A lot has happened since MLBTR previewed this winter’s free agent catchers back in September. Several players were cast off of rosters as the season’s final months played out, which added some names to the pile. Some names were removed from the pile as well, as Yan Gomes, Manny Pina, Sandy Leon, Pedro Severino, Andrew Knapp and Roberto Perez all put pen to paper in the past few months. That means that an already-thin market is now even thinner, leaving teams with limited avenues for bolstering their catching corps. Trades are always an option, of course. But in terms of free agents, there are only five remaining catchers that played more than 35 games in 2021.
Stephen Vogt, 37, was designated for assignment by Atlanta in October, as the Braves were in the midst of their charge towards becoming World Series champions. It was revealed a few days later that Vogt had undergone sports hernia surgery, which isn’t expected to prevent him from being ready for spring training this year. He played 78 games in 2021, between the Diamondbacks and Braves. Although he has usually received more praise for his offense than his defensive work, he hit just .195/.283/.333, wRC+ of 64 this past season. He also had a rough campaign in 2020, but was productive as recently as 2019, when he hit .263/.314/.490. That amounted to a wRC+ of 106 and 0.9 fWAR in 99 games.
Kurt Suzuki, 38, signed a one-year deal with the Angels for 2021 and played 72 games for them this year. Like Vogt, he’s long been considered more of a bat-first catcher, but he hit only .224/.294/.343 for the Halos, for a wRC+ of 76. However, his wRC+ was over 100 in each of the previous four seasons. From 2017 to 2020, he hit 50 home runs and slashed .272/.337/.475, wRC+ of 111.
Robinson Chirinos, 37, has a similar profile to Vogt and Chirinos, often earning praise for his offensive skills. But unlike them, he’s not coming off a down year at the plate. From 2015 to 2019, he had an excellent five-year run, hitting 71 home runs and slashing .234/.340/.452, for a wRC+ of 109. The shortened 2020 campaign was not kind to him, however, as his line dropped to .162/.232/.243. He had to settle for a minor league deal with the Yankees for 2021 but was later signed by the Cubs to a major league deal. He got into 45 games for them and hit .227/.324/.454, wRC+ of 108.
Austin Wynns, 31, has spent his entire career with the Orioles thus far. They selected him in the 10th round of the 2013 draft. He’s played in 115 MLB games across three different seasons. In 2021, he got into 45 games and hit .185/.232/.308. He was outrighted off the roster and elected free agency in October. He’s the youngest of this group but also has the least significant track record at the plate. He does have a strong defensive reputation, however, and less than two years’ service time, meaning he could have years of cheap team control, unless the new CBA changes the service time rules.
Wilson Ramos, 34, split his season between Detroit and Cleveland, getting into 44 games on the year. He hit .205/.248/.397, for a wRC+ of 72. He’s long had a strong defensive reputation, though that has waned as injuries have taken their toll on him over the years. His 2021 season came to an end with an unfortunate injury in August. He isn’t too far removed from a 2019 season that saw him hit .288/.351/.416 for a wRC+ 105, but his health will be the major concern for him now.
Which of these backstops is the best option for teams that want to add some depth behind the plate? Have your say in the poll below.
(poll link for app users)
Respectfully, none of the above.
Blake Swihart
Peter O’Brien
Chris Coste
@dark He gets rave reviews from me.
@Chipper: Ah. a truly informed MLB fan. Congrats, sir.
juhjj
At least Sweihart is younger. Too bad he was never really a catcher.
Hopefully, White Sox will try to deal Collins, Zavala, or Mercedes.
Pickings aren’t too good if you’re calling it a pile…
I think I’d explore a trade before I would pick from this group.
Someone is gonna make Hoyer an offer he can’t refuse for Contreras.
“Catching pile” is fitting.
Catcher*
Yet people forget during those “juice ball era”, what kind of hitter they became after a swing for everything approach with no good eye just power with low avg.
I could state the obvious, like others, and say how weak this group is, or I could suggest some other backstops who aren’t on the list; but, since that doesn’t answer the question posed by the author, I’ll say Chirinos, and it’s really not that tough a decision because I’m thinking of how he’d fare in pinstripes, and he has the lowest ERA receiving Gerrit Cole of any catcher who’s caught at least 100 innings for him.
I still don’t know why the Yankees never gave him a shot when they had him in the minors and brought up Rob Brantley instead.
Make that Rob Brantly. And I’d like a vowel, Pat.
I’m definitely onboard with Chirinos, @Person.
Granted, I’m a tad shell shocked from last season’s complete offensive collapse. From ’18-’20 we made it home more than any team in MLB. & then finished 19th last year.
Due to all that, I am looking for offense wherever we can find some. Chirinos brings more firepower to the plate than does Higashioka.
Bonus: he has carved out a fairly long & productive career in MLB with a skill set remarkably similar to Phat Sancho. I see him as an excellent mentor to Gary. Higgy is projected to make $1.2 mil in arbitration. Or: probably about what Robinson Chirinos will make.
That’s a little bit more hitting + a veteran catcher who can probably help Gary.
I used to be what you could call a Higgy fan, hoping that more reps would show him to be an adequate hitter. That didn’t happen, and his defense — his calling card — took a step back last year.
I like your idea about Robinson’s mentoring capability. That, combined with his other plusses that we both noted, should make Cashman think about moving Higgy when his trade value will never be higher. I would think that Kyle’s three more years of team control and the shallowness of the catcher pool would be enough for him to bring back something of value.
But the fact that Cashman never used Chirinos last year tells me he’s probably not going to think that way.
Oh, well. Maybe the three new hitting coaches can teach Higgy to hit.
Oof
Eenie, meenie, miney, mo
Eenie meenie miney no
With Andrew Knapp now in Cincinnati, the Phillies need a catcher to back up JT Realmuto. Always liked Kurt Suzuki. Unless the Phillies trade for Knapp’s replacement, Suzuki is as good as any of the writer’s choices.
The Phillies traded for Garrett Stubbs a month ago and also have youngster Rafael Marchan, who’s been called up a few times already…
@Back up Catcher; Given your user name, you were just about predetermined do post a statement on this article. =)
As a Mets fan, I scoff at Ramos being a good defensive catcher. While we had him he was a statue behind the plate, ZERO mobility. Had trouble handling pitches to his right side. He was anything but a good defender. And age isn’t helping his cause either. Has no value at all if he doesn’t hit.
Ramos is an absolutely terrible defensive catcher. Almost unplayable. Not sure what the writer was thinking there. Ramos has long been an offense-only catcher, and the offense has gone down hill.
He used to be really good defensively back during his early years with the Nats. I remember him being a GG finalist in like 2014 or 2015. But he hasn’t been even average since like 2016.
Yea 2016 looks like when he started going downhill fast. Was good before that.
If memory serves, Ramos suffered some kind of serious injury when he was with the Nats. Maybe that accounts for his defensive decline — but I don’t remember what the injury was.
I’d vote Robinson Chirinos as a back up to play against LHP mainly. In his career he bats .256/.367 against LHP. However, at 37 years old… can he be relied upon?
Would like to see Suzuki in Baltimore to help Rutschman get his big league feet wet.
Wynns has since signed in Mexico