What's the Most Important Position In Baseball?
by Jesse on Dec 1, 2010 1:50 PM EST
in Opinion
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PrintOther participants: Twins Target, K-Bro Baseball, Common Man & Bill's Platoon Advantage, Off the Mark and at Knuckleballs you can catch Captial Babs and Jim Crikket.
On Monday a bit of a Twitter conversation broke out between four or five different parties. Andrew Kneeland asked which position in baseball is most important, to which I immediately replied "General Manager". He was writing for a specific assignment however, and his idea was that the answer had to be a position on the field. My new answer was: "Catcher".
What makes this question such a fun one to talk about was that it was open for a bit of interpretation. From the outset, when I answered "General Manager", I interpreted the question to mean which position in the sport. But you could also interpret as which position is the most important in a single game or the most important over the course of a season or if you were building from the groun-up which position would you choose? Maybe for you, they’re all the same answer.
My answer is defined by the conversation I had with Andrew, which was the latter option. What seemed to be the deciding factor for him at the time was my comment "The cream at the top [of the catcher position] is much thinner than [any other position]".
Why else would I choose catcher over anyone else? Read on after the jump.
1. As a catcher, you need to know everything about everyone at all times.
You hear it all the time: Catchers are a manager on the field. And as cliché as it is, it’s true…and not just when the guy gets out of the crouch and jogs out to the mound in the middle of another meltdown.
A catcher needs to know each hitter in every lineup and on the bench. He needs to know what they like, when they like it and where they like it. Sure, the starting pitcher needs to know this too, but he only needs to use that knowledge once every five days. A starting catcher needs to put that knowledge to use four or five times a week, and that includes the pitcher’s day…or inning.
A catcher needs to know each of his pitchers as well. How does he feel, which pitches are working, does he bounce his curveball, can he put the fastball where we need it, how can we use what he has to beat this hitter, what can I do to keep him under control…the list can go on. The catcher needs to know the pitcher just as well, if not better than, the pitcher knows himself. It’s why certain pitchers and catchers develop an affinity for each other.
On top of that a catcher needs to know how his defense is positioned, what its strengths are, and then needs to put all of these things together in order to jive with what the manager wants and what the game situation dictates.
2. Catcher is the most physically demanding position in the game.
It just is, and it’s not even close. The hell a pitcher goes through on his arm, and I won’t argue that it’s not hell because it is, is matched by the times a catcher has to crouch, stand up, crouch, stand up, crouch, stand up…
If anyone doubts this, simulate a game in your living room or bedroom later. For ten minutes, crouch for 15 seconds, stand up for 10 seconds, then crouch again for 15. Then take a ten minute break. Then do that again seven more times. Then imagine if you had to do that 130 more times over the next six months. If you think you’re in shape, that will test you.
3. A catcher must be talented enough to at least hit .200.
Even the most talented defensive catchers still need to get a hit sometimes. All that strategy and planning and tactical information running through your mind about having to catch against Boston’s 3-4-5 hitter’s to lead off the next inning? Forget about it. 100% of your focus needs to be right here, right now. At all times.
4. The catcher has to be a diplomat.
Protect the pitcher by talking to the umpire, expanding your pitcher’s strike zone without expanding your own, framing pitches and making it look good, harass opposing batters without getting thrown out, negotiating a pitcher’s meltdown to get everyone through the inning, letting a pitcher know he’s done without fracturing his ego more than absolutely necessary…
5. There are fewer good, all-around catchers than good, all-around players at any other position.
Corner outfielders and hitting first basemen are a dime a dozen. Nobody will argue that the DH is the most important position on the field. Good center fielders, middle infielders and third baseman are even easier to find than a good catcher. Joe Mauer, Brian McCann, Carlos Ruiz, Buster Posey, Matt Wieters, Geovany Soto, Carlos Santana...how deep can you go? Not very. Even in that short list you're crossing the line between potential and a player that can deliver year after year.
Those are my arguments. Who do you like and what are yours?
I'll add links to around the Blogosphere as I collate them...
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Go down the defensive spectrum
In decreasing importance:
C – SS – 2B – 3B – CF – RF – LF – 1B – DH
Though for some reason there are always more good 2B available than good 3B.
Center fielder comes before 3B, IIRC.
Formerly known as "Andersklasen."
Check out the best Twins' blog on the web: TwinsTarget.com.
I'd put them adhead of 2B, too
C – SS – CF – 2B – 3B – RF – LF – P – 1B
I do happen to think that pitcher’s fielding is more important than a first baseman, especially in the NL.
-Flip
In difficulty, yes
In scarcity, no. CF is slightly easier to find because you can use people who throw lefthanded. CF and 3B have swapped places throughout the history of baseball.
