Tweet
Ultimately, you always want a stud. You want the Joe Mauer, you want the Brian McCann, the Victor Martinez, the Carlos Santana, ect ect.
That's easier said than done. Hell, finding an efficient catcher alone is hard. I feel a platoon is the next best thing to do at C, especially considering that they need off days often anyway.
Finding a right handed catcher to hit lefties is very, very easy due to the fact you need to throw right handed behind the plate. The left handed counter part is a hell of a lot harder though. A total of 95 players have suited up at C so far this season. 12 have been left handed, 14 switch hitter. The rest, all right handed. The numbers were similar last season: 100 players, 11 lefties, 15 switch hitters.
They're rare. But when you find a good one, like Johnny Bake, you're able to exploit their strengths and hide their weaknesses. We need to find another one. So, who's out there? Here are the top 5 catchers that I believe are realistically available that I think the Marlins should look into (Age is age for next season):
Brian Jeroloman, Toronto
26yo, Left Handed, Rule V eligible
Not much was considered of Jeroloman heading into the season. While considered a very good receiver (He's been ranked Toronto's best defensive catcher by Baseball America), he put up just a .646 OPS and went undrafted in the Rule V after being left unprotected. He's up for his second going around in the draft, and this time things could be very different.
Jeroloman had a massive power break out season, and at 25 years old it isn't too surprising. He posted an ISO of .174; his previous high was .117 in 2008. Now, it is a small sample size, and his power likely isn't that good. But there certainly is an increase, and he'd finish the season with a slash line of .280/.467/.451/.918 against right handers.
Yes, you read that OBP right. Jeroloman's main strength on offense is his massive walk rate. For his career, he's sitting at 18.1%; last season, it rose all the way to 22.2%.
Unfortunately, his walk rates weren't the only thing to rise. His K% rose all the way to 29% (Think Mike Stanton level), though for his career it's a less obscene 22%.
He likely will not have the power to be able to produce with those kind of BB/K numbers like Jack Cust and Adam Dunn have, but we're talking about a good defensive catcher here. If he can give us a good OBP against righties while being a plus behind the dish, there isn't too much to complain about.
Would Toronto trade him? I don't see why not, as they recently called up J.P. Arencibia to be their catcher of the future. And since he's Rule V eligible, he could come very, very cheap.
Landon Powell, Oakland
29yo, Switch Hitter, On 40 man roster, unsure option status
Powell was once considered one of the top catching prospects in the game. He had good power, a penchant for both walks and strike outs, and good defense with a strong arm behind the plate.
But injuries stalled his career. In his seven years as a profesional, he's played in only 385 total games (or average of 55 a year). Needing two knee surgeries, his defense has taken a step back even though he still has a powerful arm.
So far, his major league numbers have left a lot to be desired. Still, he's put up a .720 OPS against righties, and there's room to believe for growth. And with his still-good defense, you can't complain about that kind of production from a catcher making the minimum.
Would Oakland trade him? Powell obviously plays second fiddle to Kurt Suzuki, and Suzuki is signed through 2014. He should be able to be had.
Bryan Anderson, St. Louis
24yo, Left Handed, on 40 man roster and has used one option.
The former top prospect saw his value plummet after a horrendous AAA in 2009. But he's bounced back in 2010 and is back on the radar screens. His offensive skills across the board (Walks, Strikeouts, BABIP) are average, outside of power which has been poor. His prospect status has continually hinged on his power numbers being so low due to his age relative to league, and it'd grow as he got older. 2010 would be when that finally came to fruition, as he posted a .178 ISO for Memphis. But it's also the PCL, so take that for what it's worth.
He also isn't a plus defender, but he's good enough to stay behind the dish.
Would St. Louis trade him? Even though Yadier Molina offense took a step back this year, he's still one of the most valuable catchers because of his defense. But he's also only signed for two more years, with '12 being a club option. Anderson still has two options remaining, so the Red Birds could keep Anderson down in AAA, and then hand him the starting rings when Molina is gone. Or they view Molina as a long term option, and plan to re-sign him before his contract expires. Depending on which they view as the true catcher of the future depends on just how easily the Marlins could pry Anderson away.
