The 2020 season is fast approaching and fans are itching for some baseball. Who will be the 10 best catchers next season? Let’s look at our MLB projections.
Unlike last offseason, this Hot Stove season was set ablaze early. So much so that very few top tier free agents remain available at the time of writing this. So we here at Call to the Pen have taken to make some MLB projections at every position.
Today, we’re going to take a look at the top 10 catchers for the 2020 season. To make this determination, we have used “Steamer” projections. A system that “uses past performance and aging trends to develop a future projection for players.”
We begin with…
#10 – Carson Kelly, Arizona Diamondbacks
Carson Kelly is a 4-year veteran of the league who finally took a step up in action last season. This season, the Arizona Diamondbacks are showing confidence in the youngster by making him the everyday catcher.
In 111 games in 2019, Kelly posted some decent numbers. His .245 AVG left a lot to be desired, but his patience at the plate (.348 OBP) and power (18 HR and .478 SLG) showed some promise.
Defensively, among all catchers with a minimum of 750 innings at the position, Kelly posted a 2 DRS, tying him with the likes of Yadier Molina. His defensive rating on FanGraphs is in the top 50% of the league, ranking 13th with a 5.6 Def.