The lost art of throwing out runners could get worse.
It still lives with Detroit’s Ivan Rodriguez, who had thrown out 54.5 percent of runners (25 stolen bases, 30 caught stealing) heading into the weekend.
Part-time Giants catcher Yorvit Torrealba has thrown out 54.0 percent (10 stolen bases, 10 caught stealing).
But some of the other numbers are dreadful. You won’t get much worse than Oakland’s Jason Kendall, who has had 83 bases stolen on him and has caught only 16 runners (16.1 percent).
An American League scout who focuses on catchers said, “Overall, Pudge is No. 1 and Jason Varitek is 1A. Defensively, [Rodriguez] is still clearly the best. The weight he’s lost, the 1.8 seconds [throwing] to second base. Easily the best.”
Rodriguez is an interesting case, because the 11-time Gold Glove winner had fallen to 28.6 percent and 32.2 percent the previous two years after years of being 50 percent-plus.
More Top Picks How Much Screen Time Is Too Much For A Childs Eyes
“I’ve always liked to throw the ball,” Rodriguez said. “Throwing runners out is very important to me. A lot is tied in to your pitchers holding runners well on base, but you have some control over that too.”
In Boston’s case, the Red Sox don’t want their pitchers to lose concentration on the batter, even if it means a runner may steal, which makes Varitek’s number suffer in this area. While having one of the best offensive seasons among catchers in years, he has thrown out only 16 runners and allowed 52 to steal (23.5 percent), to go along with five passed balls.
“It’s an offensive position now,” the scout said. “At least it is in the American League. There are guys on the bench who are better catch-and-throw guys than the starters. [Doug] Mirabelli, for instance, can catch, receive and throw with anyone, but he can’t hit, so he’s a backup.”
Up there in the respectable area are Minnesota’s Joe Mauer at 40.8 percent (20 of 49) and Texas’ Rod Barajas at 38.8 percent (21 of 54).
The Cubs’ Michael Barrett was at 25.0 percent (19 of 76), and the White Sox’s A.J. Pierzynski was at 24.1 percent (21 of 87).
On the lower end are Cleveland’s Victor Martinez at 21.7 percent (23 of 106) and Baltimore’s Sal Fasano at 15.8 percent (6 of 38).
The scout believes Mauer, when healthy, will be the new Rodriguez. But he spent two months on the disabled list with a torn knee cartilage from April 7-June 2 last season. He came back for six weeks but was then on the DL the rest of the season.