Jose Lobaton, Tampa
26yo, Switch hitter, On 40 man roster and has used two options.
Lobaton is known more for his defense (Baseball America rated him the best defensive catcher in the Padres system for several years), and his career .739 OPS leaves a lot to be desired. He strikes out at an above average rate, but does make up for it with walks for a solid BB/K ratio with ok power as well (.146 ISO).
He also shows a very strong split. Since 2005, he has a .261/.348/.415/.763 slash line against righties while just .243/.334/.346/.680 against lefties. We are dealing with a small sample size, but that's a pretty big drop in power when he faces left handers.
Still, his offense likely would be a negative. But he just needs to hit enough against righties to justify his defense.
Would TB give him up? TB has implemented their own platoon, with John Jaso and Kelly Shoppach likely to reprise their roles next year. They currently have Dioner Navarro as their third string catcher, but are probably going to non-tender him next year, moving Lobaton up the depth chart. Still, we're talking about a third string catcher here.
George Kottaras, Milwaukee
28yo, Left Handed, On 40 Man roster, Out of options
Kottaras is another former well-thought of catching prospect who seemed to flame out. But he's bounced back this year for the Brewers, putting up a .731 OPS even though he has a .209 BABIP. He walks a lot, he strikes out a lot, and he hits the ball hard a lot.
However, he's also probably worse than John Baker defensively, and has only thrown out 16% would-be base stealers in his career. He needs to put up gaudy offensive numbers to negate his defense. But he certainly has the potential to do just that.
Would MIL trade him? Jonathan Lucroy was considered one of the top catching prospects, and has gotten the bulk of playing time since being called up. The Brewers also have Angel Salome in the minors, but, well, it's hard to say anything about his future right now.
Read five, get one free:
Josh Thole - The key is to look at who's blocked, and there's no one blocking Thole. But this is also the Mets we're talking about, so who knows in what direction they'll go. If he's made available, the Marlins should jump on him.
That's easier said than done. Hell, finding an efficient catcher alone is hard. I feel a platoon is the next best thing to do at C, especially considering that they need off days often anyway.
Finding a right handed catcher to hit lefties is very, very easy due to the fact you need to throw right handed behind the plate. The left handed counter part is a hell of a lot harder though. A total of 95 players have suited up at C so far this season. 12 have been left handed, 14 switch hitter. The rest, all right handed. The numbers were similar last season: 100 players, 11 lefties, 15 switch hitters.
They're rare. But when you find a good one, like Johnny Bake, you're able to exploit their strengths and hide their weaknesses. We need to find another one. So, who's out there? Here are the top 5 catchers that I believe are realistically available that I think the Marlins should look into (Age is age for next season):
Brian Jeroloman, Toronto
26yo, Left Handed, Rule V eligible
Not much was considered of Jeroloman heading into the season. While considered a very good receiver (He's been ranked Toronto's best defensive catcher by Baseball America), he put up just a .646 OPS and went undrafted in the Rule V after being left unprotected. He's up for his second going around in the draft, and this time things could be very different.
Jeroloman had a massive power break out season, and at 25 years old it isn't too surprising. He posted an ISO of .174; his previous high was .117 in 2008. Now, it is a small sample size, and his power likely isn't that good. But there certainly is an increase, and he'd finish the season with a slash line of .280/.467/.451/.918 against right handers.
Yes, you read that OBP right. Jeroloman's main strength on offense is his massive walk rate. For his career, he's sitting at 18.1%; last season, it rose all the way to 22.2%.
Unfortunately, his walk rates weren't the only thing to rise. His K% rose all the way to 29% (Think Mike Stanton level), though for his career it's a less obscene 22%.
He likely will not have the power to be able to produce with those kind of BB/K numbers like Jack Cust and Adam Dunn have, but we're talking about a good defensive catcher here. If he can give us a good OBP against righties while being a plus behind the dish, there isn't too much to complain about.
