Yankees vs. Red Sox Preview - Catchers

Shark

BOSTON - Jason Varitek

The unquestioned leader of this team can be found behind home plate 140 times a season. His offensive statistics are solid - (3 year average) - 22 homeruns, 76 RBI, 67 runs, .283 AVG, .369 OBP. His defensive statistics are solid - 25% caught stealing (could be better), 18 passed balls in the last 3 years (top 10 in MLB). But what sets this guy apart is his leadership, on and off the field, and the deft with which he handles this pitching staff. He calls as solid a game as anyone in baseball and plays to the strength of whoever is on the mound. He always knows the situation and makes sure that everyone else on the field does as well. It is those intangibles that makes 'Tek one of the best backstops in the game today.
There are a few concerns here, however, that could become weaknesses. Who is going to catch Wakefield? I like the trade that brought Mark Loretta to Beantown, but it came at the expense of the best backup catcher in baseball. Mirabelli handled Wake expertly and contributed with his bat when Francona called on him. With Mirabelli gone, what happens now? The backups are now John Flaherty and Josh Bard. Neither has ever caught a knuckleballer (to my knowledge) and neither has a very good bat (Bard hit .197 last year). These questions will likely answer themselves as the season unfolds, but neither guy can fill Mirabelli's shoes.
Overall, the position is one of the this team's greatest strengths.
GRADE - A minus
VARITEK'S 2006 LINE - 23 HR, 80 RBI, .291 AVG, 8 SB

NEW YORK - Jorge Posada

The workman-like Posada is generally overlooked on this team. His offensive stats are solid - (3 year average) - 23 HR, 84 RBI, .272 AVG, .386 OBP. His defensive stats are solid - 30% caught stealing, 30 passed balls (a little high) in the last three years. Although the stats are a bit more impressive than Varitek's, they have been trending downward the past three years while 'Tek's are trending upward. But in this lineup, Torre doesn't need the offensive production quite as much. Jorge's real strength is behind the plate. He is a leader and has a cannon for an arm - the offense he provides is a bonus.
The issues at this position are similar to Boston's - the rift between the Big Unit and Jorge is a little troubling. Why does Randy insist on being caught by the backup (Kelly Stinnett, this year as Flaherty made the jump to Boston)? Shouldn't your best catcher catch your best pitcher? I believe so. And Stinnett is average at best defensively and below average with the bat. I thought this team would take a run at Benji Molina this off-season - but I am glad they didn't.
GRADE - B plus
POSADA'S 2006 LINE - 17 HR, 81 RBI, .275 AVG.

Chachi

I’m going to go a bit of a different route on my analysis. I’m going to compare the two teams over 5 categories: hitting, fielding, base running, depth, and intangibles.

HITTING – Both Posada and ‘Tek finished in the top 10 or top 5 in every major offensive category and are considered “elite” when it comes to producing offense at their position. Varitek definitely provides more pop in the Boston lineup, but Posada is an RBI machine for a 7 or 8 hitter in any lineup. With the other offensive threats ahead of him, Posada is sure to continue seeing plenty of quality pitches. Like Mark, I worry more about a slide due to age for both of them. I think this is probably a bigger worry for Posada then ‘Tek. Advantage: Boston

FIELDING – Neither catcher is a stud or a total wreck defensively. Both leave something to desire though. Posada’s biggest weakness is his ability to block bad pitches or pitches in the dirt. I think a lot of this may stem from what seems to be the pitching staff and him not being on the same page all the time. Heck, with how much turmoil the staff has gone through the last few years with injuries, can you blame him. ‘Tek is excellent at keeping the ball in front of him, but occasionally his arm leaves something to desire. His biggest challenge this year will be handling Wakefield and the knuckleball. I have seen ‘Tek look absolutely horrendous a few times when he was forced into a situation of catching for Wakefield and there could be the possibility that if he struggles early it could hang with him all year. Do I expect this to happen? Of course not, but for that reason I’m going to lean Jorge’s direction on this. Advantage: New York

BASE RUNNING – Well, in future positional breakdowns this may matter a bit more, but here it isn’t much of a point. Neither is Cecil Fielder, but they also aren’t going to break any speed records. I will say both are smart base runners who keep mistakes on the base paths to a minimum. Against weaker arms both can score from second, but Vlad would nail them any day of the week. Neither really stands out in my mind. Advantage: Push

DEPTH – Catcher is a position where your back-up can make a huge impact, but most teams you couldn’t name the back-up if your life depended on it. I really like the Yankees adding Stinnett because he has a previous relationship with Johnson from Arizona and it’s well publicized that he doesn’t like Posada catching for him. I look for this to add to Randy’s comfort level this season and I look for an improved performance due to it. I think the biggest thing here though isn’t who was added, but who was lost. Mirabelli was great at catching the knuckleball and the Red Sox didn’t lose as much offensively as most teams would with their back-up in. Bard could be serviceable or could be a complete bust, but who really knows. I think the subtraction is the huge story here. Advantage: New York

INTANGIBLES – Here is where Varitek shines. Although Posada has grown into one of the leaders of this team, it is based more on tenure then leadership. This is Jeter’s team and he knows it. Varitek on the other hand is the unquestioned club house leader of this squad and also shows it on the field. Everyone seems to like him, everyone seems to respect him, and everyone knows they have to play their ass of for him or he’ll speak up. I also think Varitek as more of a flair for the dramatic; a big hit or homerun, setting up a batter with his pitcher just right in that big spot, or just starting a fight with a certain high paid third basemen that helps his team believe they can beat their rival. Basically, for his team, he’s right where they need him right when they need it. Advantage: Boston

Overall both teams should be pleased with their player at this position and know they have a guy who rarely gets hurt, produces offensively, and isn’t a major liability defensively. I think about 25 other teams would kill for either one of them. Next year may be different with the potential decline of both due to age, but right now they are still solid. Overall Advantage: Boston