Hi kay SO I was reallllly excited to write this one. Not sure why tbh. I think its because its something different. Im going to rank the starting catchers in MLB as of today, May 12th, 2018. I say this because there are a couple of people on the DL. Those who are will NOT be included. This is also not going to be based off of JUST fantasy baseball stats (though, I will admit, they’re a big part of it). You can look that up anywhere. Lets try and keep in mind that this is my opinion (though Im happy to listen to yours! You can DM on Instagram or Twitter). Alright, lets do this :
30. Chance Sisco/Caleb Joseph (Orioles): Yikes. Thats really all one could say here. I mean thats really what one would say about the Orioles’ entire season. And their future, given the amount of free agents they have looming. These two certainly dont help. Cisco, a 2nd round pick in 2013, is hitting .206 in 10 games. Joseph, a 4 year vet, known as mostly a backup, is hitting .174 in 22 games. The hole that Matt Weiters left when he went to Not-the Yankees is a biggie. Especially since Baltimore is ranked 28th in pitching, with a 5.17 team ERA. 29. *Manny Pina/ Jett Bandy (Brewers): The asterisk tells the story. Poor Stephen Vogt may be done altogether with a shoulder injury, so you cant blame the Brew crew for this one. Still, Manny Pina is hitting .173 in 23 games played while Bandy, a 31st round pick, is hitting .196 in 19 games. Milwaukee is actually 4th in the league in pitching, with a team ERA of 3.40 and a BAA of .229. So they get to beat the O's...yay. 28. *Francisco Pena (Cardinals): Alright I know, I know. This one isn’t even fair considering Yadi was JUST placed on the DL on Monday. Still, I told you the stipulations. The man is hitting .125 and the Cards were swept in a quick 2 game set out in Minnesota. They did win a nice 2-1 ballgame Thursday night, but it was against the Pads. So no silver lining for you, sorry Cisco. 27. Jason Castro (Twins): Speaking of those Twins, heres Jason Castro. The first starter that should actually be on this last by himself, Castro has had a tough go around the last few years. After leaving Houston in 16’, he hit .243 for the Twins, in 17’, in a lineup that carried them to a Wild Card Spot. For this season so far, he’s hitting .178 for a team that is decimated by injuries. The team is 3 games under .500, which is somehow good for 2nd place in a disgusting AL Central. 26. *AJ Ellis (Padres): Yes, another entry that shouldn’t be here. But truthfully, Austin Hedges has been one of the major disappointments in the MLB season so far, atleast in my mind. With him going to the DL, its really just the tip of the iceberg. As for Ellis, he’s always been a mediocre defensive catcher at best, and a bottom feeder offensively. While he’s hitting a strong .278 so far, he has no homers and just 1 RBI. You’re getting exactly what you would think you would with him, really. San Diego is ranked 19th in overall pitching, which actually isn’t too bad considering they’re in (arguably) the toughest division in baseball. But most of that can be credited to Hedges. 25. Jorge Alfaro (Phillies): A poster child for today’s MLB player, Alfaro is hitting .212 with 4 HRs and 9RBIs. He has 41Ks in 85 ABs. Though he’s only 23, not sure what the ceiling is here. But hey, the Phils are a 1/2 game out of first to the….Braves?!? 24. *Pedro Severino (Nationals): Well, we mentioned that hole that Matt Weiters left in Baltimore. Not much of a hole left in DC. Still Severino is a legitimate downgrade. The Nats have been one of the biggest disappointments of the year. They may be 8th in overall pitching, but think of that a bit for a second. If you’re outside the top third of teams in pitching after having Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, you’re doing something wrong. Their bullpen is a mess…again. Severino is hitting .267 so far, so he gets to beat out a couple of guys on this list. Congrats. 23. Robinson Cherinos (Rangers): How far does 6 Homers take you on this list? This far. Thats really all Robinson Cherinos has going for him. He’s catching for a TERRIBLE Texas Rangers team. One that ranks 26th in overall pitching. Mind you, he hasn’t been given much to deal with, though there are a couple of arms in the pen that have disappointed. He’s also hitting .186, so the 6 homers become meaningless pretty quickly. 