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MLB 2017: Top 10 catchers

By Joshua Sadlock

Jul 16, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (28) hits an RBI double during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 16, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (28) hits an RBI double during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 2, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees catcher Brian McCann (34) circles the bases after hitting a home run in the bottom of the fourth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. It was the 20th of the season for McCann. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees catcher Brian McCann (34) circles the bases after hitting a home run in the bottom of the fourth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. It was the 20th of the season for McCann. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports /

8. Brian McCann, Houston Astros

McCann became expendable in the Bronx after the arrival of Gary Sanchez. He was traded to the Astros in November, and joins one of the best young lineups in baseball. That should help McCann out considerably as he seeks his tenth straight season with 20 or more home runs.

In his three years with the Yankees, McCann’s numbers dropped considerably. He slashed only .235/.313/.418 and did not make an All-Star team. McCann’s OPS in New York was nearly 100 points lower than it was during his nine years in Atlanta. His signing can only be counted as a disappointment for the Yankees, but they managed to free themselves of the final $34 million on the contract.

Historically speaking, McCann is shooting up the career leaderboards at catcher. His 245 home runs currently rank 13th at the position, and he has a shot of cracking the top-10 with a strong year in 2017. By the time his career ends, McCann should become just the eighth catcher in MLB history to hit over 300 home runs. Just how many more of those home runs come as a true catcher remain to be seen, however, as McCann caught a career-low 757 innings last year. He has never been a standout defender behind the plate, which will make it even easier for a team to make him a full-time DH in the near future.

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