Making the Grade: Ranking Catchers in the AL Central

Jul 6, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians catcher Yan Gomes (right) celebrates his two-run home run with right fielder Ryan Raburn (9) in the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The American League Central fields some of the best players in all of baseball and projects to be one of the most competitive divisions in the league this season.

While so much has been made of the elite pitchers that inhabit the division, the AL Central showcases a number of great position players as well – including the other half of the battery, the catchers.

All three 2014 AL Gold Glove award finalist backstops inhabit the division, and the division fields three catchers with at least one All-Star appearance under his belt – Alex Avila, Salvador Perez and Kurt Suzuki. Additionally, the division fields one catcher who is a former top-100 prospect (Tyler Flowers) and another who is a budding star (Yan Gomes).

This piece highlights the elite cast of catchers in the division and ranks them, from 1-5 in reverse order from most productive to least productive.

Next: No. 5

No. 5: Alex Avila / James McCann, Detroit Tigers

Oct 5, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers catcher Alex Avila (13) gets checked on by a team trainer and manager Brad Ausmus (7) after being hit by a foul ball against the Baltimore Orioles during the sixth inning in game three of the 2014 ALDS baseball playoff game at Comerica Park. Avila was removed from the game. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The Tigers are still non-committal about naming Alex Avila their full-time catcher in 2015 – and rightfully so. 

Since his breakout 2011 season, Avila has seen his offensive production regress tremendously. He has had three stints on the disabled list and a whopping 13 day-to-day injuries in that time span, and he is already nursing a sore back in spring training. Last season, Avila hit a measly .218 with just 11 homeruns while striking out 151 times in just 390 at-bats. Avila’s splits are woeful against left-handed pitching, hitting well below the Mendoza line against righties over the last three seasons.

But Avila has always done an exceptional job with the Tigers pitching staff, serving as the catching half of a battery unit that has won two out of the last four Cy Young Awards.

Catching prospect James McCann is likely going to see time in the big leagues, possibly in a platoon role, this season after hitting .295 with seven homeruns and 54 RBIs in Toledo (AAA) last season. McCann, who hits right-handed, should transition into a more permanent role as the season progresses but, for now, this is the least productive catching duo in the division.

Next: No. 4

No. 4: Tyler Flowers, Chicago White Sox

Sep 22, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers (21) throws out Detroit Tigers center fielder Ezequiel Carrera (not pictured) on an attempted butt in the seventh inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

A strong second-half showing has earned Tyler Flowers another crack at solidifying his role as the White Sox everyday catcher in 2015.

Once a top-100 prospect with the Atlanta Braves, Flowers has never been particularly effective from an offensive standpoint. He has a career strikeout rate of about 35 percent and a career batting average hovering around .218.

He did, however, put together a nice post-All-Star break stretch, batting .280 with 10 homeruns and 24 RBIs. That led to the most successful offensive season of his careers, hitting .241 over 127 games. Flowers hit 15 homeruns and drove in 50 runs for the Sox but, as usual, the 29-year-old backstop was plagued by strikeout issues (159 in 2014).

Where Flower excels, however, is in his ability to call a game. And with the presence of Chris Sale, along with the offseason acquisition of Jeff Samardzija, the White Sox look dead set on using their defensive/pitching prowess to capture an AL Central crown.

Next: No. 3

No. 3: Kurt Suzuki, Minnesota Twins

Sep 26, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Minnesota Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki (8) hits a two RBI single in the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Kurt Suzuki was quietly productive in 2014 and made his first All-Star appearance at the age of 30.

The Hawaii-native batted .288 over 131 games in his first season with the Minnesota Twins. Though he was likely not the primary catching target for the Twins last offseason, Suzuki outperformed the other bigger name signings and recorded his best offensive season since 2009.

Questions, though, exist about whether or not Suzuki can sustain his offensive output.

He is a career .257 hitter, so there is no real reason to believe he will continue his 2014 production over another grueling 162 game schedule – especially with the depth of pitching currently residing in the AL Central.

Defensively, Suzuki is a sure-handed backstop with excellent instincts and game-calling ability. He posted a .995 fielding percentage in 2014, committing just four errors in 780 chances. Over his entire eight-year career, Suzuki has just 43 errors to his name in well over 900 games of work.

Next: No. 2

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No. 1: Yan Gomes, Cleveland Indians

Sep 16, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Cleveland Indians catcher Yan Gomes (10) hits a home run during the sixth inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The evolution of Yan Gomes has been absolutely unpredictable. Stunning, really.

Gomes’ emergence in 2013 paved the way for Carlos Santana to make the move to first base. Now entering just his second season with full-time duties, Gomes has impressed both offensively and defensively. He was one of just six catchers in 2014 to hit at least 20 homeruns . He totaled 49 extra base hits, drove in 74 runs and batted .278 over 135 games. Gomes was especially effective with runners on base last season, hitting .298 with 62 RBIs, and excelled with runners in scoring position, going 35-for-121 on the season.

All of those traits make Gomes an excellent candidate to hit between two left-handed batters near the middle of the Tribe order in 2014, as the Brazilian-born backstop absolutely tortures southpaws at the dish, posting a slash line of .331 / .361 / .517 against lefties last season.

Gomes finished second in the AL in homeruns and RBIs and won the AL Silver Slugger award for catchers after the season.

Following an offseason extension in 2013, Gomes also proved to be a strong defender behind the plate. He is an excellent blocker, and a better framer. He has one of the strongest arms in the major leagues from behind the dish, nailing down 29 percent (27-for-93) of all attempted base stealers in 2014. It was the second highest percentage in the AL behind Brian McCann of the Yankees.

While there are certainly holes in his game, as evidenced by the 14 errors he made last season, Gomes is undoubtedly the most productive catcher in the AL Central.