Dunno if that is true
You can use lefties, but those are relatively rare, and you also need a CFer to have far more natural speed and general athleticism than is required at any other position, which is a far rarer trait, I’d say.
"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane
Lefties are not rare in baseball
The platoon advantage helps lefties so much that they show up much more often in baseball. Unfortunately lefties can’t play 3B. The positions are really close in scarcity and it wobbles back and forth by era which is harder to find.
C - P - SS - 2B - CF - 3B - RF - LF - 1B - DH
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
This would be mine as well.
Even if pitchers are only out there every five days, damn, that’s gotta be rough on that 5th day.
俳句！
by fischean on Dec 1, 2010 4:54 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Ditto...
And I’d add that ACE level pitching is about as important as anything if you’re winning a title. It’s very, very rare that a team wins a World Series without a top ace in their rotation.
Flukes like the Angels/WhiteSox spring to mind, but those are rare.
DOGGY STYLE
that way we can both watch the action.
and you can put it on the boaaaaaard YES, HELL YES
Let me play devil's advocate.
Yeah, being a catcher is the most defensively demanding position (especially the crouching part…ugh). But the hardest thing about baseball isn’t defense, it’s offense. Hitting major league pitches is the toughest thing in sports, and all that. First base is the most offensively demanding position and therefore the most important to fill. Even being an average first baseman requires being elite at the most challenging thing ballplayers have to do.
That's assuming any other position should be given a pass...
offensively. Other than pitcher, I’ve never subscribed to that position. I don’t think a Mendoza line hitter at any position should be an every day player (again, expect pitcher).
by Shawn Gillogly on Dec 1, 2010 2:51 PM EST up reply actions
Or Nick Punto
Formerly known as "Andersklasen."
Check out the best Twins' blog on the web: TwinsTarget.com.
But, for the sake of argument...
First base is also one of the easiest positions to fill. So shouldn’t a teams’ priorities be placed elsewhere, to more important positions?
Formerly known as "Andersklasen."
Check out the best Twins' blog on the web: TwinsTarget.com.
Backwards Logic
The only thing offensively demanding about first base is that its the easiest defensive position to field… so almost everyone is in the pool of prospective first basemen.
Say you have an extra great-hitting player at another position and no decent first basement. The extra player could play 1B in the short term.
I guess if that's not part of the equation then the question is just:
What’s the hardest defensive position? I take it more as: If you could start a team with one elite player at any position, which would you take.
re: “The only thing offensively demanding about first base is that its the easiest defensive position to field… so almost everyone is in the pool of prospective first basemen.”
Yeah, that’s the “only thing” that makes it offensively demanding—isn’t that enough? That’s exactly why elite first basemen are so valuable. They have to be better hitters than everybody.
But they're really easy to find
There are always a dozen or so elite bats at 1B/DH. Elite first basemen really aren’t that valuable. The exception is if you can find a first baseman who can hit with the best of them and has a terrific glove. Since 1B has so many chances to screw up it has a higher overall defensive value than LF or RF. A 1B that can really field can gain more defensive value relative to average than a LF or RF who are really good fielders. This is because the 1B is involved on many plays and LF/RF are involved in few. There’s just one Albert Pujols right now.
I think that I’d have to go with a shortstop. A great all-around SS is worth more than the C just because the SS can play every day while the catcher is going to require a backup 20% of the time no matter how good he is.
SS vs C...does it even out?
A catcher usually has more days off each year, but every time he’s on the field he doesn’t get a play off. While a shortstop (and any position) is always aware of what’s happening on the field, they’re not always involved. A catcher isn’t just involved in every play, they’re involved in every pitch.
the question is what is the most important position
not who is the most important player. so the starting pitcher, as a position, is of course most important.
and you can put it on the boaaaaaard YES, HELL YES
I think he makes a terrific point...
Best starting pitcher in the league with the worst catcher in the league still wins you the game most of the time. Worst pitcher in the league with the best catcher in the league still loses you the game most of the time. As long as the catcher is competent to catch pitches, the pitches he catches are more important than his catching most of the time.
The catcher may be a more important player given the depth of his required knowledge and the physical demands, and starting catcher may be the most important roster slot, but there’s certainly a great argument for “pitcher” as the most important position overall.
"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
So wait, for any single game, you don't think the starting pitcher is the most important for either team?
"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane
C'mon, that's moving the fenceposts
That’s not what the question was. It was “If you were building from the ground-up which position would you choose?”
An ace pitcher can only pitch every 5th day. That makes a huge difference.
Maybe it's just how you define it,
but I’d say by definition there aren’t a dozen elite first basemen. Elite is going to be the best 1 or 2 players at the position. Pujols and Cabrera maybe. I guess your next 4 or 5 aren’t that big a dropoff: Votto, Teixeira, A Gonzalez, Morneau and Youkillis (if they’re healthy). But Paul Konerko, Billy Butler, Derrek Lee, e.g., are all very good hitters, but only average first basemen. Really even guys like Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard were more average than elite last year.
