Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Best in Ryan: Catchers

Ryan's 10 best Catchers to date


1. Neil Fletcher S1-S11 -6AS 6SS 1GG 1MVP 1WS

Neil Fletcher
none
none
Age: 39B/T: L/R
Born: Anchorage, AK
Position(s): C/CIF
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Season

Fran

Level

G

AB

R

H

2B

3B

HR

RBI

BB

SO

SB

CS

AVG

OBP

SLG

OPS

Career

Totals

ML

1301

4484

980

1550

307

38

223

861

946

557

8

27

.346

.464

.580

1.044

Average

ML

109

374

81

130

26

3

19

72

79

47

0

2

.

For the first 6 seasons of Ryan there was no better catcher than Fletcher. He never batted below .351 and hit no less than 25 homeruns and 97 RBI. He brought in no less than 100 walks and 100 runs each season. Then he was traded to the wasteland known at Toronto. Where he was platooned on the worst team in Ryan history. He never was the same player for the next 5 seasons only becoming a full-time starter once more in season 7, but he was a broken man by that point batting a meager .246 with more Strikeouts and walks for the 1st time in his career. Still those who played against him remember him for his dominance in the league and the shadow he cast in his time.

2. Brent Sheets S7-ACTIVE 7AS 2MVP 7SS

Brent Sheets
Madison
Massa's
Age: 37B/T: R/R
Born: Portsmouth, RI
Position(s): C/1B/DH
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Season

Fran

Level

G

AB

R

H

2B

3B

HR

RBI

BB

SO

SB

CS

AVG

OBP

SLG

OPS

Career

Totals

ML

1968

7386

1192

2299

357

9

460

1462

716

831

4

15

.311

.376

.549

.925

Average

151

568

92

177

27

1

35

112

55

64

0

1

Sandwiched in the middle of a great offense in Cincinnati which featured Sean Fryman, Carlos Hernandez and Bill Hayes, Sheets was a monster. He handled one of the NL best pitching combos in Alex Wang and Clarence Patrick also in their prime. There is no doubt he showed he was the best player in the league in his MVP seasons. In S10 he batted .349 with 58 HR and 161 RBI and in season 13 he cooled by batting on .339 with 36 HR and 136 RBI. Sheets in his prime was the best power hitting Catcher this world has ever known.

3. Willie Torrealba S3-16 7AS 4SS ROY 1WS

Season

Fran

Level

G

AB

R

H

2B

3B

HR

RBI

BB

SO

SB

CS

AVG

OBP

SLG

OPS

Career

Totals

ML

1622

6281

1164

1859

238

20

513

1360

622

928

1

6

.296

.363

.585

.948

Average

14 seasons

116

449

83

133

17

1

37

97

44

66

0

0

Power hitting behemoth, Torrealba quietly put up huge numbers and draw all-star selections with his working man's play. He often was not glitzy and sometimes he was downright dirty, but Willie could be counted on to blast one out of the park. A fan favorite with his aptitude for hitting one over the fences.

4. Yorvit Castillo S3-S17 2AS 3SS

Yorvit Castillo
none
none
Age: 39B/T: R/R
Born: Miranda, VE
Position(s): C/1B/DH
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Season

Fran

Level

G

AB

R

H

2B

3B

HR

RBI

BB

SO

SB

CS

AVG

OBP

SLG

OPS

Career

Totals

ML

2099

7310

1280

2299

327

19

377

1330

1240

1046

1

18

.315

.416

.519

.935

Average

15 seasons

140

487

85

153

22

1

25

89

83

70

0

1

Yorvit mixed great power with a hitting knack unlike other catchers in the game. His Season 9 stat line will go down in history as one of the best .379/38/109. He almost repeated it in season 13 when he went .357/38/97. Castillo became a legend in New York for his 7 year run there. Less than 50 men have reached the 2200 hit plateau, Castillo is one of them.

5. Carter Lowe S6-S15 ROY 4AS 4SS 3WS

Carter Lowe
none
none
Age: 35B/T: R/R
Born: Northscituate, RI
Position(s): C/DH
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Season

Fran

Level

G

AB

R

H

2B

3B

HR

RBI

BB

SO

SB

CS

AVG

OBP

SLG

OPS

Career

Totals

ML

1319

4452

931

1369

204

16

321

1019

817

582

1

12

.308

.417

.577

.994

Average

10 Seasons

132

445

93

137

20

2

32

102

82

58

0

1

Carter Lowe was a true all-star, always clutch consistent at driving in runs and getting hits. He walked away from the game after 10 seasons without even looking back. No slowly fading away to oblivion, once injuries started to degrade his skills, he just quit the game. Even when he was drafted scouts believed he would never amount to much of a player with his injury issues in college and high school. For his 10 seasons though slowed by minor injuries, he started the majority of games in Madison, Batting over .300 for his career.

