Ranking the NL East: Catchers

Sep 25, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals catcher

(40) hits a single in game two of a doubleheader against the New York Mets at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: H.Darr Beiser-USA TODAY Sports

While the catchers in the NL East don’t boast the offensive pedigree of those in the Central division, there are still quite a few excellent backstops with the potential to put up some extremely impressive numbers. No, the Washington Nationals Wilson Ramos and Philadelpia Phillies’ Carlos Ruiz won’t suddenly morph into wRC+ monsters like Jonathan Lucroy and Devin Mesoraco did last season, but the group is solid as a whole. If a few players can avoid injuries (speaking to you Ramos and Travis d’Arnaud) the group could be every bit as good as the men calling the game in the Central.

Overall, Ruiz is the elder statesmen in this group, playing his 2015 season at the hair graying age of 36. Jarrod Saltalamacchia is the only other regular here entering his 30s. For as long as he’s been in the league, Ramos won’t turn 28 until August (making ’15 his age 27 season) and is only two years older than d’Arnaud, the much hyped Mets backstop that struggled early last season, but showed real promise by season’s end.

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Additionally, the Braves traded away Evan Gattis to the Houston Astros this offseason to make room for the rookie Christian Bethancourt. Bethancourt is all of 23-years old, boasts youthful athleticism and a powerful throwing arm. Plus, he gives Braves fans hope in a season otherwise projected as a rebuilding year.

With the throat clearing out of the way, let’s take a look at the NL East catchers as seen through the eyes of a less than impartial observer.

Next: Number Five?

Sep 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher

(25) tags out Philadelphia Phillies catcher

(21) at home during the fifth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

# 5 – Christian Bethancourt (Atlanta Braves)

The Braves top catcher from last season, Evan Gattis, was traded this offseason to the Astros for prospects. In 2015, the team will transition to a 23-year old named Christian Bethancourt as their primary backstop. Bethancourt has played a total of 31 Major League games, but scouting reports discuss the Braves’ catcher as athletic, a plus defender, and an elite arm behind the plate. His hitting tools aren’t on par with his receiving ones, but he projects as a .240 hitter with 10-15 home runs per season.

Since the early aughts, the Braves have had an embarrassment of riches at the most demanding position on the field. They have been able to pencil in All-Stars such as Javy Lopez, Johnny Estrada, and Brian McCann. Plus, they were able to watch Gattis crush baseballs and become something of a media darling last season. Forgive them a year to see what they have in a rookie as the team takes a step back to make a run for the NL East in 2016.

Fangraphs’ Steamer projects Bethancourt to hit .238/.274/.274 with nine home runs while playing stellar defense. In fact, if the projections were to hold (defensive metrics are difficult to assess at best, but we’re going with them for argument’s sake) Bethancourt’s rating of 8.5 would have placed him sixth in the National League for 2014.

The Braves also brought in some veteran catchers during this offseason. If Bethancourt were to struggle, Atlanta also has A.J. Pierzynski and the recently signed John Buck to compete for playing time.

Next: Number Four?

Sep 7, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins catcher

(39) hits a RBI single in the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Marlins Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

# 4 – Jarrod Saltalamacchia (Miami Marlins)

Saltalamacchia turns 30 this season, but for the most part it’s a young 30 since he’s played only 709 big league games. There’s little fear that he’ll suddenly turn old and stop hitting. He’ll be a solid catcher and most likely give the Marlins solid defense behind the plate while hitting around .230 with 10-15 home runs. Those are great numbers for a catcher. I don’t think the player from 2013 is coming back, the one who hit .273/.338/.466 or from 2012 when he hit 25 home runs. In both of those seasons, he was in the American League, playing for the Red Sox.

Last season Saltalamacchia spent 16 games on the disabled list with a concussion suffered as the result of a foul tip. Prior to the concussion, Saltalamacchia was hitting .237/.335/.404. In the 66 games after returning from that concussion he hit just .207/.308/.332 while his BABIP played relatively constant. He just struck out a lot more.

Over the years, there have been noted cases of players dealing with lingering concussion issues, notably Justin Morneau and Jason Bay, which often lead to bouts of dizziness and difficulty with vision. Another problem Saltalamacchia might have had is adjusting to the Miami summers after spending his previous four seasons in Boston. Never mind the fact he spent time prior to those stops with the Texas Rangers.

Steamer projects him out to .220/.320/.362 with 11 home runs and middle of the road defense. I’ll go with something along those lines for his 2015 season.

Next: Number Three?

Aug 16, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals catcher

(40) hits a walk off RBI double against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth at Nationals Park. The Nationals won 4-3. Mandatory Credit:

-USA TODAY Sports

# 3 – Wilson Ramos (Washington Nationals)

It’s a shame that a 27-year old with Ramos’ ability is sitting third on this list. Nevertheless, here we are and it’s strictly because he can’t stay healthy. Over the years, he’s missed time because of knee surgery (missing nearly the entire 2012 season), hamstring issues, as well as wrist and thigh issues. Since 2011, he’s missed 239 games due to injury while playing in just 326. Ugh. Last season, he couldn’t even wait until after the first game of the season before losing 32 games after fracturing his hamate bone.

When he does play, Ramos has power to all fields, plays solid defense, and has an unshakeable confidence in his ability to throw behind runners at first. He trusts his strong arm. Nats’ fans probably held their collective breath more than a few times last season one of the quick flicks of Ramos’ arm looking to catch a baserunner unawares.

Last season, Ramos hit 11 home runs in 88 games. In 2013, he hit 16 home runs in 78 games. So, yeah, he can hit for power. For his career, he has hit .269/.317/.418 with a wRC+ of 104. If he can stay healthy, he would likely top the 20 home run mark. Steamer projects him to come in at 105 games played and 16 home runs for the 2015 season.

If he plays in 105 games, it will mark just the second time in his career he’s topped 100. I’ll take the wait-and-see approach when it comes to that projection.

Next: Number Two?

Sep 17, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets catcher

(15) catches a bunt attempt by Miami Marlins shortstop

(3) during the fourth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

# 2 – Travis d’Arnaud (New York Mets)

Speaking of injury prone, Travis d’Arnaud spent the large parts of two minor league seasons out of action due to injuries to his left foot and left knee. Plus, he lost 19 games last year due to a concussion and elbow soreness.

In his first full season in the Majors, d’Arnaud didn’t exactly come out swinging (pun intended). On June 8^th, the Mets demoted their catcher to triple-A Las Vegas after he hit a rather underwhelming .180/.271/.273. He was a week removed from his concussion at the time, so that could have been one of the reasons for his struggles. However, even before the concussion, he was really struggling  and needed to work on his mechanics.

When he returned to the lineup, he hit .272/.319/.486 with 10 home runs and 19 doubles, which showed that the guy can hit. In the second half of the season, his wRC+ of 124 would have ranked him 13^th in the Majors, right behind the Braves’ Evan Gattis. Add in the fact that he will be just 26 on Feburary 10 and still has room to grow. I’m all in on thinking that d’Arnaud can become an above average backstop in the majors.

Steamer projects d’Arnaud to hit .251/.313/.428 with 17 home runs. While I do think that those numbers might be a bit low given how he finished the year, they’re not unreasonable. However, if it turns out that he plays in the 121 games that the Steamer projection says, I would be surprised.

Next: Number One?