New York Yankees Season Preview: Catchers

I probably should have done infielders next, but I think I'll hold off until we get closer to Opening Day and see if Betemit, Ransom, Woodward, et al. are cut or not.

These next two, however, are locks for the 25-man roster.

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Catchers:

Jorge Posada (C) -- To have a career season at 36 years of age would be an accomplishment in and of itself-- however, for a catcher to do so signifies perhaps something we'll see only once or twice in a lifetime. Posada, in his tenth straight year of catching 110+ games (and eight straight with 135 or more) posted career highs in batting average (.338, good for 4th in the American League), on-base percentage (.426, 3rd in the AL), and slugging percentage (.543, 8th in the AL), all while handling fourteen different starting pitchers, tied for the most (2005) he's had since taking over behind the plate in 1998. He was selected to his fifth All-Star Game, and saved his best baseball when the Yankees needed clutch wins in September with an out-of-this-world 1.142 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. You'll find many writers, broadcasters, and fans alike who'll say that without Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees would not have made the postseason-- but to get such production from a catcher and team leader like Posada was all at once unexpected and greatly needed. Such efforts were rewarded this off-season with the now-familiar terms of the identical Johnny Damon/Hideki Matsui contracts -- four years, $52 million guaranteed to stay in pinstripes. Above all that, he's one of the few remaining Yankees who know what it's like to win a World Series in the Bronx, playing on four championship teams between 1996 and 2000.

Behind the plate, Posada has been steady in most aspects of his game, and has a great reputation for working and handling all kinds of pitching staffs-- the easily maintained (think 1998 through 2003), and ones in full-blown crisis mode (ever since then). When former manager Joe Torre added Tony Pena, another former catcher known for his great defensive prowess and ability to teach the fundamentals of the position, to his coaching staff for the 2006 season, Posada had a renaissance in throwing out would-be basestealers, at a rate over 35 percent, moving more nimbly and hastening his release time to match his accurate throwing arm. Last year, Posada came back down to earth to around 20 percent, more in line with his career numbers. I'd guess that the 2006 numbers, while a product of Pena's influence (he remains the Yankees first base coach after the departure of Torre), were more likely a fluke spike than definitive improvement-- though Posada certainly won't hurt a team with his defensive play. His 13 passed balls last year is a figure that is middle-of-the-road, and one Yankee fans can live with as long as Posada keeps on hitting in a very "un-catcherlike" manner.

To expect the offensive firepower of last season, or 2003 (30 HR & 101 RBI), would be wishful thinking. Posada will turn 37 this August-- and for a catcher, passing through your mid-30s is often equated with stints on the disabled list and quick deterioration of skills and athleticism from baseball's most demanding physical position. Those within the Yankee organization will be quick to point that you can't view Posada as having the mileage of a normal catcher of his age because he began his career in the minors as a second baseman-- however, he's been a catcher since 1993, which by my watch makes this fifteen years now of regular duty crouching, diving, and running after balls that make their way to the backstop. Posada has been incredibly fortunate have never sustained serious injury while in the majors, but even still, its always something to watch out for at this stage in his career. By the time his contract ends in 2011, the Yankees expect Posada to primarily assume their designated hitter role with the hopes of developing a young offensive catcher in their farm system to pass the torch to, like a Jesus Montero, Austin Romine, or Francisco Cervelli.

Posada takes quality at-bats from both sides of the plate, and its his ability to switch hit that often made him a popular option for Joe Torre to bring him off the bench late in close games to pinch-hit -- this also cut into his off-days, which may have attributed to fatigue in October (for as well as Posada played during the September stretch run, he was awful in the playoffs versus Cleveland: 2-for-15, 3 K, 2 GIDP, and only one extra-base hit). The popular opinion remains that Posada hits for better average and power left-handed, but his career splits show that his numbers are superior in all major categories from the right (.267 AVG from the left vs. .301 from the right, .379 vs. .384 OBP, .470 vs. .502 SLG). Such stigma persists most likely because of the hitter-friendly dimensions of right field in Yankee Stadium, which always favors lefty hitters. Posada's place will likely alternate between fifth and sixth in the lineup, so RBI opportunities will be copious and ever-present.

A weakness of Posada's game is his baserunning, as he combines slow speed with instances of absentminded gaffes where he forgets to take signs from coaches or plays it far too safe when it comes to stretching singles into doubles, and yes, even some doubles into triples on line drives in the outfield gaps. Formerly a lock for striking out over 100 in a season, Posada has a better feel for the strike zone and hasn't reached the unenviable milestone since 2003.

The challenge for any offensive catcher is to stay healthy and try to get 500 AB. If Posada can do that again, like he did last year, the Yankees should expect, at minimum, the customary 20 homers, 90-or-so RBIs, 30-35 doubles and close to .400 OBP. And with that, the Yankees will feel as if they had made a wise investment.

Jose Molina (C) -- The former Anaheim Angel came to the Yankees close to the trade deadline last year and ended the nightmare known as the Wil Nieves era in the Bronx. After the retirement of John Flaherty in 2005, the Yankees had shuffled through a slew of backup catchers-- like Kelly Stinnett, the loveable Sal Fasano, and of course, Nieves-- before finally admitting the error of their ways and acquiring a solid major leaguer for next to nothing (minor league LHP Jeff Kennard, who didn't make the Angels' pitching depth in Baseball America's 2008 Prospect Handbook). Molina gave Posada some much needed days off in the second half of the season, and overachieved offensively after switching coasts -- in 29 games, he hit .318 with New York. Perhaps his best moment as a Yankee thus far came in an early September game against the Seattle Mariners, hitting a home run off Jarrod Washburn to help put the Yankees ahead in the Wild Card race for good. At 32, the Yankees now have a defensive catcher with plus-arm strength in his prime that can hit in a representative manner-- or at least better than Nieves, who has spent his entire career seemingly below the Mendoza line (if you need to look up that reference, are you really a baseball fan?).

Molina's strengths, like Posada, are a strong, accurate throwing arm and the ability to bring a good game out of the pitchers he handles. The brother of Bengie (one time Yankee-killer with Anaheim, now in San Francisco as their clean-up hitter, replacing Barry Bonds) and Yadier (of the St. Louis Cardinals), Jose is part of a lineage of fine catchers adept at throwing out runners at not only second base, but also picking men off first base as well. Despite not playing on a daily basis, he makes few errors and blocks balls in the dirt with good form. He has a wide, heavy-set body, but he moves with deceptive agility and quickness when setting up his targets on the corners of home plate, and he frames the ball (that is, he swiftly brings his mitt in the strike zone for balls that are marginally outside) better than any Yankee catcher I personally can remember. Though his offense leaves a lot to be desired, the Yankees wouldn't panic with Molina starting for a dozens or so games if for some reason Posada faces injury, due to his defensive prowess.

His bat brings some moderate power from the right side of the plate, but would never be considered a true power threat, and pitchers can get him to chase off the plate when ahead in counts because of his free-swinging nature and inability to draw a walk. Molina, Posada, and Jason Giambi would all be considered strong candidates from "slowest man on the roster," and he ranks mainly below-average in all other batting categories-- all to be expected from a backup catcher, however, so Molina won't necessarily be booed for hitting .240, considering his role in the Yankee universe.

Molina should be a solid and steady role player for New York, spelling Posada if needed and providing an equally trustworthy and guiding hand to the plethora of young pitchers the Yankees will break in this season.