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Angels Expectations by Position: Catcher

By Mike Greyshock |
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Aug 23, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) slides against Los Angeles Angels catcher Chris Iannetta (17) during the sixth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Aside from second base, the Angels are confidently set with who will be starting at each position. Over the course of the next few weeks I’ll be examining what kind of production we should expect from the each position and how the depth chart looks behind them. To begin we’ll examine the most demanding of positions, catcher.

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Catchers have the most physically and mentally taxing of positions. Aside from crouching for hours behind the plate and routinely getting beat-up by foul tipped balls, they have the responsibility to be involved with every pitch of the game and intelligently call pitches to fool batters. More so than any other player, except pitchers who only do it every five days, catchers have to study gobs scouting information in-between games. These demands add up over the course of a season and the days of seeing catchers be expected to start every game are over. A primary catcher and regular backup are needed on every team.

Chris Iannetta is the no doubt primary catcher this season for the Angels, just as he has been for the past three. He’s

Aug 7, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels catcher Chris Iannetta (17) at bat in the fifth inning of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

been around for some time and we’ve been given a good basis for what to expect.

Last year he caught 108 games and saw 373 plate appearances. Those numbers are right in line with the year before and what should be expected for any primary backstop. Last season, Iannetta produced his second best offensive season ever. He hit .252 but did so with a career high BABIP of .329. His power numbers were down with only 7 HR but he’s not expected to produce much there. Iannetta’s trademark skill is his eye. He led all AL catchers last season with a .373 OBP and saw a terrific 4.01 pitchers per plate appearance.

On the defensive side, his throwing out would-be-base stealers was at a career best 30%. His career average is 25% and that puts him right at average as a catcher. One area he has never been very good at is in his pitch framing skills. This was his former partners (Hank Conger) area of expertise. Conger last season was rated at creating 2.21 extra strikes per game due to his framing. Iannetta would lose his pitchers 0.41 strikes. In one game, that may seem a small number but over the course of 100 games that’s 41 balls that should have been a strike. At some point that will create a hit or walk that hurts the team.

What to Expect

Iannetta is overall a good catcher. One we should be happy is part of the team. Given he’ll be turning 32 in April some regression could be in store but not too much. Steamer projects him to play in 105 games while seeing a decline in his batting average to .224 and an OBP of .339. The declines are mostly due to his high BABIP last year coming in line with his career number of .283. Given his age I have a hard time expecting more from him than that but don’t expect any less either.

On defense we’ll see a catcher who in most ways grades out at about average. Base runners can’t go wild on him but will nab their fair share of bags. And while it’s tougher to see from a fans perspective he will cost his pitchers some strikes. Returning Angels pitchers know Iannetta well and that comfort level will be nice to have given the backup position will go to unfamiliar faces.

Next: The Backups

Feb 28, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Angels catcher Jett Bandy (98) jogs to home plate a home run with teammates in the eighth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Tempe Diablo Stadium. The Los Angeles Angels won the game 15-3. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The Potential Backups

Only one of the following catchers will earn the backup spot going into the season but I expect all three to see some time their over the course of the season unless Drew Butera is released to clear up a forty man roster spot.

First up we’ll look at Butera. In many ways he may remind fans of Jeff Mathis. Yes, you may have just experienced a chill down your spine at thinking Scioscia has found himself another weak hitting backstop to continually run out behind the dish. In five seasons Butera owns a line of .183/.239/.268. Maybe we can DH for him instead of the pitcher. 

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Why would the Halos trade for this hole in the lineup? The same reason Mathis is a long employed backstop. His defense is very good. A good pitch framer, who based off last years stats, will gain his pitchers 0.6 strikes per game over Ianetta and will throw out about 33% of base stealers. He’s maintained employment over the past 5 years because clubs recognize the value in a defensive catcher and us fans should not forget that value either.

Thankfully, the veteran Butera will be facing stiff competition from two young players in Spring Training, Carlos Perez and Jett Bandy.

Carlos Perez, 24, was aquired from Huston in the Conger trade and has some good upside for a backup catcher. He has never appeared in the big leagues and owns a .277/.359/.393 line in seven minor league season. He went on a

Feb 21, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Houston Astros catcher Carlos Perez (76) poses for a picture during photo day at Osceola County Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

tear this winter while playing in the Venezuelan League hitting .331/.368/.507. If those numbers translate to spring training he’d be a shoo-in for the backup job.

Scouts praise his defensive capabilities noting good movement behind the plate to go along with a quick release and strong arm. If he can find a way to be near average with the bat he’ll be an excellent backup and possible future replacement for Ianetta.

Another possible future starting catcher is the angels prospect also in the running for best name in the organization (Bo Way is the other), Jett Bandy. The Arkansas Travelers are where promising Angels bats go to die. Dickey-Stevens Park is rated as the most offensively oppressive park in the difficult Texas League. So when Jett Bandy went there and increased his power, BA and OBP it’s a feat to be aware of. Power is the best part of Bandy’s offense as shown by his 13 HR in only 93 games in the Texas League last season.

Bandy has always been known for a strong arm and when he gunned down a whopping 40% of wannabe base stealers in AA last season we understand he’s the real deal capable of shutting down a teams running game.

Halo Hangout staff writer Trey Hannula did an excellent profile of the battle between Perez and Bandy and delves deeper into their potential offerings. At the time of his writing Carlos Perez was yet to display his strong Winter League numbers which have swayed me to lean a bit towards the more experienced Perez but the backup catcher role will ultimately be decided in a couple months when Butera, Perez and Bandy face some major league talent in Arizona.

In Conclusion — Barring injury or trade, fans will see about 2/3’s of the games started by Chris Ianetta. He’ll be a slightly below average defensive catcher with an above average bat supported mainly by his exceptional eye producing a strong OBP. The backup role will go to a strong defensive catcher. If that’s Butera we’ll cringe every time he’s at the plate and if it’s Perez or Bandy we’ll see if they can translate their offensive potential to the show. At some point expect both Bandy and Perez to extend their battle to the Majors this season. Hopefully the two of them will show enough to take over all catching duties after Ianetta’s contract is up at the end the year.

All-in-all the Angels look set with a catching corps capable of being quite good given the standards set by the league.

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