When I was a kid growing up getting addicted to baseball, the generation before me, and the one before them, we always had a handful of legendary/top tier catchers to watch. I had Pudge, Posey, Yadi, Piazza, McCann, and Posada. My dads generation had Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, Thurman Munson, Lance Parrish, and Gary Carter. Our elders had Yogi, Campanella, Earl Battey, and Sherm Lollar. Nearly every decade in the history of the game produced a handful of HOF worthy talent.
So where are they today?
Is it really just Realmuto, maybe Yasmani, Perez and Contreras? and a buncha’ scrubs? Why has the overall depth of talent and production at the position been at an all time low in the league?
It will forever be one of, if not the most important position in the game, as well as the most grueling. Is the youth level possibly turned off by the position because of how physically demanding it is? I’m not going to pull the “boomer” card and say these kids are soft nowadays, but it’s not a mystery as to why every kid wants to be a MLB shortstop, but not a catcher. Its a job that requires tons of polishing and conditioning, and a tremendous amount of dedication.
Me questioning the depth of talent at catcher today shouldn’t be taken as a shot to the catchers that are producing right now. I don’t think there’s many people that doubt J.T. Realmutos talent and statistics to be considered the best catcher in the game currently, or whether of not he would fit in a previous decade/generation in baseball. Yasmani Grandal is someone no pitcher enjoys throwing to. Wilson Contreras helped break the Cubbies curse as a rookie, and Salvador Perez has his ring and achieved godlike status in Kansas City.
But when we compare this current generation to past ones, there’s quite a gap in quality. Kids today still get to see Yadi, they still get to see Posey, but not seeing their heydays first hand, its difficult for them to truly appreciate and admire those two, putting the catcher position on their backs as the faces of the backstop. Perhaps its all ebb and flow, and in 10 years time, half the league will have an All Star worthy catcher. It’s up to the kids that dedicate their careers to the position from little league on. Their high school/college coaches to polish their skills and keep them in love with the backstop. The game deserves it, the position deserves it.
Travis Landes, 2SeamSports.com