22. Tucker Barnhart (Reds): I put Tucker Barnhart’s name here begrudgingly. The guy is starting to turn it on, hitting .421 over the last week. He’s been dealt a bad hand playing in Cincy, but he still has a lot to prove. If I do a Part 2 of this list in September or something, I look forward to moving him up the list! 21. Mike Zunino (Mariners): Though he did start the year on the DL, Zunino is hitting .162 for the 23rd ranked pitching staff in the majors. Look, you cant go all in with the Angels and Astros ahead of you and perform like this. But thats really Mike Zunino’s MO, being a career .208 hitter on a team that just cant seem to take that leap forward. 20. Alex Avila/Jeff Mathis/John Ryan Murphy (Dbacks): I dont watch too much Dbacks baseball but Im pleasantly surprised with the 3 of them. Alex Avila gets the majority of the placement behind the plate. And though his fantasy baseball numbers aren’t pretty, the Dbacks are 2nd in pitching overall, having a phenomenal year so far. This is especially true with them missing Taijuan Walker, Kris Medlen, and Shelby Miller. Robbie Ray, though now starting to turn, started out great. Matt Koch, Zach Godley have been fun. And then of course theres Patrick Corbin and Zack Greinke. So far so good in the desert, and these three are partially to blame. Still, these guys cant really hit, so they have to be low on this list. 19. Martin Maldonado (Angels): Even without solid fantasy stats, Maldonado has done a terrific job with the Angels’ pitching staff. Garrett Richards, Ohtani, and even Tyler Skaggs, who (finally) doesn’t suck. Also, theres only 1 of him. 18. Devin Mesoraco (Mets): The Mets’ historic collapse this season, after going 11-1 to start the year, is not Mesoraco’s fault by any means. After all, he was just acquired 3 days ago. So this is purely based on his .196 average, his fall from stardom in Cincy, and the lack of confidence I have in him moving forward. Looks like he’ll have his hands full though, enough where he can prove me wrong. 17. Chris Iannetta (Rockies); A 12 year vet now, Iannetta is actually a .231 career hitter, so being this low isn’t a shock. The Rockies have played well, especially with that lovely bullpen of theirs. With that said, they’re ranked 20th in overall pitching, with a 4.27 ERA. Some (a little bit) of that blame has to be put on Iannetta, Pair that with his current .217 average and you have someone low on the totem pole. 16. Wellington Castillo (White Sox): A .250 hitter with only 6 RBI’s. The White Sox have a lot of promise in the future, but the future is clearly not here yet. Their Starting Pitchers is some kind of terrible. Somehow, they’re not dead last (29th). Castillo has had a decent career, but its not showing here. 5. Christian Vazquez (Red Sox): If this were based on stats only, I think Vazquez would be dead last. Yes, even behind Baltimore. But Boston currently holds the best record in baseball. The pitching staff, for the most part at least, has been solid. And Vazquez is a top prospect, the Gary Sanchez before Gary Sanchez. So maybe part of this is fueled by potential, so what? 14. Russell Martin (Blue Jays): The Veteran version of Christian Vazquez, Martin is hitting just .151, but the Jays have been a pleasant surprise this season. That is of course knowing that their pitching staff is ranked 22nd, with disappointments from the now injured Marcus Stroman, JA Happ, and Marco Estrada. The 5 homers certainly help. Really, the fact that Russell Martin is still catching period helps. 13. Wilson Contreras (Cubs): The Cubbies have one of the better pitching staffs in baseball, and have show it so far. But Contreras is only hitting .246, not contributing much to the teams run production. 12. James McCann (Tigers): Cant knock a guy hitting .278 on a team that many people thought would lose 100+ games (and still might). Still, the Tigers are actually close to the middle of the league in pitching overall (17th), and are (only…lol) 6 games under .500. 11. Brian McCann/Evan Gattis/Max Stassi (Astros): Okay so they all play okay for a team with the top ranked pitching staff. Gattis is hitting under .200, but thats who he is really. Him and McCann are vets, so you cant place them much lower on this list. But their numbers aren’t THAT much of a contribution to the ’Stros offense, so you cant put them much higher either. 