Post by Steve on Dec 13, 2013 12:35:09 GMT -5
With this article, I factor in production, talent ratings, contract, and age for the true outcome of their value…I weigh talent ratings along with age more, and this could be a good guide to see who truly the best valuable Catcher on the market is. Here we go:
Top 10 MLB Catchers
1. David Ross- SEA- Age 27- Who else could it be? Brilliant in hits, HRs, and Ks…good in walks. Ross is a stud. You can see where his career is heading…each year he has progressed from his rookie year to now his 3rd year. His OPS has climbed the past 3 seasons…778/.883/.964. His walk to K ratio has rapidly improved, too. A few negatives are that his PD reversal has been used…Nanz seems to not use it for the best. Sure, his defense could be better, but he’s by far the best hitter out of all of the Catchers.
2. Edwin Bellorin- CHI(N)- Age 22- One of the most complete Catchers in the game at this age…rarely do you see one have such big-time speed. He’s improved on his rookie year, but I think next year could be the coming out party for this youngster. Plays solid D, which is nice, and will be a very patience/picky leadoff type hitter. However, he can hit all over the lineup for Play (currently in the 3 spot) which gives him a ton of flexibility. His walk to K ratio will be outstanding once his development is complete. His PD reversal is still in tact, and can be IRId a few more times. I’d target his HRs potentially.
3. John Buck- COL- Age 24- Well, Shale has finally something to cheer about…a HR machine at the Catcher position! He’s got his PD reversal still left, which is always a nice thing. Buck will strikeout a lot, but I think Shale is going to love the production he gets from Buck. He easily could hit 40 HRs in Coors. Fantastic rookie year, and has already been named to an All Star team. Defense is a tad iffy…and Shale has already targeted that.
4. Gerald Laird- TOR- Age 24- Man, Game has such a stacked ball club! Laird is similar to Bellorin in the hitting aspect, but the huge difference is speed and defense. I think Game can easily fix the defensive problem by TIBing his range. Needs to be done in my opinion. He’s had a decent start to his career, but he’s been still developing. Once he develops, he’ll be a really nice, complete hitter for Game. He still has a few IRIs left for Game as well.
5. Victor “V-Mart” Martinez- CLE- Age 25- I love this Victor Martinez, fella. Great D…wait a minute, that doesn’t resemble real life! He’s got everything left in his disposal except a TIA, but D-Rowe could possibly make him into a stud. Who knows, though. His weakness will be drawing walks, but he’s solid everywhere, and can play some good D for his squad. He’s got the ability to play 1B/3B too, but I don’t think that will ever happen.
6. Thomas Rumble- SD- Age 30- His defense sucks, but he’s got a great power bat. One of the few Catchers with a Brilliant talent in HRs…He’s put up solid years in SD with an OPS hovering around .800 the past 2 seasons alone. Look at his Home/Road split, folks. He’s mashing on the road, so he’s a guy that maybe you could buy-low on off of Habes. Not likely, though. Aaron is a smart fella. He was a late bloomer that Habes traded for, and improved him with a TIA. A negative is his age, slightly…he still has 5 good years left.
7. Mike Sweeney- FLA- Age 31- Great talent…at least Good talent across the board. Still has his PD reversal in tact. I was debating between Fick and Sweeney here. If both guys were under 30 or on better contracts per se, then they would be a lot higher on this list. Such is life, though. Sweeney is a doubles machine, and on occasion will hit you 20 HRs…his D is decent. Florida has a young potential catcher in Corey Hart whom I like…Ashes has been trying to trade Sweeney for quite some time, so does that tell you the true value of Mr. Sweeney?
8. Robert Fick- MON- Age 30- I went Sweeney over Fick mainly because of the defense. Both are different hitters, but produce at a similar rate. Look at their career OPS? Fick’s is .825, meanwhile Sweeney’s is .816…crazy how close they are. I believe Kobe has been trying to move Fick as well, and I think that’s another telling sign on the true value of Mr. Fick. He’s a guy capable of hitting 30 HRs, but on average it seems will get you 25. Anyway, he’s a really productive player.
9. JD Closser- KC- Age 24- He’s one of the many young, up and comers for this KC squad. We’re getting to the point where a lot of the guys look very similar…tough decisions. This guy hasn’t been even touched yet. He can be a special talent if KC’s GM utilizes him. Needs improvement from his throwing arm, but that’s really the only glaring hole for this guy. He hasn’t done jack in the Majors, but in due time, he should be a really good player for KC.
10. Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz- NYM- Age 25- So many guys that are similar…Bowen and Bailey to name a few. I’ll go with Chooch here. The only thing that was used was his TIA…J-Mase has an opportunity to improve his range which would make him a really good, defensive catcher. Right now, Chooch has been abysmal since being called up, and so J-Mase needs to utilize some of the IRIs to improve his bat so he can finally start producing.
Honorable Mentions: Corey Hart (FLA/22), Jeff Bailey (TAM/25), Rob Bowen (CIN/23), Joe Mauer (DET/21), Ramon Hernandez (OAK/28) , Kelly Shoppach (ARI/24)
Top 3 Catching Prospects
1. Ryan Doumit- TAM- Age 23- He’s been sitting in AAA for 6 seasons…he’s essentially ready, but it seems like he has stalled in his development regarding his HRs. Huge issue, and it seems like that will take him some time to develop that. His D is solid, and I’d IRI his HRs right away just so he doesn’t potentially take a hit there. Tampa has a glut of C prospects.
2. Dane Sardinha- LAD- Age 25- He’s got everything available to him…TIA to his HRs, and he’s looking real solid. A negative is his age, but he should be a nice player for Dale…
3. Mike Napoli- KC- Age 22- He’s been PD reversed, so that’s why he’s behind Sardinha. Just another good Catcher for KC to have. They should probably part ways with one of them.