Would Toronto trade him? I don't see why not, as they recently called up J.P. Arencibia to be their catcher of the future. And since he's Rule V eligible, he could come very, very cheap.
Landon Powell, Oakland
29yo, Switch Hitter, On 40 man roster, unsure option status
Powell was once considered one of the top catching prospects in the game. He had good power, a penchant for both walks and strike outs, and good defense with a strong arm behind the plate.
But injuries stalled his career. In his seven years as a profesional, he's played in only 385 total games (or average of 55 a year). Needing two knee surgeries, his defense has taken a step back even though he still has a powerful arm.
So far, his major league numbers have left a lot to be desired. Still, he's put up a .720 OPS against righties, and there's room to believe for growth. And with his still-good defense, you can't complain about that kind of production from a catcher making the minimum.
Would Oakland trade him? Powell obviously plays second fiddle to Kurt Suzuki, and Suzuki is signed through 2014. He should be able to be had.
Bryan Anderson, St. Louis
24yo, Left Handed, on 40 man roster and has used one option.
The former top prospect saw his value plummet after a horrendous AAA in 2009. But he's bounced back in 2010 and is back on the radar screens. His offensive skills across the board (Walks, Strikeouts, BABIP) are average, outside of power which has been poor. His prospect status has continually hinged on his power numbers being so low due to his age relative to league, and it'd grow as he got older. 2010 would be when that finally came to fruition, as he posted a .178 ISO for Memphis. But it's also the PCL, so take that for what it's worth.
He also isn't a plus defender, but he's good enough to stay behind the dish.
Would St. Louis trade him? Even though Yadier Molina offense took a step back this year, he's still one of the most valuable catchers because of his defense. But he's also only signed for two more years, with '12 being a club option. Anderson still has two options remaining, so the Red Birds could keep Anderson down in AAA, and then hand him the starting rings when Molina is gone. Or they view Molina as a long term option, and plan to re-sign him before his contract expires. Depending on which they view as the true catcher of the future depends on just how easily the Marlins could pry Anderson away.
Jose Lobaton, Tampa
26yo, Switch hitter, On 40 man roster and has used two options.
Lobaton is known more for his defense (Baseball America rated him the best defensive catcher in the Padres system for several years), and his career .739 OPS leaves a lot to be desired. He strikes out at an above average rate, but does make up for it with walks for a solid BB/K ratio with ok power as well (.146 ISO).
He also shows a very strong split. Since 2005, he has a .261/.348/.415/.763 slash line against righties while just .243/.334/.346/.680 against lefties. We are dealing with a small sample size, but that's a pretty big drop in power when he faces left handers.
Still, his offense likely would be a negative. But he just needs to hit enough against righties to justify his defense.
Would TB give him up? TB has implemented their own platoon, with John Jaso and Kelly Shoppach likely to reprise their roles next year. They currently have Dioner Navarro as their third string catcher, but are probably going to non-tender him next year, moving Lobaton up the depth chart. Still, we're talking about a third string catcher here.
George Kottaras, Milwaukee
28yo, Left Handed, On 40 Man roster, Out of options
Kottaras is another former well-thought of catching prospect who seemed to flame out. But he's bounced back this year for the Brewers, putting up a .731 OPS even though he has a .209 BABIP. He walks a lot, he strikes out a lot, and he hits the ball hard a lot.
However, he's also probably worse than John Baker defensively, and has only thrown out 16% would-be base stealers in his career. He needs to put up gaudy offensive numbers to negate his defense. But he certainly has the potential to do just that.
Would MIL trade him? Jonathan Lucroy was considered one of the top catching prospects, and has gotten the bulk of playing time since being called up. The Brewers also have Angel Salome in the minors, but, well, it's hard to say anything about his future right now.
Read five, get one free:
Josh Thole - The key is to look at who's blocked, and there's no one blocking Thole. But this is also the Mets we're talking about, so who knows in what direction they'll go. If he's made available, the Marlins should jump on him.
Comment