It would be interesting to see the competition for free agents catchers if J.T. Since 2000, only seven catchers have been selected in the top five overall: Joey Bart (#2 in 2018), Mike Zunino (#3 in 2012), Jeff Clement (#3 in 2005), Kyle Schwarber (#4 in 2014), Tony Sanchez (#4 in 2009), Buster Posey (#5 in 2008), and Matt Wieters (#5 in 2007). Georgia Tech catcher Joey Bart went second overall to the Giants in 2018, followed by high school catchers Anthony Siegler to the Yankees at No. Leaderboarding: Best hitting catchers in baseball history Mike Piazza was the best home run hitting catcher in baseball history. Four years later, I am in the Big Leagues as a switch-hitting catcher. I was bouncing back and forth between leaving either Ruben Sierra or Bobby Bonilla off this list, as both had nice career numbers. I will wonder what they’re going to do. The 27-year-old has recorded an OPS of .845 or better in three of his four big league seasons. Looking through Tim Raines' playing career makes it hard for me to believe he's not in the Hall of Fame, as he is the best switch-hitter not yet enshrined. First-round catchers, even more than the average first-round pick in the MLB Draft, carry inherent risk, but Bailey actually seems to be a pretty safe pick who can have an Austin Hedges-like impact with plus power and defense at the bare minimum. I also fully expect the White Sox to pursue an impacting left-handed bat this winter, most likely a right-fielder via the trade route with so few available in the upcoming FA market. He also retired with the National League record for home runs by a switch-hitter despite playing several years in the American League. He actually had more home runs batting right-handed, but he primarily batted left-handed to get those extra hits with his feet when he could. Now with an up-and-coming White Sox club, the switch-hitter is a top-three option in standard settings as well. [7], Simmons made his major league debut with the Cardinals at the age of 18, appearing in two games during the 1968 pennant-winning season. He ranks second all-time among catchers with 1,389 runs batted in and 10th with 248 home runs. Catcher is typically fantasy baseball's weakest position, but with the emergence of several new faces and the return of a perennial 20-homer option from a season-long injury, this is perhaps the strongest class of backstops in years. There's some risk here, as Garver is already 29 years old and had never topped 17 home runs in a professional season prior to 2019. Tier 5: Carson Kelly, Sean Murphy, Travis d'Arnaud, Kurt Suzuki, Tom Murphy. He was a great defender as well, but he did not produce a lot of runs, never even hitting a 50-RBI mark despite some of the teams he played for. With just over a month left in the regular season, here’s a rundown of how the game’s soon-to-be free-agent backstops have performed this year…. Any player in the draft would be thrilled to have the kind of career Wieters has put together, but much more will be expected of Rutschman. For the character from the TV series, St. Louis Cardinals first-round draft picks, The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders, List of Silver Slugger Award winners at catcher, List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders, List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders, List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders, List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders, "Ted Simmons: The National League's Other Catcher", "Simmons misses on Hall election by one vote", "Forgotten star Ted Simmons is Hall-of-Fame worthy", "Marvin Miller, Ted Simmons Elected to Hall Of Fame", https://www.milb.com/milb/news/ted-simmons-sped-through-minors-en-route-to-hall-of-fame/c-312126890, "1971 National League Most Valuable Player Award balloting results", "1972 National League Most Valuable Player Award balloting results", "1975 National League Most Valuable Player Award balloting results". Chili Davis put up nice numbers primarily for the Giants and Angels, hitting 250 home runs in his career. Like Soderstrom, Parada is a prep catcher whose ability to stay behind the plate long-term is questionable, but his odds of remaining a catcher seem a bit better than those of his fellow Californian. After delivering a tantalizing debut effort in 2019 -- 15 homers and 42 RBIs in 196 plate appearances -- Smith is set to take over as the Dodgers' starting catcher in '20. Maybe baseball is just the means by which you try to impress your boss, reconnect with your daughter, or remember a friend. The stolen-base machine (808 in his career) had many All-Star appearances and over 2,600 hits in his career. He was actually much more successful batting left-handed, hitting .314 for his career and finishing his career with more walks than strikeouts from that side. [15][16] Simmons continued to produce offensively in 1973 with a .310 batting average, along with 13 home runs and 91 RBIs. [36], In 1992, Simmons was hired as general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He hit a lot better left-handed; in about 60 percent of his career at-bats from that side, he hit 75 percent of his home runs and drew far more walks as well. "Oft-overlooked Simmons has case for Hall," MLB.com, Saturday, November 25, 2017. And he should build on that, with a couple more good years in the tank. Red Schoendienst was a talented all-around player during his time with the St. Louis Cardinals, and while his numbers don't appear to be as great as others, the 10-time All-Star knew how to be an effective switch-hitter. The 31-year-old is seeking his fifth straight season with 20-plus homers, and his discerning eye at the plate makes him particularly valuable in points leagues, as well as leagues that use on-base percentage instead of batting average as a category. Who has huge regression signs. [14] Despite the Cardinals finishing the season in fourth place, Simmons would finish in 10th place in the National League Most Valuable Player Award balloting.