Today is the beginning of a new series that will take us through the next couple of weeks. This series will cover the three most overrated players at each position, starting with the most overrated catchers and working our way around the diamond back to starting pitchers. The criteria for this list are as follows: national attention, injury frequency, and contract terms.
Some guys that make this list may surprise you, others may be obvious. Either way, it’s going to be a fun journey around the diamond! Let me know who you believe to be overrated at each of our stops! Of course, the man widely believed to be the best overall catcher in baseball will not be appearing. Ready? Let’s begin.
Three Most Overrated Catchers in Major League Baseball
3. Christian Vazquez, Boston Red Sox
To be completely transparent, the catcher is the hardest position to point out guys that are “overrated.” However, I do have three guys that I believe get way more national attention than other, more deserving guys manning the same position. This brings us to our first contestant, Boston Red Sox’s own Christian Vazquez. The 5’9 right-hander is currently in the middle of his eighth Major League season, all with the same team.
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By OPS+, he is currently having his third-best season as it sits at 101, but that is still only one percent better than the league average. With a season line of .273/.318/.414, he is not an on-base guy or much of a slugger. Despite all of this, you constantly see highlights of Vazquez and talk of his exploits across all of the major sports networks. Which lands him on this list of the three most overrated players.
2. Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
Yadier Molina has been a fantastic player, but he is also one of the most overrated players the game has seen.
Jason Kendall is his peer, Johnny Bench is not. pic.twitter.com/bXSiXIvrXR
— Danny Samet (@SannyDamet) August 26, 2021
This one can go under the “guys that may surprise you,” category. I will freely admit that there was a time when Yadier Molina was the best catcher in the game, and it may have lasted long enough to buy him a spot in Cooperstown. These days, Molina is far from the player he used to be.
The second guy on this list to have spent the entirety of his career with one team, the St. Louis Cardinals have made Molina a wealthy man over the years. Over his 18-year career, he has made a total of $173.9 million, which includes the $10 million deal he is currently signed to. And speaking of this year, he has a 49 OPS+ to go along with a line of .213/.225/.294.
Seemingly staying a year too long, Molina will most likely call it a career at season’s end. But that has not stopped everyone from treating him like the player he used to be and not the player he currently is. And that is why he is easily one of the three most overrated catchers.
1. James McCann, New York Mets
Mets To Place James McCann On IL With Oblique Injury https://t.co/XJeLNGC7pk pic.twitter.com/0UJC7ap7FF
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) July 10, 2022
Finally, we come to a man that had one good season three years ago and everyone has treated him like that’s the player he is ever since, New York Met James McCann. In 2020, McCann posted an OPS+ of 143 to go along with a line of .289/.360/.536. In the two seasons since, he has played a total of 151 games out of a potential 255, while putting up a line of .223/.286/.339 and an OPS+ of 72. These reasons make him a surefire candidate for this three most overrated catchers list.
If there was one compliment that I could give to all three of these guys, it’s that all three of them are solid defenders behind the plate. They may not be top five defenders, but they are all three definitely in the top 20 in the league, if not the top half.
This has been the first entry in our three most overrated players at each position series. Be sure to keep an eye out for the next entry in the series where we will cover first basemen!
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