Bash away!
Top 10 MLB Catchers
1. David Ross- SEA- Age 27- Who else could it be? Brilliant in hits, HRs, and Ks…good in walks. Ross is a stud. You can see where his career is heading…each year he has progressed from his rookie year to now his 3rd year. His OPS has climbed the past 3 seasons…778/.883/.964. His walk to K ratio has rapidly improved, too. A few negatives are that his PD reversal has been used…Nanz seems to not use it for the best. Sure, his defense could be better, but he’s by far the best hitter out of all of the Catchers.
2. Edwin Bellorin- CHI(N)- Age 22- One of the most complete Catchers in the game at this age…rarely do you see one have such big-time speed. He’s improved on his rookie year, but I think next year could be the coming out party for this youngster. Plays solid D, which is nice, and will be a very patience/picky leadoff type hitter. However, he can hit all over the lineup for Play (currently in the 3 spot) which gives him a ton of flexibility. His walk to K ratio will be outstanding once his development is complete. His PD reversal is still in tact, and can be IRId a few more times. I’d target his HRs potentially.
3. John Buck- COL- Age 24- Well, Shale has finally something to cheer about…a HR machine at the Catcher position! He’s got his PD reversal still left, which is always a nice thing. Buck will strikeout a lot, but I think Shale is going to love the production he gets from Buck. He easily could hit 40 HRs in Coors. Fantastic rookie year, and has already been named to an All Star team. Defense is a tad iffy…and Shale has already targeted that.
4. Gerald Laird- TOR- Age 24- Man, Game has such a stacked ball club! Laird is similar to Bellorin in the hitting aspect, but the huge difference is speed and defense. I think Game can easily fix the defensive problem by TIBing his range. Needs to be done in my opinion. He’s had a decent start to his career, but he’s been still developing. Once he develops, he’ll be a really nice, complete hitter for Game. He still has a few IRIs left for Game as well.
5. Victor “V-Mart” Martinez- CLE- Age 25- I love this Victor Martinez, fella. Great D…wait a minute, that doesn’t resemble real life! He’s got everything left in his disposal except a TIA, but D-Rowe could possibly make him into a stud. Who knows, though. His weakness will be drawing walks, but he’s solid everywhere, and can play some good D for his squad. He’s got the ability to play 1B/3B too, but I don’t think that will ever happen.
6. Thomas Rumble- SD- Age 30- His defense sucks, but he’s got a great power bat. One of the few Catchers with a Brilliant talent in HRs…He’s put up solid years in SD with an OPS hovering around .800 the past 2 seasons alone. Look at his Home/Road split, folks. He’s mashing on the road, so he’s a guy that maybe you could buy-low on off of Habes. Not likely, though. Aaron is a smart fella. He was a late bloomer that Habes traded for, and improved him with a TIA. A negative is his age, slightly…he still has 5 good years left.
7. Mike Sweeney- FLA- Age 31- Great talent…at least Good talent across the board. Still has his PD reversal in tact. I was debating between Fick and Sweeney here. If both guys were under 30 or on better contracts per se, then they would be a lot higher on this list. Such is life, though. Sweeney is a doubles machine, and on occasion will hit you 20 HRs…his D is decent. Florida has a young potential catcher in Corey Hart whom I like…Ashes has been trying to trade Sweeney for quite some time, so does that tell you the true value of Mr. Sweeney?
8. Robert Fick- MON- Age 30- I went Sweeney over Fick mainly because of the defense. Both are different hitters, but produce at a similar rate. Look at their career OPS? Fick’s is .825, meanwhile Sweeney’s is .816…crazy how close they are. I believe Kobe has been trying to move Fick as well, and I think that’s another telling sign on the true value of Mr. Fick. He’s a guy capable of hitting 30 HRs, but on average it seems will get you 25. Anyway, he’s a really productive player.
9. JD Closser- KC- Age 24- He’s one of the many young, up and comers for this KC squad. We’re getting to the point where a lot of the guys look very similar…tough decisions. This guy hasn’t been even touched yet. He can be a special talent if KC’s GM utilizes him. Needs improvement from his throwing arm, but that’s really the only glaring hole for this guy. He hasn’t done jack in the Majors, but in due time, he should be a really good player for KC.
10. Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz- NYM- Age 25- So many guys that are similar…Bowen and Bailey to name a few. I’ll go with Chooch here. The only thing that was used was his TIA…J-Mase has an opportunity to improve his range which would make him a really good, defensive catcher. Right now, Chooch has been abysmal since being called up, and so J-Mase needs to utilize some of the IRIs to improve his bat so he can finally start producing.
Honorable Mentions: Corey Hart (FLA/22), Jeff Bailey (TAM/25), Rob Bowen (CIN/23), Joe Mauer (DET/21), Ramon Hernandez (OAK/28) , Kelly Shoppach (ARI/24)
Top 3 Catching Prospects
1. Ryan Doumit- TAM- Age 23- He’s been sitting in AAA for 6 seasons…he’s essentially ready, but it seems like he has stalled in his development regarding his HRs. Huge issue, and it seems like that will take him some time to develop that. His D is solid, and I’d IRI his HRs right away just so he doesn’t potentially take a hit there. Tampa has a glut of C prospects.
2. Dane Sardinha- LAD- Age 25- He’s got everything available to him…TIA to his HRs, and he’s looking real solid. A negative is his age, but he should be a nice player for Dale…
3. Mike Napoli- KC- Age 22- He’s been PD reversed, so that’s why he’s behind Sardinha. Just another good Catcher for KC to have. They should probably part ways with one of them.
Bash away!