allowed only 37 steals in 63 attempts.
3. Russell Martin, Toronto Blue Jays
Russell MartinMartin has played 10 seasons in the big leagues and has reached the playoffs in eight of those years -- remarkably for four different teams. Martin hit for more power last season, and he set a new career high in homers (23), although his on-base percentage slid 73 points, to .329. The Blue Jays felt that Martin had a significant impact on their clubhouse culture and their pitching staff as they reached the playoffs for the first time in 22 years, and he continues to throw the ball well.
By the way, Martin is approaching some benchmarks as well. He has 1,238 games caught, and sometime next season he'll likely pass Thurman Munson (1,278), and Bengie Molina (1,285).
4. Francisco Cervelli, Pittsburgh Pirates
Francisco CervelliHe's probably one of the most underrated players in MLB now, given how well he played -- without much notice -- in his first full season as a starter. Cervelli hit .295 with a .370 on-base percentage in 130 games (510 plate appearances) and had the best pitch-framing numbers of any catcher. The Pirates were thrilled with his energy and his preparation, and how invested he was in the pitching staff.
5. Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals
Salvador PerezThe 25-year-old catcher has improved his home run total in each of the past four seasons, and he mashed 21 in 2015. That's the offense. As for the defense, he has won three consecutive Gold Glove Awards. Some evaluators believe he does have some work to do in some of the finer points of catching -- game-calling, framing pitches, etc. -- but they respect him for the energy he carries onto the field daily.
6. Jonathan Lucroy, Milwaukee Brewers
Jonathan LucroyThe Brewers have started down what looks to be an extensive period of rebuilding, and it would seem to make sense for them to take advantage of Lucroy's trade value now, because he's 29 years old and Milwaukee would get a whole lot in return for a catcher who had 53 doubles among 173 hits in 2014. But Lucroy is perhaps the Brewers' best and most popular player, and other teams don't sense that Milwaukee is really prepared to move him. Injuries limited Lucroy to 103 games and a .717 OPS in 2015.
7. Yan Gomes, Cleveland Indians
Yan GomesHe got hurt early in the 2015 season, and it was as if he and the Indians spent the rest of the season digging out of that early setback. Gomes hit .231 for the season, almost 50 points lower than in 2014, but his work is still highly regarded in the industry, and the expectation among some evaluators is that he'll bounce back. Keep in mind the 28-year-old Gomes has caught only 311 games in the big leagues.
8. Yasmani Grandal, Los Angeles Dodgers
Yasmani GrandalThe best of the Dodgers' trades last winter was the deal they made for Grandal, eating a lot of Matt Kemp's contract in moving him to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Grandal in a five-player trade. After a strong first half, Grandal hit just .162, with a .498 OPS, in the second half, but he maintained his reputation as one of the best at presenting pitches to umpires: He ranked third among all catchers in this skill, according to Statcorner.com.
9. Brian McCann, New York Yankees
Brian McCannMcCann seemed more comfortable in his second year with the Yankees, improving his OPS from .692 to .757 and hitting 26 homers -- including the 200th of his career. McCann has a lot of respect from the team's pitching and coaching staffs for his diligent work behind the plate and the preparation he puts into each game. McCann, who turns 32 in February, also has eight straight seasons of at least 20 homers.
10. Devin Mesoraco, Cincinnati Reds
Devin MesoracoDue to a hip problem that eventually required surgery, Mesoraco was limited to only 23 games in 2015, and only six as a catcher. But he showed such promise in 2014, with 25 homers, that he still is well regarded among evaluators. His injury, a left hip impingement, is not common among catchers his age (27), and rival evaluators believe he must demonstrate again that he can handle the rigors of the position over a full season.
Toughest guys to leave off: Oakland's Stephen Vogt had an outstanding start last season, hitting .300 through the end of June and making the AL All-Star team. But the 31-year-old battled injuries and slumped down the stretch, finishing with a .261/.341/.443 line. Vogt started 89 games at catcher last season and had another 20 starts at first base, as well as 22 at-bats as a DH. … And finally, it was tough not to include the Cubs' Miguel Montero and Detroit's James McCann, who greatly impressed the Tigers' coaching staff.
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