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The AL has been better for awhile (see: interleague record, World Series, All-Star games). But Dayn Perry says that may soon change.

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Young backstops will stack up with past greats

by Dayn Perry

Dayn Perry is a frequent contributor to FOXSports.com and author of the new book, "Winners: How Good Baseball Teams Become Great Ones" (Available now at Amazon.com).

Updated: May 11, 2008, 4:17 PM EST 30 comments

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The catcher position is, without debate, the most grueling and demanding one in baseball.

Those wearing the tools must control the running game, call pitches, frame those pitches, block balls in the dirt, track pop-ups, and function as captain of the infield.

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Oh, and then you must to be able to hit major-league pitching in your spare time. And that's all while doing, oh, 150-odd squats per game and, thanks to foul tips and short-hopped breaking balls, sustaining levels of physical abuse that normally require a zippered mask and a safe word. In other words, it takes oodles of fortitude, toughness, and talent to be a catcher.

It so happens that right now we're blessed with a number of catchers who meet all those requirements and then some. In fact, it's worth pondering whether baseball is on the cusp of a new "golden age" of catchers. The 1920s and '30s gave us Mickey Cochrane, Bill Dickey, Gabby Hartnett and Ernie Lombardi. The '50s gave us Yogi Berra and Roy Campanella. The '70s gave us Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, Thurman Munson, and Gene Tenace. The '90s gave us Ivan Rodriguez and Mike Piazza.

These days, of course, the names and styles are different, but the current era, by the time it draws to a close, may compare favorably to any other period in baseball history when it comes to excellence at the catcher position.

Consider the number of very good-to-excellent catchers, age 25 and under, who are now excelling at the highest level — Russell Martin of the Dodgers, Joe Mauer of the Twins, Brian McCann of the Braves, Yadier Molina of the Cardinals, and Geovany Soto of the Cubs. Now consider the merits of each:

Russell Martin: Last season, Martin won the Silver Slugger and made the All-Star team. This season, he's sixth in the NL in OBP and playing his customarily excellent defense. He's got the skills — both at the plate and behind it — and his athleticism, speed and work habits all mean he should be able maintain a high level of performance for quite a while.

Joe Mauer: Provided he stays healthy, he's the best catcher in baseball. Mauer boasts a career batting line of .315 AVG/.395 OBP/.458 SLG, and in 2006 he became the only AL catcher in history to win a batting title. Of course, he's also excellent defensively. As catchers go, Mauer is the complete player in the game.

Brian McCann: The 24-year-old McCann has a career SLG of .496, and this season he's slugging .540 and on pace for 83 extra-base hits. Offensively, he's got the most upside of any active catcher. Also, if you look at Similarity Scores, which measure statistical likenesses among hitters, you'll find that McCann's most similar hitter through age 23 is none other than Hall of Famer Tony Lazzeri.

Yadier Molina: By some measures, Molina is already the best defensive catcher in the game today. For his career, he's thrown out a hefty 44.3 percent of would-be base stealers, and he's regarded as a skilled handler of pitchers. Offensively, he's also evolving. Molina's numbers have shown a steady upward trend, and he's having his finest offensive season to date. Cardinals fans will always think highly of him for his legendary performance in the 2006 postseason.

Geovany Soto for MVP? If he keeps up these numbers, maybe. (Doug Pensinger / Getty Images)

Geovany Soto: You saw Soto touted in this space as the Rookie of the Year favorite in the NL. He's lived up to that and then some. His power is for real, and he's wasted no time in adapting to the highest level. At this writing, Soto is hitting .349 AVG/.442 OBP/.651 SLG and is on target for 31 homers and 67 doubles. Obviously, he's not likely to maintain such a pace, but he could still find himself in the NL MVP discussion this season. Soto's the real thing.

Of course, that's not all. Don't forget 25-and-under catchers like J.R. Towles of the Astros, Kurt Suzuki of the A's, Jeff Clement of the Mariners, Dioner Navarro of the Rays, Jarrod Saltalamacchia of the Rangers, and Chris Iannetta of the Rockies. Each has strong potential and could find himself on the above list in short order.

Then you've got gifted minor-league backstops on the way like Matt Wieters of the Orioles, Bryan Anderson of the Cardinals, Taylor Teagarden of the Rangers, and Hank Conger of the Angels (that's to say nothing of current Angels backstop MIke Napoli, who's leading the AL in home runs and, at 26, just misses the age cutoff for this discussion).

Want to plumb deeper depths? Well, Buster Posey of Florida State could be the first overall pick of the June draft, and not surprisingly, he's got a cannon arm behind the plate and loads of offensive promise. So there's one more.

All the names and numbers are provided in the service of this point: It's a growth economy for catchers these days. It's of course too soon to declare that the years ahead will constitute another golden age for the position, but the talent required is certainly in place. If even a handful of these guys lives up to the press clippings, then a golden age it will be.

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