2013 NL Gold Glove Finalists: Catchers

Well now that I have the American League side of the Gold  Glove race down, now it’s time to take a look at those who are finalists at their primary positions on the National League.

If you haven’t checked out my previous articles, I have a few ‘click here’ buttons in each article that leads to the previous one. If you’re interested in reading up on who made the final three at each position, please click here.

Alright now it’s time to start off with the final three catchers who are looking to win this Gold Glove.

Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals – There is no doubt in my mind that Yadier Molina has been the best defensive catchers we have seen in the last decade. As most of you know, he comes from a long line of Molina catchers. His brothers played in the league, at the same time as him at one point, but he’s the only one standing right now. As far as I know. The 31 year old veteran is looking forward to winning his third World Series championship. Noe let’s take a look at how he’s done defensively. Molina picked up 63 assists, 976 put outs, four errors and took part in 11 double plays. He allowed 26 stolen bases but threw 20 with a rating of .435. His regular fielding percentage currently stands at .996 on the regular season.

Russell Martin, Pittsburgh Pirates – Martin is up there with Yadier Molina when it comes to both offensive and defensive production. The former Los Angeles Dodger and New York Yankee was once again in the playoffs but this time with the Pittsburgh Pirates. This team has been getting oh so close to tasting the post-season and they were finally able to do just that this season. They fell short to the St. Louis Cardinals, but look like they will be a threat once again in the National League Central. Martin hit 15 home runs and drove in 58 runs with a batting line of .226/.327/.377 across the line. He saw a little bit of time at first base then one game in right field. He caught 120 games this season and recorded 103 assists, two errors and six double plays with a fielding percentage of .998. Martin also threw out 36 base runners but gave up 53 stolen bases.

A.J. Ellis, Los Angeles Dodgers – All three catchers have reached the post-season as their teams looked to be a serious threat to one another. We all know what happened between the Dodgers and Cardinals, but the good news is? There’s always next year. Ellis was apart of one of the hottest teams in baseball earlier in the year as he hit 10 home runs and 52 RBI’s this season with a batting line of .238/.318/.364 across the line. Through 113 games this year behind the plate, Ellis picked up 73 assists, was charged with three errors and turned eight double plays on a fielding percentage of .997. He also threw out 28 base runners and allowed 35.

This years National League Gold Glove Catchers race looks to be a tough one. All three of these guys deserve it.