Wilson Ramos is Already the Rays Best Catcher Ever (Maybe)
Let’s play a game. Below are some prominent catchers from the last 20 years. All you have to do is match them with their team.* Here we go!
Ok, you’re wondering why Toby Hall is on a list with four legitimate Hall of Fame candidates. He really does belong, though. Each of these players is the greatest catcher in their team’s recent history. (Emphasis on recent. Relax Yankees fans.) (Also, man, remember Toby Hall?)
Hall played for Tampa Bay when they were still the Devil Rays from 2000-2006. He was a well-regarded defensive catcher who hit .262/.298/.382 with the franchise. His wRC+ was only 81, which is 19% below league average, but only slightly below average for catchers. All told, he compiled 4.0 fWAR for the franchise.
Sorry, Rays fans, but that kind of sucks! Sure, Hall was a nice player. But that’s the best they could do in 20 years?!? Some of the other Tampa Bay catching luminaries include John Flaherty (.252/.289./.365 over 471 games), Dioner Navarro (.243/.300/.352 over 458 games), and Jose Molina (.213/.271/.286 over 281 games).
Clearly, the bar for current Rays catcher Wilson Ramos is pretty low. After injuries limited his first season in Tampa Bay last year, he’s off to a .289/.337/.443 start to 2018. His 118 wRC+ leads all American League catchers. He’s also the leading candidate to start the All-Star Game, especially since Gary Sanchez, who never hits triples, just landed on the DL. The only other All-Star catcher in Tampa Bay history was Navarro in 2008.
Despite just two half seasons in Tampa Bay, Ramos is already among the best catchers in franchise history. Here’s the fWAR leaderboard:
| Name | PA | wRC+ | BsR | Off | Def | WAR |
| Toby Hall | 2198 | 77 | -22.3 | -87.1 | 51.7 | 4.0 |
| John Jaso | 903 | 109 | -7.5 | 2.3 | -3.5 | 3.0 |
| Mike DiFelice | 870 | 69 | -0.2 | -35.6 | 24.1 | 1.8 |
| John Flaherty | 1802 | 66 | -2.8 | -83.7 | 36.7 | 1.6 |
| Jose Lobaton | 547 | 89 | -3.7 | -10.5 | 7.0 | 1.5 |
| Kelly Shoppach | 440 | 79 | -0.4 | -11.3 | 10.8 | 1.5 |
| Wilson Ramos | 476 | 106 | -9.4 | -6.4 | 3.8 | 1.4 |
Time for a little perspective: the highest single season fWAR by any catcher over the last 20 years is 7.6, which is a tie between 2009 Joe Mauer and 2012 Buster Posey. The best two catchers Tampa Bay ever had combine for just 7.0 fWAR in more than 3000 PA! Mauer/Posey level catchers only come around so often, but frankly, this is embarrassing.
Anyway, back to Ramos. He’s in 7th place on the fWAR list, but he’s a good week away from 4th. If he continues playing well in the second half of 2018, he’ll finish the season in 3rd. On a rate basis, Ramos fares even better. Here’s the franchise leaders for fWAR/600 PA (minimum 250 PA):
| Name | PA | WAR | WAR/600 PA |
| Kelly Shoppach | 440 | 1.5 | 2.05 |
| John Jaso | 903 | 3 | 1.99 |
| Wilson Ramos | 476 | 1.4 | 1.76 |
| Jose Lobaton | 547 | 1.5 | 1.65 |
| Jesus Sucre | 275 | 0.6 | 1.31 |
Shoppach is the best Rays catcher ever on a rate basis, but Jaso is probably the best combination of quality and playing time. However, Ramos is well within striking distance. He’s set to hit free agency after this season, so he’ll have to ramp up his production or sign an extension to surpass Jaso as the best catcher in team history.
Perhaps the most interesting name on this leaderboard is Sucre. Excusing the small sample size, he’s the 5th best Rays catcher of all time on a rate basis. This is noteworthy because he’s the current backup to Ramos! The Rays are in the middle of a catching renaissance! Unlike Ramos, Sucre isn’t eligible for free agency until 2021. If he claims the starting job after Ramos departs (let’s be honest, the Rays don’t sign good baseball players), perhaps he’ll surpass all of his catching predecessors.
In 2008, the Rays selected Tim Beckham with the 1st overall pick of the amateur draft. Four picks later, the Giants drafted Posey. Hindsight is 20/20 of course, but the 20-year failure of the franchise to find a decent catcher finally ends with Ramos (and Sucre!). He’s no Molina brother, but he’s easily one of the best they’ve ever had.
-Daniel R. Epstein
*The quiz answers are: Posada- Yankees, Posey- Giants, Mauer- Twins, Hall- (Devil) Rays, Molina- Cardinals. But you knew that already!
