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Colorado Rockies Countdown: Top Five Catchers

ByJames Keating|
Mar 13, 2016; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies catcher Nick Hundley (4) throws the ball to first base for the out in the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 13, 2016; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies catcher Nick Hundley (4) throws the ball to first base for the out in the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
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Jun 24, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols (5) is greeted in the dugout after scoring a run on a sacrifice fly by catcher Chris Iannetta (not pictured) in the fourth inning of the game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 24, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols (5) is greeted in the dugout after scoring a run on a sacrifice fly by catcher Chris Iannetta (not pictured) in the fourth inning of the game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

1.  Chris Iannetta (2006-2011, fWAR 7.9)

In the picture above, Chris Iannetta (in front of Pujols) shares his excitement with teammates. Seriously, that’s his “I’m super pumped” face. Some players really like to show their emotion on the field. I’m not sure Chris is capable of that feat. In an 11-year big league career, Iannetta will gone down in history as the league’s all-time least smiling catcher.

All joking aside, Chris Iannetta was once considered the backstop of the future in Colorado. The Rockies had declined Yorvit Torrealba’s team option in 2009, signaling a clear handing of the reins to Iannetta. The Tar Heel product spent six years with the big league club in Denver. Iannetta never was one to hit for average however and it ultimately contributed to Colorado letting him go.

In 458 games played (most all-time for a Rockies catcher), Chris only hit for a .235 average, which by all accounts is pretty ugly. However, Chris did two things better than any other catcher in Colorado Rockies history has. The first extraordinary feat was Chris’ ability to draw walks. Chris drew 241 walks over 1,429 plate appearances. To put that into perspective, Torrealba only drew 91 walks over 1,247 plate appearances. The next extraordinary feat was that even though Chris didn’t make contact a lot, when he did, it usually went for pretty far, a fact evident by his 63 career home runs for Colorado.

Defensively speaking, Iannetta was one of Colorado’s best ever. According to Fangraphs’ Defensive Runs Above Average (DEF), a stat that measures a player’s defensive value relative to league average; Chris finished his Rockies career with a DEF score of 26.7. Torrealba’s career DEF score of 33.4 is the only one whose been slightly better at fielding the catcher position in LoDo.

The story for Colorado at the catcher position is one of a revolving door. A list of players that were skilled defensive but flawed offensively, or in Rosario’s case, a slugger that couldn’t field. Iannetta will go down as the best catcher in Rockies history for being excellent on defense, and being only a slight offensive liability, which obviously says something about the nature of the position.

Next: Honorable Mention

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