The Athletics'Jason Kendall and the Yankees'Jorge Posada rank 1-2 in games started at catcher since 2000, according to STATS Inc.
Not surprisingly, both are in decline.
Clubs routinely ask too much of their starting catchers, in part because of a dearth of quality backups. The teams in best shape at the position either boast a star regular or a quality duo.
Take the Reds, who led the majors in on-base plus slugging percentage at catcher last season; they started Jason LaRue in 104 games and Javier Valentin in 58.
The Blue Jays have formed perhaps an even stronger combination by signing Bengie Molina to complement last year's starter, Gregg Zaun.
And though the Red Sox rely heavily on Jason Varitek, they generally use a different catcher for knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, a pattern that has enabled Varitek to average a relatively modest 122 starts over the past four seasons.
Kendall, 31, is more than two years younger than Varitek, but he is Exhibit A in demonstrating the effect of overuse on catchers.
Since the start of 2000, Kendall has averaged 141 starts at catcher. Last season, his first with the A's, he produced his worst offensive season - and still made a career-high 146 starts. His .321 slugging percentage was the lowest in the majors among hitters with enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title. In 601 at-bats, he didn't hit a home run.
The A's backup, Adam Melhuse, hit 11 home runs in 214 at-bats in 2004 yet for some inexplicable reason batted only 97 times in '05.
“We're going to give Jason more of a rest this year, no question,” A's general manager Billy Beane says. “Melhuse is a pretty good offensive player who deserves to play.”
Posada, 34, made 123 starts last season, his fewest since 1999, and had a big September. Over the past three seasons, however, Posada's OPS has declined from .922 to .881 to .782.
Posada's OPS ranked sixth among catchers in '05, but the question is whether he will become this year's Bernie Williams, an older Yankee who goes into marked decline.
A $12 million contract option for 2007 will kick in if Posada starts 81 games, a number he almost certainly will reach.
“Clearly, he's declined, but he's still at the top of the offensive heap,” Yankees G.M. Brian Cashman says.
“Quite frankly, we're more worried about how to replace him in two years rather than preventing him from vesting an option.”
Still, there's no denying that as the seasons pass and innings mount, the rigors of playing catcher often transform an offensive threat into a less imposing hitter.
Johnny Bench was 29 when he produced his last 100-RBI season; Gary Carter was 32. The Tigers'Ivan Rodriguez was a mess last season at 33. The Padres'Mike Piazza was 33 when he had his last big season in 2002.
All of which leaves the Jays in an enviable position. Molina, 31, is likely to play more than Zaun; his superior throwing will come in handy against good base-stealing teams.
Zaun, 34, won't go to waste, though. His career .342 on-base percentage is 33 points higher than Molina's.
“Zaunie will play even more than he thinks he's going to play,” Jays G.M. J.P. Ricciardi says. “We'll use those guys to our advantage.”
An advantage few other teams can claim.
Clubs routinely ask too much of their starting catchers, in part because of a dearth of quality backups. The teams in best shape at the position either boast a star regular or a quality duo.
Take the Reds, who led the majors in on-base plus slugging percentage at catcher last season; they started Jason LaRue in 104 games and Javier Valentin in 58.
The Blue Jays have formed perhaps an even stronger combination by signing Bengie Molina to complement last year's starter, Gregg Zaun.
And though the Red Sox rely heavily on Jason Varitek, they generally use a different catcher for knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, a pattern that has enabled Varitek to average a relatively modest 122 starts over the past four seasons.
Kendall, 31, is more than two years younger than Varitek, but he is Exhibit A in demonstrating the effect of overuse on catchers.
Since the start of 2000, Kendall has averaged 141 starts at catcher. Last season, his first with the A's, he produced his worst offensive season - and still made a career-high 146 starts. His .321 slugging percentage was the lowest in the majors among hitters with enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title. In 601 at-bats, he didn't hit a home run.
The A's backup, Adam Melhuse, hit 11 home runs in 214 at-bats in 2004 yet for some inexplicable reason batted only 97 times in '05.
“We're going to give Jason more of a rest this year, no question,” A's general manager Billy Beane says. “Melhuse is a pretty good offensive player who deserves to play.”
Posada, 34, made 123 starts last season, his fewest since 1999, and had a big September. Over the past three seasons, however, Posada's OPS has declined from .922 to .881 to .782.
Posada's OPS ranked sixth among catchers in '05, but the question is whether he will become this year's Bernie Williams, an older Yankee who goes into marked decline.
A $12 million contract option for 2007 will kick in if Posada starts 81 games, a number he almost certainly will reach.
“Clearly, he's declined, but he's still at the top of the offensive heap,” Yankees G.M. Brian Cashman says.
“Quite frankly, we're more worried about how to replace him in two years rather than preventing him from vesting an option.”
Still, there's no denying that as the seasons pass and innings mount, the rigors of playing catcher often transform an offensive threat into a less imposing hitter.
Johnny Bench was 29 when he produced his last 100-RBI season; Gary Carter was 32. The Tigers'Ivan Rodriguez was a mess last season at 33. The Padres'Mike Piazza was 33 when he had his last big season in 2002.
All of which leaves the Jays in an enviable position. Molina, 31, is likely to play more than Zaun; his superior throwing will come in handy against good base-stealing teams.
Zaun, 34, won't go to waste, though. His career .342 on-base percentage is 33 points higher than Molina's.
“Zaunie will play even more than he thinks he's going to play,” Jays G.M. J.P. Ricciardi says. “We'll use those guys to our advantage.”
An advantage few other teams can claim.
Citizen
Hot Jobs
New! Off the Menu
The Citizens' Say
Post your comment - click hereThere are No comments posted.