Nationals Opinions: Best Catcher in Nats History
Aug 16, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals catcher
Wilson Ramos(40) hits a single against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fifth inning at Nationals Park. The Nationals won 4-3. Mandatory Credit:
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
The 2015 season will be special for the Nationals for many reasons. Not only will the team enter the season with one of the deepest rosters in baseball and World Series aspirations, but the 2015 season will also mark the 10th anniversary of the team playing baseball in DC.
While the team, formerly known as the Montreal Expos, has only played in Washington for a decade, a lot has happened over those 10 years. Nationals fans saw the team fall to the very bottom of the National League and stay there for quite some time. After hitting rock-bottom just a few years ago, the team started to grow by drafting superstars like Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper and signing big-name free agents such as Jayson Werth.
The rest, as they say, is history. Young, talented players started making their mark at the big league level, big-name draft picks started to live up to their hype, and the years of the Nationals being at the very bottom of the NL food chain were over.
Under the guidance of manager Davey Johnson, the team won its first NL East title and made its first ever postseason appearance in 2012. After a minor slip-up in 2013, the team returned to dominance last season, winning yet another NL East title and an NL-best 96 games. As we know, the Nationals are once again expected to succeed this season and continue to grow their history as a ballclub.
Of course, there are many reasons for the Nationals’ rise from the deepest depths of the standings to one of the best teams in baseball, not the least of which being the fact that the team has seen some great players don the Curly W. For this reason, District on Deck is assembling our ‘All-Decade’ team, recognizing the best Nationals players at each position over the last 10 years.
Yesterday we began our series by ranking the Nationals’ all-time best second basemen. Today we will continue with our top-5 catchers in team history. While these are my picks for the best catchers in team history, we’d love to hear who you think should be on top so feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Next: Number 5
Jul 11, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Nationals catcher
Kurt Suzuki(24) throws to first base during the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies defeated the Nationals 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
No. 5: Kurt Suzuki
There are several players who very easily could have come in at No. 5 on our list, but for the sake of this ranking we will consider Kurt Suzuki as the fifth-best catcher in Nationals history.
The Nationals acquired Suzuki from the Oakland Athletics during the second half of the 2012 season, when they were trying to fend off the braves en route to their first NL East title. The Nationals needed Suzuki badly since Wilson Ramos was out for the season with a torn ACL and the team’s backups were not getting the job done.
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After joining the Nationals in August, Suzuki hit .267 with five home runs and 25 RBIs in 43 games. With Suzuki on board, the Nationals finally had a consistent player who could man the ship until Ramos returned, which wouldn’t happen until 2013. While his numbers weren’t crazy good, the Nationals needed Suzuki to succeed both behind the plate and in the batter’s box while helping the team down the stretch – which is exactly what he did.
Suzuki began the 2013 season sharing starting catching duties with Ramos. He would soon take over as starter, however, as Ramos continued to deal with injuries that forced him to linger on the DL for most of the first half of the season. In 79 games with the Nationals in 2013, Suzuki batted .222 with three home runs and 35 RBIs.
Once Ramos was healthy and once again a force in the lineup, the Nationals traded Suzuki back to Oakland in late-August – almost exactly a year after they acquired him.
Next: Number 4
Mar 17, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher
Jesus Flores(70) puts his cap back on in the dugout after striking out in the eighth inning during a spring training game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Hilderbrand-USA TODAY Sports
No. 4: Jesus Flores
Most Nationals fans remember Jesus Flores as a promising young catcher who never really lived up to his full potential with the Nationals due to injuries.
Nevertheless, Flores is the third-longest tenured catcher in team history and, when healthy, he was a solid contributor behind the plate and to the Nationals’ lineup. For this reason, Flores is the fourth-best catcher in Nationals history in our ranking.
The Nationals acquired Flores from the New York Mets in the 2006 Rule 5 draft. Flores, who had never played above Class-A with the Mets, made his big league debut with the Nationals on April 4, 2007, and made his first big league start a couple of days later.
In 79 games with the Nationals in 2007, Flores hit .244 with four home runs and 25 RBIs.
The young catcher was the Nationals’ starting catcher on Opening Day in 2008 and went on to have the best season of his career. In 90 games with the Nationals, Flores batted .256 with eight home runs and 59 RBIs. There were many memorable moments for Flores that year, such as his five-hit performance in the Nationals’ 15-6 victory over the Braves July 20.
The 2008 season was huge for Flores. Unfortunately, it was also when the young catcher’s career started to derail itself with injuries. Flores suffered a season-ending injury in a collision at home plate with Phillies second baseman Chase Utley in September. A few weeks into the 2009 season, Flores suffered a stress fracture in his shoulder that forced him to miss the remainder of the season and all of 2010.
Flores would play 30 games in 2011 and 83 in games in 2012 when Ramos was injured. In those 83 games, he hit a mere .213 with six home runs and 23 RBIs. Flores has not played in a major league game since 2012, but signed a minor league deal with an invite to major league Spring Training with the Braves earlier this year.
