Heroes of the Zeros: Catcher

by Slyde on Dec 16, 2009 8:00 AM EST in All Decade Team

Continuing on with our All Decade ballots, today we look at catcher. The Reds haven't had an All Star catcher since Bo Diaz in 1987, but they've still had what could be considered a solid crop of players at backstop since Johnny Bench retired. None of the guys listed below would likely be on most teams' All Decade squad, but that doesn't mean the Reds have had crap there over the last decade. They managed to get somewhat above average production out of the position a few years over the last 10, even if they weren't consistently good from year to year.

Now that we are into the hitters, let me explain what we'll be doing. For catchers, you will be selecting a starter and a backup, but you won't be doing that for any other position. After we get through all of the positions, I will have a day for selecting a left-handed and right-handed pinch hitter, and I will also take the the top vote-getter in the OF who is not a starter as the backup OF, and the top middle IF non-starting vote getter as the utility IF. That will give us a full 25-man roster for the decade.

So, if you are having a hard time deciding who should be the backup catcher, remember that the guy has a shot at being a pinch hitter, assuming he was used in that fashion frequently enough. Ballot is after the jump.

Other ballots: Starting Rotation | Bullpen

Click header to sort table by column
	Years	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	wOBA	WAR
Paul Bako	2008	99	338	299	30	65	11	2	6	35	34	90	.217	.299	.328	.626	64	.271	-0.6
Ryan Hanigan	2007-2009	126	402	346	34	92	9	1	5	22	48	42	.266	.363	.341	.704	86	.307	1.5
Ramon Hernandez	2009	81	331	287	25	74	13	1	5	37	33	34	.258	.336	.362	.699	84	.307	0.5
Jason LaRue	2000-2006	679	2441	2136	251	513	120	6	81	293	186	613	.240	.326	.416	.741	91	.314	6.2
Corky Miller	2001-2009	104	342	288	24	57	13	0	7	36	33	69	.198	.301	.316	.617	61	.276	0.0
Chad Moeller	2007	30	49	48	6	8	1	0	1	2	0	17	.167	.167	.250	.417	4	.175	-0.6
Dave Ross	2006-2008	254	817	692	86	157	34	1	41	104	99	203	.227	.324	.457	.780	96	.318	3.3
Benito Santiago	2000	89	277	252	22	66	11	1	8	45	19	45	.262	.310	.409	.719	79	.292	0.1
Kelly Stinnett	2001-2003	157	518	459	51	110	29	0	15	57	45	137	.240	.318	.401	.719	86	.306	-0.1
Eddie Taubensee	2000	81	291	266	29	71	12	0	6	24	21	44	.267	.324	.380	.704	76	.310	-1.3
Javier Valentin	2004-2008	441	1086	981	107	259	56	2	34	149	93	154	.264	.326	.429	.755	93	.322	1.0

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 12/15/2009.

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Comments

i guess you have to go with larue as 1

but it was an easy number two … long live LLM!

"Some times you get lucky; some times you get Willy Taveras." - Teh Fay

by joshuar9476 on Dec 16, 2009 9:02 AM EST reply actions

Since this is the Red's all decade team

Shouldn’t there be three catchers?

by fourrunhomer on Dec 16, 2009 9:19 AM EST reply actions 10 recs

I was thinking that too.

by Eastwindquinn on Dec 16, 2009 4:08 PM EST up reply actions

Good old Hedley Lamar

There is an overriding misconception that Clutch is an overriding misconception.

by Madville on Dec 16, 2009 9:23 AM EST reply actions

Think of your secretary.

"If it wasn't this, it'd be something else."

by ZJiff30 on Dec 16, 2009 5:36 PM EST up reply actions

there's a secretary?

"Some times you get lucky; some times you get Willy Taveras." - Teh Fay

by joshuar9476 on Dec 16, 2009 5:52 PM EST up reply actions

'tis a line from the movie.

"If it wasn't this, it'd be something else."

by ZJiff30 on Dec 16, 2009 10:44 PM EST up reply actions

Man, I really liked David Ross

Still peeved that he was released in ‘08. Contact was an issue, but the guy could walk, had power, and had a cannon. Hanigan’s similar, but without Ross’s power (and many fewer strikeouts, of course).
-j

I write at:
Beyond the Boxscore | Red Reporter | Basement-Dwellers.com | Twitter: @jinazreds

by JinAZ on Dec 16, 2009 10:47 AM EST reply actions

i liked him a lot too.

i think he just needed to get healthy. he hit pretty well for a #2 catcher last year.

it made no sense to release him seeing as how his ceiling was a million times higher than paul bako’s.

by GrooveLeg on Dec 16, 2009 11:18 AM EST up reply actions

oh my god this keeps getting uglier.

"There is no harder thing than to have Glenn Beck outlive your child."-The Onion

by justin007000 on Dec 16, 2009 11:35 AM EST reply actions

why do you say that

I’d say having 3 above average hitting catchers in a decade ain’t bad, especially since they accounted for 63% of PA listed above. I think the starting pitching looks much worse than the catching.

Red Reporter or follow on Twitter: @redreporter

by Slyde on Dec 16, 2009 11:43 AM EST up reply actions

Yeah the starting pitching's gotta be bottom 3 in the MLB for the 2000s

However, when you have to justify a position with this quote

They managed to get somewhat above average production out of the position a few years over the last 10, even if they weren’t consistently good from year to year.

It’s kind of damning with faint praise.

RR: Proud home of the most mods in SBNation.

by chesirecat on Dec 16, 2009 12:32 PM EST up reply actions

If you think this is bad, you're really overrating catcher offense

Only the Braves (McCann and the freakish Javy Lopez season) and maybe the Mets (with the good Piazza years early in the decade) have clearly put up better catcher offense this decade.

by ken on Dec 16, 2009 9:33 PM EST up reply actions

maybe the Cubs with Micheal Barrett

and Geovanny Soto

"Everything you are doing is bad. I want you to know this."

by Charlie Scrabbles on Dec 16, 2009 9:35 PM EST up reply actions

thanks, ken

This is kind of like saying you almost survived a crash landing on Mars.
At least you made it to Mars.

by johnu1 on Dec 17, 2009 2:24 AM EST up reply actions

none

I hate to repeat. This list is more pathetic than the starting pitchers.

by njbentz on Dec 16, 2009 4:16 PM EST reply actions

Corky got the nod

If you’re going to do something poorly, you might as go all the way.

Start SEEing motorcycles

by Excalib8 on Dec 16, 2009 4:40 PM EST reply actions

then tatum make the all century team, right?

"Some times you get lucky; some times you get Willy Taveras." - Teh Fay

by joshuar9476 on Dec 16, 2009 5:52 PM EST up reply actions

Tatum sucks so bad, he couldn't hold Corky's jockstrap

So… Yes.

Start SEEing motorcycles

by Excalib8 on Dec 17, 2009 3:53 AM EST up reply actions

all-century, so far

After that buildup, then I get to see the list.

Wow, so many exciting choices.

so
so so many.

Is Jerry Zimmerman still available?

by johnu1 on Dec 17, 2009 2:23 AM EST reply actions

backup

It’s also nice to know that my backup choice, should he not be selected, can still serve as the team’s premiere pinch hitter (provided he was used as such often enough.) I’d think if anything, my backup catcher would be the guy they’d hit FOR.

by johnu1 on Dec 17, 2009 12:00 PM EST up reply actions