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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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Aug 1, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 1, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Wilson Ramos, Tampa Bay Rays

If Wilson Ramos is to be believed, LASIK surgery is the next big thing for Major League Baseball players. The catcher had the procedure done before the 2016 season and proceeded to contend for the NL batting title for most of the year before falling off slightly down the stretch and finishing with a .307/.354/.496 line with career highs in home runs, RBIs, doubles, and OPS. Ramos made his first All-Star team and won the NL Silver Slugger at catcher.

As a hitter, Ramos has always excelled at making consistent contact. He has only struck out in 16.8 percent of his career at-bats, well below the league average. Ramos struggled to make hard contact in 2015, and batted .229 with a woeful .258 BABIP. In 2016, he made hard contact 35.4 percent of the time, helping to raise his BABIP to .327, which is significantly above the league average. This good luck seems to be fueled by increased plate discipline brought on by improved vision and a better ability to hit the slider. Consider this, Ramos swung and missed at nearly five percent fewer sliders in 2016. He also appeared to be more comfortable attacking early in the count, hitting .338 on the first pitch (80 at-bats), compared to .179 (78 at-bats) in 2015.

Ramos would have been set up to earn a massive pay day this offseason if not for a serious knee injury, the second of his career, in the final week of the season. The Rays may have gotten one of the biggest bargains in the history of the league if Ramos is able to replicate his success from 2016 going forward. Based on the improvements Ramos made last season, his increased offensive output last year does not appear to be fleeting. He will return to the field in mid-May.

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