6 Bob Shaw S2-S16 3AS 1SS 1HFC

Bob Shaw
none
none
Age: 35B/T: R/R
Born: Hereford, UK
Position(s): C/1B/DH
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Season

Fran

Level

G

AB

R

H

2B

3B

HR

RBI

BB

SO

SB

CS

AVG

OBP

SLG

OPS

Career

Totals

ML

2102

7663

1093

2539

361

24

180

1160

858

1059

6

35

.331

.402

.455

.857

Average

ML

141

511

73

170

24

1

12

76

57

72

0

2

If you needed a hit or to drive in a run or get a guy on base, Shaw was your man. No other catcher played the game starter than Shaw. He just plain hit the ball where fielders were not. Not overly powerful, not overly fast. Teammates often joked that he could hardly swing the bat right with his quirky short chopping stroke, but for 14 years it worked to the tune of 2539 hits most by a catcher in Ryan history.

7 Edgardo Lima S8-ACTIVE 3AS 4GG 2ASHC

Edgardo Lima
Cheyenne
Marmots
Age: 34B/T: R/R
Born: Dansville, MI
Position(s): C/1B/DH
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Season

Fran

Level

G

AB

R

H

2B

3B

HR

RBI

BB

SO

SB

CS

AVG

OBP

SLG

OPS

Career

Totals

ML

1712

6051

1022

1632

184

16

491

1238

558

773

1

3

.270

.340

.549

.889

Average

13 seasons

132

465

79

126

14

1

38

95

43

59

0

0

Still playing and hitting home runs. Even at 34 he doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon. He should easily surpass the 500 homerun plateau and could challenge 600 before he retires. Scouts will always point to the hole in his swing versus left handers on why he shouldn't be considered one of the best of all times. They might also point to his low Batting average as an indicator that he crumbles under pressure in the lineup.

8. Davey Santana S11-ACTIVE 2GG 3AS

Season

Fran

Level

G

AB

R

H

2B

3B

HR

RBI

BB

SO

SB

CS

AVG

OBP

SLG

OPS

Career

Totals

ML

1136

4405

606

1330

121

18

80

534

431

499

6

4

.302

.369

.392

.761

Average

9 seasons

126

489

67

148

13

2

9

59

48

55

1

0

One of the best pure defenders who also provides some damage at the plate. Santana is the Young fella on the list at 29 and should be able to add to his numbers over the next few seasons. If he holds his pace he should challenge and be able to climb a little more up the list. He hasn't shown his true power potential yet, but has surely shown he is a hitter and a catcher.

9 J.P. Santiago S9-ACTIVE 3AS 2WS

J.P. Santiago
Seattle
Fainting Goats
Age: 32B/T: S/R
Born: Erlanger, KY
Position(s): C/DH
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Season

Fran

Level

G

AB

R

H

2B

3B

HR

RBI

BB

SO

SB

CS

AVG

OBP

SLG

OPS

Career

Totals

ML

1271

4165

684

1363

244

16

202

803

537

356

6

30

.327

.407

.539

.946

Average

10 seasons

127

416

68

136

24

2

20

80

54

36

1

3

Santiago has been a force the past 7 seasons after coming of age. He has shown hitting prowess at the plate which has shown the potential to be dominant, but has always seem to fade just below the surface. As a catcher he has gone almost unnoticed his whole career playing 2rd or 3rd best in his league. Though those stats have started to stack up and as he continues to play he should easily see a 1500 hit career with 250 HR and a .325 average.

10 Aaron Stone S1-12 4AS 1WS

Aaron Stone
none
none
Age: 37B/T: S/R
Born: Charlotte, NC
Position(s): C/DH
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Season

Fran

Level

G

AB

R

H

2B

3B

HR

RBI

BB

SO

SB

CS

AVG

OBP

SLG

OPS

Career

Totals

ML

1330

3643

728

1219

211

13

273

815

365

449

0

10

.335

.402

.624

1.026

Average

12 seasons

111

303

61

102

18

1

23

68

30

37

0

1

Stone really only had 4 seasons where he was untouchable. His time in Colorado assists in his inclusion on this list. Being part of the biggest baddest hitting lineup in the world wouldn't hurt anyone's stat line. His 4 year total has him batting over .350 with 38 homeruns and 115 RBI. Outside of Colorado his numbers never shined so bright.

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