Washington Nationals: Who Is Catching Opening Day?
By Frank Ellis
Jose Lobaton
Let’s start with the longest tenured catcher left in DC, that, of course, is Jose Lobaton.
Lobi played in just over 30 games for the Nats this year, but, when he wasn’t injured, he provided a reliable back up option behind “The Buffalo”. He finished the year with a Fangraphs defensive WAR of 2.4 and proved he can handle the game defensively.
His offense was a different story, besides providing one of the most important home runs of the season in Game 2 of the NLDS, his bat didn’t do much else in 2016. His batting average for 2016 was .232, but against righties it was .262.
It looks like Lobi will once again be a backup option for the Nats in 2017, but that elevated average against righties could get him some more playing time.