Colorado Rockies Countdown: Top Five Catchers

2.  Jeff Reed (1996-1999, fWAR 4.0)

Originally drafted 12th overall in the 1980 draft by the Minnesota Twins, Jeff Reed was largely a role-playing replacement catcher during his 17-year career. That was the case until landing in Colorado anyway, where he would start in 90 games or more in all three  seasons he spent with the club. In 365 games played with Colorado, Reed hit for a .286 average and a .373 OBP. Both of those statistics are very impressive considering his career average was only at a .250 clip and his OBP was at .334.

Reed could hold his own on the defensive side as well, earning him the #2 spot on our list. To most Rockies fans, it comes as no surprise that a player would do better in Colorado offensively than what career averages suggest, but with Reed, the offensive boost was very significant. Reed’s career average OPS was .695, but during his Colorado tenure, Jeff’s OPS was at a very impressive .829. That is good enough to rank first all-time for a Rockies catcher. Reed never averaged an OPS above .700 with any other team.

Reed was a stable and fairly productive catcher for Colorado during his stint with the club. But, he has an even more significant role in Colorado’s history when he was an opposing player. While playing for rival San Francisco, Reed was the last out recorded in the Rockies 1995 season. That out proved to be very significant indeed as it clinched the 1995 Wild Card playoff spot. The score of that game was 10-9. The out guaranteed the first playoff appearance in club history. The following offseason, Reed saw the light and joined the Rockies during free agency.

Next: Happiest Catcher in Rockies History