You generally have to pay more for an average 1st baseman than an average catcher and I think to a large degree that reflects the fact that the talent required to be a Konerko or a Butler or a Howard—i.e., a very good hitter who can play 1st—is rarer than the talent required to be, say, Miguel Olivo, Ramon Hernandez, or Russel Martin—i.e., a decent hitter who can catch. For the same reason, if I’m a GM who can take one free player who’s elite at any position, I’d probably take the first baseman because I think I’d probably be paying $10-15 million to replace him with an average player rather than $5-10 million to bring in an average catcher.
I think that's the difference though....
the difference between an “average” catcher and an elite catcher is a bigger difference than an average 1b and an elite one.
I'm just wondering
is 1B defense underrated? I mean, teams generally ignore it, but I remember when Doug Mientkiewicz would make several stellar defensive plays a game, saving a run or two. I suppose it’s an easier position to stick someone in, but digging low throws out of the dirt or making a diving stop of a hard hit ball down the line is not something everyone can do well.
CUddy too
We saw this year how much lack of scooping ability can hurt.
"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane
I think so
You can make an argument that the positions should be ranked according to who touches the ball the most often. In that case:
P – C – 1B – SS – 2B – CF – 3B – LF – RF – DH
Most infield errors can be avoided by having a stellar first baseman. The best Twins defenses featured Hrbek, Mientkievicz or Morneau.
1B is often overlooked because it’s supposedly the easiest position to play. It is easiest in terms of range. But it is the second toughest in terms of glove. The first baseman is as close as the catcher to the pitcher on pick-off throws.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
Not really
It is easier to field a thrown ball than a batted ball. 1B isn’t easy but it isn’t that hard either. 1B also rarely has to turn the double play. It is clearly behind SS, 2B and CF.
Good Point
I make a point later on that perhaps “the most important spot in the lineup” is the most important position (though I think there is no “Most important position”), and since 1Bman have traditionally most often been required to bear the biggest offensive load, THAT is the most important position. An elite offensive 1Bman (a TRUE elite guy, not just a good masher in the top half of 1Bman, like Melky or Pujols) can produce the most offensively.
"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane
Haha, yes
"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane
Is this
Is this exclusively defensively? Because I think the most important player in a game at any given time is pretty obviously the pitcher (ok, the hitter, for his at bat is bigger, but pitchers generally are in repeatedly), but if this is JUST in terms of defense, I don’t think catcher is a bas choice. I’d agree that catcher is DEFINITELY #1 in college ball, only really closely followed by CF. In the majors I think it’s center field, and it’s not even all that close. SS is probably next after that. Catcher probably sits just above second base, then third.
If it includes hitting, etc, I thik I’d still say center field. Championships have been won with mediocre defensive catchers with little bat. It’s pretty hard to win with a terrible defensive center fielder. That said, I don’t think value at any one position is more valuable than any other. A team with all average players, except a +4 WAR CFer and a team with all average players except a +4 WAR catcher are both exactly +4 WAR above average.
I guess I"m not sure exactly what this question means. Like, if I could take any one player to start a team with, what position would he be? I wouldn’t pick based on position, I’d just take the best available player. If age isn’t a factor, I’m taking Pujols, even if he maybe doesn’t play the most “important” position, he’s obviously the best player (IMO).
"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane
How about THIS
Here is maybe the best answer: THe player who get’s the most at bats, aka, the leadoff hitter. In any one game, any of the 9 spots in the lineup can come up with the game on the line. THe guy with the most AB’s has a heightened chance of that taking place, hypothetically (maybe you could say #3 hitter because he has better hitters in front of him and ends up in more higher leverage situations… I suppose this could be proven, ie which batting spot in ML history has the highest leverage index).
"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane
I think it's a more a question like this...
you have two equal hitters at different positions.
which player, at which position, is more valuable?
Equal hitting?
If it’s equal hitting (as in equal unadjusted slash lines) then obviously a, say, .275/.350/.450 catcher is more valuable than a .275/.350/.450 any other position, because catchers have the lowest average hitting. Or do you mean “a catcher who hits like a league average catcher, vs a center fielder who hits like a league average center fielder, vs a first baseman who hits like a league average first baseman, etc”?
"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane
An addendum
A +X WAR catcher may be better or worse than a +X WAR player at a different position, because there are literally no advanced catching defensive statistics currently. If it was, say, a +4 WAR catcher who also played good defense, vs a shortstop with +4 WAR combined offense and defense, the catcher has some additional hidden value we haven’t figured out how to accurately quantify yet.
"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane
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