Top Ten Catchers of 2012 Regular Season - MLB Feature - Part 3
4. A.J. Ellis (Los Angeles Dodgers): Fourth in our list is A.J. Ellis. Andrew made his debut for the Dodgers in September of 2008, a team that he still remains with today. He was a sports news anchor for his school’s TV Production and also
played baseball and basketball. He was also a success at the Austin Peay University where his college batting average was a staggering .351 and ended up with 263 hits, ranked as the all-time leader in hits for the college.
Until the 2012 season, the catcher from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, had a start stop career with more time spent in the Minor Leagues than the Major League. He made his debut in the big leagues in September 2008 for the Dodgers. His journey in the Minor Leagues
started in 2003. The 6ft 2in catcher had a great year in 2012.
In 131 games, he caught 1151 innings. Out of the 1100 total chances, he had 1007 put-outs and 87 assists. With six errors, the catcher posted a fielding percentage of .995, a single point less than his .996 career percentage. He affected 12 double plays
and caught 50 batters attempting to steal bases.
The 31-year-old had a good year with the bat as well. In 423 at-bats, Ellis had a batting average of .270 with 52 RBI’s and 13 home-runs. He had an on-base percentage of .373 and hit an impressive 20 doubles as well.
3. Ryan Hanigan (Cincinnati Reds): Third on our list is Ryan Hanigan. A star player at Andover High School, he was named an All-Star during his senior year with an amazing average of .397. He attended the Rollins College
in Winter Park, Florida where he became the team captain in his senior year. Ryan made is Major League debut in September, 2007 for the Cincinnati Reds who had signed him in 2002 as a free agent.
Reds remains the only ball club he has thus far represented in the Major League. The catcher spent five seasons in Reds’ Minor League system prior to his debut in the big leagues. He had a pretty good 2012 year behind the plate.
Hanigan played 110 games as a catcher in 2012 regular season. In the 877 innings that he caught in, he had 781 put-outs and 48 assists, committing just 4 errors in 833 chances. His fielding average was .995. The 32-year-old affected six double plays and
caught 32 batters attempting to steal bases with an impressive .485 average.
He had a fair year with the bat as well. In 317 at-bats, Ryan averaged .274 with 24 RBI’s and going long twice with an on-base percentage was .365, hitting 14 doubles. The numbers were a fraction lower than his career average in Major League Baseball
2. Yadier Molina (St. Louis Cardinals): Molina has been a part of the St. Louis Cardinals since his debut in 2004 and has not played for any other Major League team. Nicknamed as ‘Yadi’, the 30-year-old has been a part of two World Series
Champion teams in 2006 and 2011 with the Cardinals. His two elder brothers, Bengie and Jose are also catchers in the Major League. Yadier has made four consecutive All-Star appearances since 2009.
The Puerto Rican for the most part played as a catcher in 2012, though he did have three games at the first base. Catching in 1161 innings in 136 games, Molina had 1053 chances. The right-hander had 962 put-outs and 88 assists, committing just three errors.
He also affected 12 double plays and caught 35 stealing bases at an average of .479. Molina’s fielding average was a near perfect .997, only second to Brian McCann. He won the 2012 Gold Glove Award, which was his fifth in as many years, a testament of Yadier’s
ability.
Molina’s year with the bat was equally amazing. Playing his ninth season for the Cardinals, the right-hander hit at impressive average of .315 with 76 RBI’s and 22 home-runs and had an on-base percentage of .373. The returns were quite a bit better than
his career numbers.
1. Brian McCann (Atlanta Braves): Brian is the number one on our list. The 28-year-old catcher has only represented the Atlanta Braves since his Major League debut in 2005. He was a part of the All-Star team six years running, from 2005
to 2011. He also won the MVP award in the 2010 All-Star Game.
He was certainly the pick of catchers in 2012 season. He started in 113 of the 114 games he played in, catching in 995 innings as Brian had 845 put-outs with 51 assists. He had only two errors in a total of 898 chances, posting a staggering .998 fielding
average. He affected four double plays and caught 24 batters stealing bases.
McCann's season with the bat was also a decent one. He posted a batting average of .230 with 67 RBI’s and 20 home-runs and his on-base percentage was .300 even. The left-handed batter also hit 14 doubles. He has historically played well with the bat, winning
five Silver Slugger Awards in just eight seasons in the Major League.
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