The catcher of the future, Travis d’Arnaud, is gone. While in the grand scheme of things (ie making the playoffs), I support the trade. However, I’m left wondering–when will the Jays have a true all-star caliber catcher?
Throughout the clubs history, the Jays have held onto a few good but not great catchers. I’m talking about the Ernie Whitt’s, and in shorter stints, the Darrin Fletcher’s and Gregg Zaun’s of the world.
Below is a ranking of Jay catchers seasonal WAR, with a minimum of 80 games behind the plate. WAR is a tricky stat for any position, but more-so for catchers, as the defensive component for backstops (especially in a historical setting) is questionable.
| Rk | Player | WAR/pos | Year | Age |
| 1 | Gregg Zaun | 3.3 | 2005 | 34 |
| 2 | Ernie Whitt | 3.2 | 1983 | 31 |
| 3 | Pat Borders | 2.8 | 1990 | 27 |
| 4 | Ernie Whitt | 2.7 | 1988 | 36 |
| 5 | Ernie Whitt | 2.5 | 1986 | 34 |
| 6 | Ernie Whitt | 2.4 | 1989 | 37 |
| 7 | Ernie Whitt | 2.4 | 1987 | 35 |
| 8 | Ernie Whitt | 2.3 | 1985 | 33 |
| 9 | Gregg Zaun | 2.2 | 2007 | 36 |
| 10 | Greg Myers | 2.2 | 2003 | 37 |
| 11 | Gregg Zaun | 2.1 | 2004 | 33 |
| 12 | Darrin Fletcher | 2.1 | 2000 | 33 |
| 13 | Darrin Fletcher | 1.8 | 1999 | 32 |
| 14 | Ernie Whitt | 1.6 | 1984 | 32 |
| 15 | John Buck | 1.5 | 2010 | 29 |
| 16 | Rod Barajas | 1.5 | 2008 | 32 |
| 17 | Charlie O’Brien | 1.5 | 1996 | 36 |
| 18 | Buck Martinez | 1.5 | 1983 | 34 |
| 19 | Buck Martinez | 1.5 | 1982 | 33 |
| 20 | J.P. Arencibia | 1.4 | 2012 | 26 |
| 21 | Alan Ashby | 1.4 | 1978 | 26 |
| 22 | Bengie Molina | 1.3 | 2006 | 31 |
| 23 | J.P. Arencibia | 1 | 2011 | 25 |
| 24 | Darrin Fletcher | 0.8 | 1998 | 31 |
| 25 | Ernie Whitt | 0.8 | 1982 | 30 |
| Rk | Player | WAR/pos | Year | Age |
| 26 | Greg Myers | 0.7 | 1991 | 25 |
| 27 | Rod Barajas | 0.6 | 2009 | 33 |
| 28 | Benito Santiago | 0.6 | 1997 | 32 |
| 29 | Buck Martinez | 0.6 | 1984 | 35 |
| 30 | Pat Borders | 0.5 | 1992 | 29 |
| 31 | Rick Cerone | 0.5 | 1979 | 25 |
| 32 | Greg Myers | 0.4 | 1990 | 24 |
| 33 | Alan Ashby | 0.2 | 1977 | 25 |
| 34 | Ernie Whitt | -0.1 | 1980 | 28 |
| 35 | Darrin Fletcher | -0.2 | 2001 | 34 |
| 36 | Pat Borders | -0.3 | 1993 | 30 |
| 37 | Rick Cerone | -0.3 | 1978 | 24 |
| 38 | Pat Borders | -0.4 | 1994 | 31 |
| 39 | Bob Davis | -0.4 | 1980 | 28 |
The first thing that jumps out to me from this list–the age of the top 10. The Jays have a weak history of productive catchers under the age of 30; catchers under the age of 25 are almost non-existent.
Everyone in the top 10, except a single season from Pat Borders, is 30+ in age.
The Jays have been good, not great, as a club for the past 15 years. Losing production from behind the plate for the forseeable future will hurt. But this pain can be off-set by a playoff banner reading ’2013′ hanging from the Rogers Centre rafters.
Coming up on Friday: A small study of Top 100 prospect catchers and their historical WAR.
Sources: Baseball-Reference Play Index, Image via FRANK GUNN/ASSOCIATED PRESS
