Tag: Catchers

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Top Ten Catchers

The catcher is one of the most difficult positions on the baseball diamond. From calling games to framing pitches to throwing out runners, the defense is enough to wear out any player. In this article I will rank the top ten catchers based on the statistics and opinion.

10. David Ross

9. A.J. Pierzynski

8. Francisco Cervelli

7. Russell Martin

6. Brian McCann

5. Wilson Ramos

4. Jonathon Lucroy

3. Yadier Molina

2. Salvador Perez

1. Buster Posey

 

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Catching Success

          Catching Success

  An article about the toughest position on the baseball diamond

Out of all the positions on the baseball diamond, the catcher position is the hardest. They have to crouch behind the plate all day, get baseballs thrown at them to speeds up to 100 mph, taking foul balls of their hand, hit in the head with back swings, and to get an occasional collision while still coming up to bat 4 to 5 times a game. How do they do it? Take a look at Yadier Molina. He has one of the best arms for throwing at base runners. He can even throw out the base stealers even when his knees are on the ground. He snaps his wrist to get the runner out. Like other catchers, Yadier not only has to be prepared for base stealers but also for wild pitches. He is so good at his job that in 2014 he won the National League Platinum Glove for the best defensive player at any position. Through all this, Yadier Molina still comes through in the clutch for St. Louis Cardinals many times.

Buster Posey is another example of a great catcher. Buster is more on the offensive side than the defensive side. In 2012, Buster Posey won the National League Most Valuable Player award. That year, he batted a league leading .336 average, hit 24 home runs, and drove in 103 RBIs. Buster also won the 2010 Rookie of the Year award and multiple Silver Sluggers. Buster has helped the San Francisco Giants with his defensive skills, too. In 2013, Posey caught a no-hitter by Tim Lincecum against the San Diego Padres. Two years later, he caught Chris Heston’s no-hitter against the New York Mets. On top of that, he has caught 3 World Series titles in 5 years. A part of this is because he and Madison Bumgarner are a key battery pair.

Brian McCann of the New York Yankees is a good example of an all-around catcher. He handles the pitching staff well and he makes them feel comfortable so they can pitch good games. He throws out the average amount of base stealers and has tremendous power. Brian has more than 200 home runs although playing the roughest position on the baseball diamond. A specialty of Brian is his ability to block the split finger fastball. With Masahiro Tanaka and Nathan Evoaldi, he has to that a lot.

by Jacoby Nolnaho

Top Ten Best Catchers

The backstops have the roughest position on the baseball diamond. The gloved hand getting pounded all day with the ball and throwing with all their might to get the baserunner out. Don’t even get me started on the old collisions.  We now rank the top ten catchers.

  1. Carlos Ruiz

Being in the city of brotherly love, Carlos Ruiz has never left the Philles. In Philly, Carlos caught a perfect game and made multiple World Series appearances.

  1. Brian McCann

Picked up by the New York Yankees in the 2013 offseason, Brian did some surprising things. Taking advantage of the small left field wall, Brian socked 23 home runs. He also had a good percentage of thrown out base stealers.

  1. Carlos Santana

Alternating between first base and the catcher, Carlos has proved to be a great power hitter for the Cleveland Indians.

7. Kurt Suzuki

Kurt Suzuki is a really good catcher who plays for the Minnesota Twins. He took over for Joe Mauer once he moved to first base. Kurt did a good job as the backstop making the all-star team as the backup catcher for the American League.

  1. Matt Wieters

Matt Wieters had a great arm for throwing out baserunners until he was shut down by Tommy John Surgery. He made the all-star team as a starter only playing in 26 games in 2014.

5. Devin Mesoraco

Devin Mesoraco, the all-star catcher for the National League, led all of baseball for home runs by a catcher. Devin socked 25 of them. Devin also caught the famous Johnny Cueto and Aroldis Chapman.

  1. Russell Martin

Russell Martin is one of the best catchers in the game. He won a Wilson Defensive Player of the Year award for backstops in 2014. In 2014, Russell had monster on base percentage with the Pirates. He also hit 11 home runs in 111 games. It was no surprise when the Blue Jays signed Russell Martin in the offseason for 3 years.

3. Salvador Perez

Salvador Perez had a great breakout year in 2014. Salvador already had a Gold Glove under his belt to start the 2014 season. By the end of the season, Sal had two. Salvador Perez had 17 home runs also in 2014. He would be the all-star starting catcher due to Matt Wieters injury. Salvador Perez helped lead the Kansas City Royals to their first World Series appearance in 29 years.

  1. Buster Posey

Buster Posey is the heart and soul of the San Francisco Giants. He is also the face of the franchise. Back in 2011, he had a monster collision which left him with a broken leg, a broken ankle, and a concussion. Besides that tragic collision, Buster Posey helped lead the Giants to three World Series in five years. He won the Rookie of the Year award for the National League in 2010 and also won the 2012 NL MVP award, too.

All these catchers are great but aren’t great enough than number one. This catcher has a great glove and an even better arm. The number one catcher in all of baseball is…

  1. Yadier Molina

Yadier Molina is the best catcher in Major League Baseball. Yadier has 7 Gold Glove awards in his trophy room. One of those Gold Gloves came in 2014. Also in 2014, Yadier Molina won the Platinum Award. The Platinum Glove is awarded to the best defender of all the positions. Yadi’s best season came in 2012 where he hit 22 home runs. People said that is going in history as one of the best hitting catcher seasons. On top of that, Yadi has a pair of World Series rings. Yadi has a really good shot of going into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.