Fansided

Each MLB team’s current Hall of Famer

By Benjamin Chase

ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 27: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim first baseman Albert Pujols (5) and center fielder Mike Trout (27) head for the dugout after both scored on an Angels hit in the seventh inning of a game against the New York Yankees played on April 27, 2018 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 27: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim first baseman Albert Pujols (5) and center fielder Mike Trout (27) head for the dugout after both scored on an Angels hit in the seventh inning of a game against the New York Yankees played on April 27, 2018 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – APRIL 30: San Francisco Giants Catcher Buster Posey (28) catching during the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres game on April 30, 2018 at AT&T Park in San Francisco, CA. (Photo by Stephen Hopson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

San Francisco Giants: Buster Posey

Catcher is an under-represented position in the MLB Hall of Fame, but as you can see in this list, we are in a catching renaissance, with arguably 5 players active in the major or minor leagues right now with future Hall of Fame aspirations, and frankly with the ability to be considered among the best catchers the game has ever seen.

Posey came to the Giants as one of the most accomplished college players in the 2008 draft, selected 5th overall. He ascended quickly to the major leagues, making his debut in 2009 and winning the Rookie of the Year award in 2010. He suffered a brutal injury in the 2011 season that led to some big changes in how catchers block the plate, and when he returned in 2012, he put together an MVP season to show he had no ill effects!

Posey’s what a scout would call a “hit over power” player, with exceptional bat control that has allowed him to be a .308 career hitter over his 10 years in the major leagues. Posey did play his age-30 season in 2017, so there is some worry about his time to regression, but his bat hasn’t slowed down at all.

While he has to put together the back end of his career, Posey’s peak numbers on JAWS put him firmly in the group of MLB Hall of Fame catchers already. He’s short on many of the other measures primarily due to lack of back end on his career at this point. He’s also not a bat-only guy, winning the 2016 Gold Glove, which is impressive in this modern era of defensive metric-driven voting for the award.

Posey likely won’t make 40 still playing catcher, but the Giants have wisely been giving him time at first base and DH during interleague games to keep him fresh, and it’s paid off as since his injury in 2011, Posey has played at least 140 games every season. He would need to drastically pick up the pace to have a chance at 3,000 hits, but he certainly should eclipse 2,000 by the time he retires, which would be impressive for a primary catcher, and if he can retire with a .300+ career average along with those 2,000 hits, he’ll nearly be a lock as a catcher.

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