Orioles: 2016 AL East Positional Catcher Rankings
By Nate Wardle
5. Tampa Bay Rays – Curt Casali, Hank Conger, Luke Maile, Bobby Wilson
In my preseason rankings, I remarked that the Rays had little to go with at catcher, and not much changed.
Rene Rivera, their leader in games in 2015, is terrible offensively, and did not play a game in the majors in 2016.
Casali and Conger started a total of 100 games, and each hit under .200. Casali did have 8 HR, 10 2Bs, 25 RBIs, 23 runs, and a 36 percent rate of throwing out attempted base stealers.
Conger, known for his offense, could only throw out 19 percent of potential stealers, and he was demoted in early July.
Bobby Wilson, another guy known as an offensive catcher, only threw out 13 percent of runners after being acquired around the trade deadline.
Maile was called up when Conger was sent down, and while he hit under .230, he may have showed more than anyone else for the Rays.
The position continued to be a black hole for the Rays, as they were unable to find someone who is a capable hitter but also able to catch all the young pitchers. Maybe, just maybe, Maile is the man for the job, as he is the youngest of the four as well.