Evaluating Catcher Defense

We're not focused on the MVP vote right now. There are playoff things to worry about. We have to form an opinion on Drew Stubbs or something. I'm not ready to form an opinion on Drew Stubbs. Suppose there's no choice.

But we will be focused on the MVP vote at some point. And we'll hear that Buster Posey should or shouldn't get the MVP because of his WAR or some such, and a decent part of that WAR total is based on his defense. He's actually penalized for his defense.

I get that Posey isn't Yadier Molina. No one is Yadier Molina. But I am familiar with Bengie Molina. Posey is very much on the middle of the Molina scale. Also, the Molina scale is broken, probably because there are a bunch of Molinas on it at the same time. But I digress.

I'd wanted to believe that Posey was an above-average backstop. But the haphazard methods for evaluating catcher defense didn't agree -- they said Posey was below average.

Matt Klaassen of Getting Blanked has come up with his own way to evaluate catchers. And it likes Buster Posey:

In fifth we have Buster Posey, who had an all-around nice year in the field. Not sure what he did with the glove. Remember when the Giants said he needed more glove work in the minors and brought back Bengie Molina? And the Posey’s glove magically matured on Super 2 Day?

That was weird, alright. It almost cost them the division, which would have cost them the World Series. All's well that end's well, I suppose. Read the whole thing for the methodology, but it's a good read.

And when you do the sniff test -- which is by checking where Hector Sanchez ranks -- it passes.

111. Hector Sanchez

I didn't even know there were 111 catchers in baseball. But, yeah. Sanchez is young, and he'll get better, and blar bler bluh. And I really believe that. But right now, it's nice to have the eyes match the statz.

Well, maybe "nice" isn't the right word. There's still a Lincecum start to worry about, and Sanchez will catch that, and Posey will be at first, and Nady will be ... aw, man.

Don't get too down. Buster Posey. There, you feel better. Buster Posey.