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In just over a month, pitchers and catchers will report to the first ever Spring Training for the Miami Marlins. I do not know about you guys, but I am suffering through baseball withdrawal currently. I cannot wait to see the new look Marlins take the field. With all of our off season additions, it will be very exciting to see what the team can do in 2012.
I know it may seem early, but today I will be starting an NL East preview series. Every day, I compare each teams players at each position. Today we are starting off with the catching position. We will take a look at each players projections for the 2012 season. I will then open a poll to allow you guys to vote for who you feel is the best catcher in the NL East.
Before we get started, let us take a look at each NL East team and who their starting catcher will be in 2012:
- Atlanta Braves: Brian McCann
- Miami Marlins: John Buck
- New York Mets: Josh Thole
- Philadelphia Phillies: Carlos Ruiz
- Washington Nationals: Wilson Ramos
Brian McCann
| Projection | PA | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | WAR | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill James | 578 | .276 | .360 | .484 | .357 | 3.9 | 24 |
| Roto Champ | 566 | .272 | .360 | .465 | .354 | 3.7 | 23 |
| Fans | 754 | .280 | .363 | .458 | .355 | 5.0 | 22 |
John Buck
| Projection | PA | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | WAR | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill James | 482 | .239 | .309 | .409 | .308 | 1.7 | 17 |
| Roto Champ | 450 | .240 | .316 | .398 | .311 | 1.7 | 15 |
| Fans | 518 | .241 | .306 | .383 | .301 | 1.8 | 15 |
Josh Thole
| Projection | PA | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | WAR | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill James | 428 | .278 | .353 | .369 | .316 | 1.9 | 3 |
| Roto Champ | 383 | .291 | .371 | .365 | .326 | 2.2 | 3 |
| Fans | 485 | .275 | .352 | .360 | .317 | 2.5 | 5 |
Carlos Ruiz
| Projection | PA | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | WAR | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill James | 497 | .271 | .360 | .400 | .327 | 3.1 | 9 |
| Roto Champ | 454 | .271 | .366 | .385 | .329 | 2.6 | 7 |
| Fans | 509 | .275 | .362 | .373 | .324 | 3.2 | 7 |
Wilson Ramos
| Projection | PA | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | WAR | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill James | 425 | .267 | .317 | .431 | .321 | 2.7 | 13 |
| Roto Champ | 387 | .263 | .333 | .449 | .335 | 2.9 | 14 |
| Fans | 516 | .270 | .327 | .421 | .324 | 3.3 | 14 |
According to these projections, we can draw this:
- Brian McCann
- Carlos Ruiz
- Wilson Ramos
- Josh Thole
- John Buck
The Braves have the clear advantage in the catching department. Carlos Ruiz and Wilson Ramos are very close to each other. Josh Thole has a slight advantage over John Buck for last place in the catching department.