Top 10 MLB Catchers: Yasmani Grandal and Austin Barnes Both Make the List
As MLB Network continues their Top 10 Right Now! series, the Dodgers continue to show up. In the most recent list, they ranked the top 10 catchers in all of Major League Baseball. Both Yasmani Grandal and Austin Barnes ranked within the top 10.
The full list:
MLB: Top 10 Catchers
- Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
- Gary Sanchez, New York Yankees
- Willson Contreras, Chicago Cubs
- Yasmani Grandal, Los Angeles Dodgers
- J.T. Realmuto, Miami Marlins
- Austin Barnes, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Mike Zunino, Seattle Mariners
- Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
- Tyler Flowers, Atlanta Braves
- Robinson Chirinos, Texas Rangers
Yasmani Grandal comes in as the fourth best catcher in baseball. Grandal possesses a unique combination of power and solid defense behind the plate. The 29-year old is coming off a seasons in which he hit .247/.308/.459 with 22 home runs and 27 doubles in 2017. He also ranked 4th in overall catcher defense according Fangraphs. See what the folks at MLB Network had to say about Grandal here.
Austin Barnes came in 6th on the list of best catchers, after a tremendous first full Major League season. Barnes slashed .289/.408/.486 with 8 home runs and 38 RBIs over 262 plate appearances. He also ranked tops among catchers with at least 250 plate appearances with a 142 wRC+. Barnes has quickly become one of the absolute best hitting catchers in all of baseball. He has also become a very good pitch framer during his brief time in the Majors. Here is what they had to say about Barnes on MLB Network.
Former Major League catcher Dave Valle also had this to say about Barnes:
I didn’t expect this much from this young player. …I didn’t expect the offense that he was able to bring for the Los Angeles Dodgers last year.
With Grandal and Barnes ranked as two of the top six catchers in all of baseball, it speaks to the Dodgers’ depth. While Barnes overtook Grandal’s starting role in the postseason, expect them to continue to battle for reps this season. With two catchers good enough to be everyday starters, the Dodgers are faced with the challenge of getting them both enough playing time. With guys like Keibert Ruiz and Will Smith in the minors behind these two, it’s safe to say that the Dodgers boast the best catching depth in all of baseball. For now, the Dodgers are happy with having two of the best catchers in the Majors.
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