Next: Number 3
Aug 7, 2014; Frisco, TX, USA; Former Texas Rangers catcher
Ivan Rodriguezwatches the game between the Frisco Rough Riders and the Springfield Cardinals from the dugout at Dr Pepper Ballpark. Springfield beat Frisco 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
No. 3: Ivan Rodriguez
When discussing the best catchers in Nationals’ history, its impossible to leave out future Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez. While Rodriguez only spent a small potion of his iconic 21-year career with the Nationals, he certainly made some great contributions to the ball club. For this reason, Rodriguez is the third-best catcher in team history in our ranking.
The Nationals signed “Pudge” Rodriguez to a 2-year, $6 million contract after the 2009 season. While the team knew that Rodriguez’s best years were behind him, the team needed someone to help ease the transition to Wilson Ramos (whom they acquired later that year) while also guiding a young pitching staff at a time when the team was one of the worst in baseball. Rodriguez accomplished all of that, and then some.
His first year with the Nationals got off to a fantastic start. Rodriguez had several memorable games in the first couple of months of the season, including a 4-4 performance May 10 against the Mets in which he was also responsible for the game-winning RBI. Rodriguez was hitting .325 at the end of May, but was placed on the disabled list after spraining his back.
Overall, 2010 was Rodriguez’s best season with the Nationals. In 111 games, Rodriguez hit .266 with four home runs and 49 RBIs. Not only did Rodriguez do a fine job behind the plate for the Nationals all season long, but he also guided rookie Stephen Strasburg through his incredible big league debut in which he struck out 14 batters and walked none over seven innings of work.
Rodriguez appeared in 44 games for the Nationals in 2011, hitting .218 with two home runs and 19 RBIs.
Next: Number 2
President George W. Bush and Washington Nationals catcher Brian Schneider shake hands after the President threw the ceremonial first pitch Thursday, April 14, 2005. Schneider went 1 for 3 with an RBI. White House photo by Paul Morse [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
No. 2: Brian Schneider
Years before the Nationals acquired Wilson Ramos, the team had another franchise catcher whose roots go back well into the franchise’s Montreal years. His name is Brian Schneider, and he’s the second-best catcher in Nationals history in our ranking.
Schneider spent the first eight years of his career with the Nationals/Expos franchise and had some great years behind the plate for both teams. The Expos originally drafted in the fifth round of the 1995 First-Year Player Draft and he made his big league debut five years later at the age of 23.
When the franchise moved to Washington in 2005, Schneider came with it and caught the first game ever played in DC’s new era of baseball. That year, Schneider hit .268 with 10 home runs and 44 RBIs. He also played great defense behind home plate, throwing out a major league-best 38 percent of would-be base stealers.
While he never had another year quite as dominant as 2005, he’s still the longest-tenured catcher in Nationals history (by games played) and put up solid numbers in three seasons with the team. As a National, Schneider hit .253 with 20 home runs, 101 runs and 153 RBIs over 369 games.
In November of 2007, the Nationals traded Schneider and outfielder Ryan Church to the Mets in exchange for then-top prospect Lastings Milledge. Schneider retired as a member of the Phillies following the 2012 season.
Next: Number 1
Sep 27, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos (40) hits an infield single against the Miami Marlins during the second inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
No. 1: Wilson Ramos
While Brian Schneider has played the most games behind the plate in Nationals’ history, there’s no doubt that Wilson Ramos is the best catcher in team history.
The Nationals acquired Ramos from the Twins in 2010 in exchange for closer Matt Capps – a deal that has probably been one of the most rewarding trades the team has ever made. Ramos played 15 games for the Nationals in 2010, hitting .269 with one home run, four doubles and four RBIs.
Ramos broke out with the team in 2011, hitting .267 with 22 doubles, 15 home runs and 52 RBIs over 113 games. In Ramos, the Nationals had finally found their catcher of the future – a player whose raw power alone could make him one of the best-hitting catchers in the National League.
Unfortunately, Ramos has had a tough time staying healthy since that dominant 2011 season. Ramos only played in 25 games in 2012 before a torn ACL ended his season. “The Buffalo” was also limited to just 78 games in 2013 after suffering the same hamstring injury twice early in the season. Ramos also missed significant time on the disabled list in 2014, appearing in just 88 games for the Nationals last season.
But the impressive thing about Ramos is what he has been able to accomplish when healthy. Despite only playing 78 games in 2013, he still hit .272 with a career-high 16 home runs and 59 RBIs. In another injury-shortened season last year, Ramos hit 11 home runs and drove in 47 runs.
At just 27 years old, Ramos still has plenty of time to develop into the power-hitting machine the Nationals expected when they traded for him in 2010. However, Ramos can only live up to those expectations if he can stay healthy, which has not been easy for him in his career.
If Ramos is able to stay healthy in 2015, he could easily get close to the 30 homer mark and drive in 80 runs or more. This season could finally be the year Ramos develops into one of the best-hitting catchers in the game, but the first step is to stay off the disabled list. If he can do that, he may very well lead the Nationals’ offense to another NL East title.