Dodgers of the Decade: Catcher
December 27, 2009 at 9:34 am | Posted in Chad Kreuter, Dave Ross, Paul LoDuca, Russell Martin | 22 CommentsIt’s been a hell of a decade, no? When the 2000 Dodgers took the field, Davey Johnson was the manager, with Kevin Malone still in the GM box. You want to know how long ago that was? The first Dodger game of the 2000s was played in a city that doesn’t even have a team any more (Montreal), with Devon White leading off. Devon White! Clayton Kershaw had just recently turned 12 years old that day.
This was a decade that saw 4 managers, 4 general managers, and 2 owners. We’re still batting .000 on the owners, aren’t we? It saw ups (9 seasons over .500, 4 playoff appearances and 2 series wins, after a 1990s that saw zero playoff wins) and downs (91 losses in 2005, more than their share of on- and off-the-field controversy). So it’s time to look back and build the all-decade team for the Dodgers. Should I have started this before December 27? Well, probably. Blame that pesky day job, I suppose. I’m also aware that this is somewhat of a hackneyed gimmick, but I’m also aware that there’s just not going to be much real Dodger news until spring training starts, so we might as well take advantage of the downtime while we can.
We’re going to include all candidates who played 100 games at a position during the decade. I’ll include traditional stats, but also WAR (Wins Above Replacement). We’re using the WAR from baseballprojection.com since FanGraphs doesn’t go back before 2002. I’ll include offense and defensive stats, but not for catcher since defensive stats are so unreliable there.
Let’s start off with catcher, where we have four eligible candidates but only really two with a shot. At first, this seems like a slam dunk, but…
Russell Martin (570 games, 2006-09)
Dodger stats: .276/.368/.407 .775 49 hr 274 rbi
WAR: 10.8
Paul LoDuca (546 games, 2000-04)
Dodger stats: .290/.344/.433 .777 54 hr 263 rbi
WAR: 11.4
Chad Kreuter (194 games, 2000-02)
Dodger stats: .245/.378/.392 .770 14 hr 57 rbi
WAR: 3.8
Pending lawsuits against former teammates: one
Fights against fans during games: one
Dave Ross (118 games, 2002-04)
Dodger stats: .207/.292/.411 .703 16 hr 35 rbi
WAR: 0.7
Top three seasons
5.0 WAR LoDuca, 2001
4.2 WAR Martin, 2007
3.6 WAR Martin, 2008
I have to say, I’m suprised at how close Martin and LoDuca are here. Their stats are nearly identical, and LoDuca has the slight edge in WAR. I suppose Martin’s stats are dragged down by the fact that even though he was great from mid-2006 to mid-2008, he’s been pretty awful ever since then. Clearly this doesn’t show up in the stats, but LoDuca also contributed value in another way – by being part of the deal that brought Brad Penny to LA, and Penny put up a few good seasons as a Dodger. LoDuca was one of the more beloved Dodgers at the time of his trade, though I think it’s safe to say that opinion of him has fallen somewhat since his naming in the Mitchell Report.
One other thing that stands out? Look at the years these catchers played in Dodger blue. You have the catcher for the first half of the decade, LoDuca, and his two primary backups. Then you have the man for the second half, Martin. There’s only one season in which none of these four guys were a Dodger, and that’s 2005. What, no love in the stats for Jason Phillips, Paul Bako, and Mike Rose? God, that year was an abortion. Let’s never speak of it again.
It’s up to you, friends. Who’s your Dodger catcher of the 00s?
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As much as it disappoints me, I had to vote for Martin. Martin is the epitome of untapped potential. Either through overuse or hitting a wall, Martin has become Paul LoDuca after his one great season. At least Martin has some upside, what we got with LoDuca was all he was going to be.
Of course, I never had any love for LoDuca. He was a PR guy’s dream and each aspect of his game was magnified as better than it was because of where he came from and what he “had” to overcome. IMO, he was nothing more than a photo op junkie who became the poster boy for the overrated. But, Martin is well on his way to the same fate if he doesn’t figure out that he could be victim of the same fate as LoDuca – journeyman catcher on a one year deal.
Comment by grabarkewitz — December 27, 2009 #
At least this one has some drama, as does 1B. 2B, SS, 3B are all going to be slam dunks.
Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness — December 27, 2009 #
That F the Dodgers comment stays with me as well.
Comment by Table — December 27, 2009 #
i just wanna know who voted for Chad Krueter. That’s some sense of humor.
Comment by bluetrain — December 27, 2009 #
I definitely thought Martin would win, but I’m kind of surprised at how big his lead is right now.
Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness — December 27, 2009 #
I was a big LoDuca fan in the day. But the revelations of his steriod use, plus the information that he was essentially traded by the dodgers to keep him from doping the whole makes me pretty much hate him more than any player in baseball history. You wanna shrink your nuts, grow backne and die of kidney failure? Fine. Leave Matt Herges and F.P. Santangelo alone.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-dodgers14dec14,0,1338262.story
Comment by Mike Sharperson Lives! — December 27, 2009 #
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