With both corner and middle infielders taken care of, the B/R MLB Offseason 100 will now head behind the dish for a look at the top catchers available on the winter market.
Our list of catchers includes 10 names. Most come from a weak free-agent class of catchers, so it’s a good thing there are some interesting names to be found in trade rumors and/or highly plausible speculation.
As for the scoring, the usual formula applies:
- Talent Outlook: Out of 70. This is where we look at how guys have performed recently and consider the outlook of their skills going forward. Think of 35 out of 70 as a league-average player and 70 out of 70 as an all-world, Yadier Molina-like talent.
- Durability Outlook: Out of 20. This is where we probe track records and injury histories for a projection about how guys’ bodies will hold up. Think of 10 out of 20 as signaling a toss-up as to whether guys will remain durable, with 20 out of 20 signaling no concerns whatsoever. But to keep things fair, we’ll only allow a ceiling of 15 points for players in line for short-term commitments.
- Value Outlook: Out of 10. This is where we try to project what kind of contract or trade package it’s going to take to acquire a guy and then determine if he’d be worth it. Think of five out of 10 as a fair deal, with zero being a mega-bust and 10 being a mega-steal.
It all adds up to a possible total of 100 points. In the event of ties, the nod goes to the player we’d rather sign or trade for.
Along the way, you’ll find plenty of links to relevant data at Baseball-Reference, FanGraphs, Baseball Savant, Baseball Prospectus and Brooks Baseball. Also, a shout-out is owed to Baseball Prospectus for keeping such detailed injury histories.
That’s all you need to know, so feel free to start the show whenever you’re ready.