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Orioles: 2016 AL East Positional Catcher Rankings

By Nate Wardle

Oct 2, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez (24) bats against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez (24) bats against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sandy Leon
October 6, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon (3) hits a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Cleveland Indians during game one of the 2016 ALDS playoff baseball game at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Boston Red Sox – Sandy Leon, Christian Vasquez, Ryan Hanigan, Bryan Holaday (prediction: 4th, Blake Swihart, Hanigan, Vasquez, Leon)

If anyone says they saw this coming, well then I want to know who will win the 2020 World Series.

Before 2016, Sandy Leon had a career average below .200. That is why, in my preview I remarked that he was always known for his defense, but did have some pop at the plate and wondered if he could supplant Hanigan.

So, of course in 2016 he hit .310 in 78 games, with a line of .310/.369/.476 and 7 HRs, 17 2Bs, 35 RBIs, 36 runs. It was a fantastic year offensively for Leon, who became the catcher of choice partly due to injury, and partly due to his play.

Leon has always been good defensively, albeit in limited appearances, and caught 41 percent of runners attempting to steal. So, for about $500K, the Red Sox had a very good catcher in Leon, both offensively and defensively.

Vasquez did alright for the Red Sox, although certainly did not live up to his hype. Blake Swihart, who I expected to be the starter, got hurt and only appeared in a few games.

Both Hanigan and Holoday were terrible offensively, which seemed to be a theme for the backup catchers in the AL East, both hitting below .200. However, the strong season by Leon and the ability of Swihart to be a reasonable backup, moved the Red Sox up to number one.

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