MLB 2017: Top 10 catchers

Catcher may be the most unappreciated position on the diamond. Let’s show a little love to the best catchers in MLB.

There may not be a more thankless job in professional sports than catcher in the big leagues. The position beats you up every game, shortening the life of a career or forcing a player into a part-time role at a much younger age than any other position. In the history of baseball, no catcher has hit 500 home runs or reached 3,000 hits. Heck, only nine have ever reached 2,000. There are only 14 catchers in the Hall of Fame, compared to 62 starting pitchers.

Yes, the catcher is surely unappreciated despite his obvious impact on every pitch of the game. Strides are being made in quantifying the ways catchers block or frame pitches that may influence the way we view the value of future generations of catchers. The ability to call pitches, handle and cajole a staff, and buy strikes is difficult to measure, but that does not minimize the value of a dependable catcher.

Around MLB right now, the position is slightly top-heavy. The American League, in particular, is short on elite catching talent. Joe Mauer, the first catcher to win more than two batting titles, has been permanently shifted to first base. Similar moves may be coming for several of the names mentioned on this list. It might not even be out of the question to see teams adopting a more “catcher-by-committee” approach similar to the fate of the NFL running back. While you ponder the future of the catcher position in Major League Baseball, dive right into the top-ten catchers entering the 2017 season.

10. Francisco Cervelli, Pittsburgh Pirates

There were quite a few names in the running for the tenth spot on this list, including Kyle Schwarber (still unclear if his future in the big leagues includes any time behind the plate) and Matt Wieters (a four-time All-Star still left waiting in free agency). Cervelli gets the nod thanks to his underrated offensive game. Over the past three seasons, he actually ranks sixth in baseball with a .335 wOBA and sixth with a wRC+ of 113. Cervelli has quietly become one of the most productive catchers in his two years as the starter in Pittsburgh.

Cervelli is not a power hitter, and he may never hit more than 10 home runs in a season. His best attribute is his ability to work a walk and consistently put the ball in play. Cervelli has an on-base percentage of .372 over the past three years, which ranks first among catchers. The big downside with Cervelli is his injury history. He won the backup job with the New York Yankees in 2014, but hit the 60-day DL with a hamstring injury. Concussions have also been an issue, and he spent time on the shelf in 2016 with a broken hand.

It is highly unlikely that Cervelli ever contends for a Silver Slugger, but that’s perfectly fine for the Pirates. As a small-market team unable to afford power in the first place, scoring runs comes down to putting as much traffic on the bases as possible. Cervelli excels in that regard, and remains a very valuable piece for a team that has a better shot at contending in 2017 than most realize.