10. Yan Gomes (Indians): Yan Gomes really shouldn’t be this high on the list, but here we are. He’s still a solid catcher, though Cleveland (despite its 1st place spot) has been a bit disappointing this year. For a team stacked with pitching, they’re at #14 overall right now. Gomes is also hitting just .244. Once top prospect Francisco Meija comes up, Yan Gomes will be a thing of the past, like MC Hammer or pogs , #90s 9. Kurt Suzuki (Braves): Suzuki is a vet, having spent time in Oakland, Washington, and Minnesota over the last 11 years. At 34, he’s hitting .286 with 5 homers. The fun Atlanta Braves are within the top 10 in pitching, with a team ERA of 3.54. Not bad, right? 8. Salvador Perez (Royals): Salvy is not to blame for the league’s worst pitching staff. After all, every starting pitcher has an ERA over 4.50. Danny Duffy has been a huge disappointment. Though Jakob Junis has been a nice surprise, he's starting to cool off. There was a period where Salvy was the best in the league without question. But a few dudes have jumped over him. He still holds a solid .279 average and drives in runs here and there. 7. JT Realamuto (Marlins): The star of the Marlins now…I guess, Realamuto is hitting over .300. You cant blame him for the NL’s worst pitching staff. Its for this reason I cant move him too far down I mean, do you see who is on that team?!?! Not to mention, he’ll be traded before you know it. 6. Buster Posey (Giants): Once the best in the league by far, Posey is now just the new Joe Mauer. He will make you think a bit for Hall of Fame consideration as he gets older. Right now he’s hitting over .300, but thats more because he’s been heating up the last couple of weeks. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still a pretty solid catcher, but look for him further down (or I guess in this case up) this list in a few years. He doesnt catch nearly as much anymore. The Giants are better, in at an even 19-19 heading into Friday night. Their pitching is at #15, and thats without MadBum (and with Jeff Samardzija). Maybe they’re not as bad as last year, but not too many teams can be 2017 Giants- bad. 5. Wilson Ramos (Rays): A 9 year vet, Ramos is hitting .313 and has a young pitching staff that just barely cracks the top half of MLB’s pitching staffs. He’s driven in 18 runs. You cant ask much more of him, but that doesnt mean he beats the top dogs on this list. 4. Jonathan Lucroy (A’s): Much like I did with Mesoraco, Jonathan Lucroy is this high based off his talent. He’s putting together an okay season for Oakland at best. He certainly called a great game for Sean Manaea, and he’s hitting .289. But nothing worth getting too excited about. Plus, as you can tell by this list, he’s still far more talented than a lot of dudes. 3. Yasmani Grandal (Dodgers): Grandal is 2nd in the league in RBIs amongst catchers and is hitting .274. But man the Dodgers are clearly exhausted from their long postseason run last season. Not sure thats much of Grandal’s fault, but he has to share at least a little blame. Still, the Dodgers are still pretty damn good, and they’ll make their comeback soon enough. 2. Francisco Cervelli (Pirates): Francisco Cervelli is a perfect example as to why I hate baseball writers. He’s never been a flashy, fun pick for someone to love. He’s gritty and doesnt do anything to crazy. So writers tend to ignore him. Well, I’m here to tell you to stop! Cervy is the most underrated catcher in the game, one of the most underrated players in the game. Being 3rd in RBIs amongst catchers and hitting over .300 is amazing! More importantly, the Pirates are just a game out of first place right now. Raise your hand if you predicted that one. 1. Gary Sanchez (Yankees): Yeah, this one is a no brainer. Actually I tried to put him further down the list. After all, he’s only hitting .202 and he’s still not perfect behind the plate. And Sonny Gray is a mess and cant catch with him yet. But he continues to get better. He tops catchers in power numbers, and he’s catching for (arguably) the best team in the league, whose pitching is 7th overall, even with a messy Sonny Gray. Grizzled vet CC Sabathia looks amazing so far, as does the youngin' Luis Severino. Hey, isn’t this the point of the list???? That it for now, ciao baby ~Me~
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