MLB Players: Top 10 catchers entering the 2020 season
By Jake Hasan
MLB Players: Top 10 catchers entering 2020
10. Tyler Flowers, Atlanta Braves
The most impressive stat about Tyler Flowers that I can throw at you today is that he recorded 2.1 fWAR in just 85 games last season. No matter what the slash line that’s pretty impressive.
For reference in those 85 games, Flowers slashed .229/.319/.413 with 11 home runs. So where is the productions coming from?
Well, remember how I said defense still matters? Here’s your first example.
Flowers has always been an excellent framer, and in 2019 that didn’t change. Despite playing just about half the season, he saved 15 runs with his framing, good for fourth among all catchers. Again, he played half the season.
Now the problem here is that Flowers hasn’t played more than 100 games since 2015 when he was with the White Sox, and that’s why we saw the Braves bring in Travis D’Arnaud to be an insurance policy.
But still just two years ago in 2017 Tylers put up 4.5 fWAR slashing .281/.378/.445 so we know that if he could stay relatively healthy Flowers would probably be higher on this list. But he hasn’t and so he clocks in at #10 here.
9. Roberto Perez, Cleveland Indians
Another defense-first guy here with Roberto Perez. He did put up a slightly better slash line than Flowers, with .239/.321/.425 and 24 home runs.
But defense is the name of the game with Perez, and a big reason he came in with 3.0 fWAR in 2019. Guess who was one spot above Flowers on that “runs saved” list? Roberto Perez.
Cleveland’s catcher had never before played more than 73 games going into 2019, and he shattered that with 119 games behind the plate, which led to his more consistent bat and career highs pretty much across the board.
Going into 2020 we need to see Perez keep it up, he has a decent walk rate at 10% and makes hard contact more than 40% of the time. That being said he is already 31 so maybe not too much of a leap forward should be expected.
But defense usually doesn’t regress and either way, Perez will still be an asset behind the plate.