Top Ten Catchers of 2012 Regular Season - MLB Feature Part 1
Catchers are an integral part of any baseball team. They play at the hardest fielding position in baseball and are involved in almost every pitch and guide the pitchers on how to pitch to certain batters.
Their crouching position further complicates their already difficult role. The catcher also is in a great strategic position to see the complete field and guide other fielders on their positioning.
The baseball Hall of Famer Casey Stengel once said, “no baseball pitcher would be worth a darn without a catcher who could handle the hot fast balls.” The pitcher has and will remain a pivotal part of the game for success of any team. There are always pitchers
who perform exceptionally well and 2012 was no different to this. We will have a look at the top ten catchers of 2012 in the Major League Baseball.
10. A.J. Pierzynski (Chicago White Sox): The 15-year Major League veteran born in Bridgehampton, New York, is tenth in our list of top ten catchers in 2012. He had a successful run as a player at the Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando,
Florida. In 1994, just out of high school, he was drafted by the Minnesota Twins.
He played for several Twins’ Minor League teams before breaking into the Major League in 1998. He has since played for three different ball clubs, the latest being the White Sox. He has had an eight year association with the Chicago franchise.
The two-time All-Star had a pretty good year behind home plate in 2012. In the 126 games that he played, he was a starting catcher in 121. He had 899 put-outs and 71 assists in 976 total chances, committing six errors. His fielding percentage was .994 as
he caught 27 while stealing bases in 2012.
The 35-year-old has a terrific year with the bat. He won the Silver Slugger Award this season for his batting prowess. In 135 games, he had 479 at-bats. His batting average was .278 and on-base percentage was .326. Pierzynski had 77 RBI’s and hit 27 home-runs.
9. Russell Martin (New York Yankees): The catcher from Toronto is currently a free agent and his catching prowess in 2012 has got the ninth spot on our list. Martin was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2002. He was originally a third
baseman but later switched to catching as he showed more promise in the position. The 29-year-old won the Silver Slugger Award and the Rawlings’ Gold Glove in 2007. He has been on the All-Star team three times.
Martin played as a starting catcher in 116 games out of the 128 he played in. He had 924 put-outs and 61 assists. He did commit six errors in a total of 991 chances. His fielding percentage was .994 and he also caught 20 attempting to steal bases. His fielding
average in 2012 season was above his career average of .991 as a catcher.
As a batter, Martin had 422 at-bats in 133 games. His average was a low .211, almost 50 points below is career average but he did post an acceptable on-base percentage of .311. Martin batted-in 53 runs and hit 21 home-runs.
8. J.P. Arencibia (Toronto Blue Jays): On number eight of our list is the Cuban-American catcher. J.P. was born in Miami, Florida. He was drafted by the Blue Jays in 2007. Until then, Arencibia was studying at the University of Tennessee.
He made his Major League debut in August of 2010. Prior to entering the big leagues, he played for several Minor League teams in the Blue Jays system and was also a part of the Arizona Fall League. In his three seasons in the Major League, he has thus far
represented the Toronto Blue Jays.
In the 2012 season, J.P. was the starting catcher in 91 games out of the 94 he played in. He had 622 put-outs and 57 assists in 683 chances. He committed four errors and had a fielding percentage of .994. Arencibia also caught 22 stealing bases.
His batting percentage was .233, above his career average and his .275 on-base percentage was even with his career numbers. The right-hander had 56 RBI’s in 2012 and went long on 18 occasions during the course of the regular season.
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Continued in Part 2
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