Dodgers 2015: How Does The New Catching Duo Rank In The NL?
With Ellis remaining on the active roster and Grandal essentially replacing Butera’s void, the Dodgers easily have a better catching duo on paper for the upcoming season. But how do they fare up against the rest of the National League? Let’s take a look at the 2015 Steamer Projections:
Team | Position | Player | Plate Appearances | wRC+ | WAR | Combined WAR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arizona Diamondbacks | C | Tuffy Gosewisch | 362 | 55 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
Gerald Laird | 145 | 70 | 0.2 | |||
Atlanta Braves | C | Christian Bethancourt | 431 | 70 | 0.7 | 1.0 |
A.J. Pierzynski | 185 | 76 | 0.3 | |||
Chicago Cubs | C | Miguel Montero | 418 | 99 | 2.3 | 2.5 |
David Ross | 119 | 72 | 0.2 | |||
Cincinnati Reds | C | Devin Mesoraco | 448 | 110 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
Brayan Pena | 304 | 78 | 0.0 | |||
Colorado Rockies | C | Wilin Rosario | 303 | 106 | 1.1 | 2.0 |
Nick Hundley | 267 | 85 | 0.9 | |||
Los Angeles Dodgers | C | Yasmani Grandal | 429 | 111 | 2.2 | 3.1 |
A.J. Ellis | 198 | 88 | 0.9 | |||
Miami Marlins | C | Jarrod Saltalamacchia | 431 | 88 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
Jeff Mathis | 90 | 52 | 0.0 | |||
Milwaukee Brewers | C | Jonathan Lucroy | 530 | 117 | 3.4 | 3.9 |
Martin Maldonado | 215 | 73 | 0.5 | |||
New York Mets | C | Travis d’Arnaud | 505 | 111 | 2.9 | 3.0 |
Anthony Recker | 75 | 79 | 0.1 | |||
Philadelphia Phillies | C | Carlos Ruiz | 441 | 101 | 2.6 | 2.7 |
Cameron Rupp | 122 | 60 | 0.1 | |||
Pittsburgh Pirates | C | Francisco Cervelli | 365 | 87 | 1.2 | 1.6 |
Chris Stewart | 182 | 75 | 0.4 | |||
San Diego Padres | C | Derek Norris | 474 | 106 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
Wil Nieves | 123 | 58 | 0.0 | |||
San Francisco Giants | C | Buster Posey | 593 | 141 | 6.1 | 6.6 |
Andrew Susac | 152 | 91 | 0.5 | |||
St. Louis Cardinals | C | Yadier Molina | 443 | 110 | 3.8 | 4.0 |
Tony Cruz | 210 | 70 | 0.2 | |||
Washington Nationals | C | Wilson Ramos | 431 | 109 | 3.0 | 3.3 |
Jose Lobaton | 147 | 80 | 0.3 |
Out of the fifteen National League teams, the duo of Grandal and Ellis projects to be the 5th-most productive catching tandem with 3.1 WAR. To put that into perspective, the combination of Ellis and Butera in 2014 resulted in exactly 0.0 WAR (via Baseball Reference), meaning the Dodgers won 94 games with virtually no production from the catcher position.
Interestingly enough, Grandal’s projected 111 wRC+ would be the third best among qualified catchers, only behind Buster Posey and Jonathan Lucroy. He is finally at full health and could have a breakout season, as Mike Petriello of ESPN Insider wrote back in November before the Dodgers even acquired him.
If there is a flaw in Grandal’s game, it’s his inability to throw out baserunners. Last season, his caught stealing percentage was a meager 13%, a small improvement from 8% in 2013. Another downside encountered in 2014 were the twelve passed balls he allowed, a new career high for that matter.
However, Grandal is widely-known as one of the best pitch framers in MLB, ranking 8th-best among MLB catchers in 2014. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman immensely valued that statistic during his tenure as general manager for the Tampa Bay Rays, so it’s no surprise that he wanted to acquire a catcher with this skill set.
Ellis, on the other hand, was ranked the 5th-worst pitch framer last season. On a more positive note, his caught stealing percentage of 25% was a massive upgrade over Grandal, though it dropped from 44% in 2013. He also improved from six passed balls in 2013 to only two in 2014.
Only appearing in 93 games a year ago, Ellis also had the worst offensive showing in his career, posting a .577 OPS with only 12 extra-base hits. Injuries clearly derailed him, though towards the latter months of the season, he started progressing (.846 OPS in 17 postseason plate appearances). With a lighter workload in 2015, Los Angeles is banking on Ellis to stay healthy and rebound from a forgettable 2014 season.
From Grandal’s elite power potential and pitch framing skills to Ellis’ ability to draw walks and familiarity with most of the pitching staff, the new catching core for the Dodgers is something to look forward to for the 2015 season.
Dodgers 2015 Spring Training – A.J. Ellis