Catchers I Am Thankful For
’Tis the season for eating lots of food and convincing yourself that you are really grateful for all the semi-wonderful things in your life. I am thankful for catchers — big catchers and small catchers, catchers with pop and catchers with quick pop times, offense-minded catchers and defense-minded catchers.
Here are a few catchers I am particularly thankful for:
Willson Contreras — Chicago Cubs
Willson Contreras caught 133 games this year, second most in the Majors. He also played at first base and in left field, showing versatility rarely found in catchers. He hit .249/.339/.730 and made his first All-Star team after hitting .279/.369/.818 in the first half. Willson wants to play everyday and his second half drop-off can largely be explained by trying to do just that, to the detriment of his offensive production. Willson gets a lot of unfair flack for wearing his heart on his sleeve. Baseball needs more players like Contreras, who shows how much he cares both on and off the field. The moment I knew I would always be thankful for Willson was when he showed the world just how much being an All-Star meant to him.
Chris Iannetta — Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks
Chris Iannetta is in his second stint with the Rockies after being drafted by the team in 2004. His career .230 batting average is not blowing anybody away but the 35-year-old’s ability behind the plate earned him a starting job with his original club this year. He played a big role in Kyle Freeland’s breakout season, catching 32 of the pitcher’s 33 starts. Freeland posted a 2.86 ERA in those games with Iannetta. I am admittedly a sucker for catchers who know how to get the most out of their pitchers and Chris Iannetta certainly fits in such a category. He has been a favorite of mine since high school and I love seeing him still out there and quietly but successfully going about his business.
Devin Mesoraco — Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets
It is no secret how much Devin Mesoraco means to me. He helped just about every pitcher on the Mets, including bringing out a whole new level of dominance from Jacob deGrom, and in the process reminded me why catching is the most beautiful position in any sport ever. His little glove-point towards the pitcher after a batter fouls off a good pitch makes even me feel more confident about whoever is on the mound. He also possesses the ability to look Jacob deGrom in the eye without turning to stone, and if that does not scream BDE then nothing does. I owe my reignited passion for catching (which lead to the creation of this site) to Devin Mesoraco and for that I will always be thankful.
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving full of turkey, stuffing, pecan pie, Hallmark movies, and maybe a few baseball highlights too.
