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Thanks Doc,
Laird: By '11 he was a VPT (Very Part Time) catcher, but he was still running on the fumes of being a decent defensive guy. In '07, as the main Texas C, he threw out 40%. In '09 as the main Detroit C, it was 42%. The year between it was 28%. In '10 he was 1/2 time and he threw out 34%. Still decent. The last three years it has been 20%, 19% and 17%. He's started 23, 49 and 12 games. It looks like he's become VPT because he doesn't gun guys down very well. He's fading away, and he still is as good, or better, than Montero.
Flores threw out 33%, 27% and 42% from '07-'09. He was out of the game in '10. Then threw out 20% in 20 '11 starts and 15% in 75 '12 starts. All that was for the Nats. He's faded away and is now in AAA Albuquerque.
Hester faded away from the get-go. 25% in 6 starts in '09, 13% in 27 '10 starts, and 14% in 27 '12 starts. He's now in AAA, as well.
Those guys indicate that once you dip below 20%, your days are numbered. Jaso is holding on at 19% for the career. Miggy was at 28% and 31% in hs two years here. He was 42% the year before and is 38% this year. He's a career 34% guy, so his M's years aren't way out of whack.
Montero was at 17% last year and 5% this one.
Shoppach led the league in '11 (41%...after being around 20% from '08-'10), was at 33% last year and is at 38% this year.
According to B-R, of all 40 current active catchers who have seen a minimum of 200 SB attempts, Will Nieves has the lowest CS% at 23%. He's only started more than 46 games once in his career, 65 in '09. He didn't even make it to the majors until he was really 30.
Victor Martinez is next lowest at 23.5%. Seems like he does something else pretty well.
Then you find (moving upward) Iannetta, McCann, Pierzynski, Doumit, Napoli and Buck. Buck throws out 25% and has a career OPS+ of 89, the lowest in the group. But he hit 20 homers as recently as '10 (16 in '11) and has 10 already this year. (27% and 33% CS rate the last two years). Pierzynski has the next worst career OPS+ in that group, 95. Oh, he hit 27 homers last year. All those guys are (overall) Montero's equal with the bat (although he has room and time to grow). They throw out guys WAY better than he does....and they are the bottom rung guys, as far as lasting as a catcher.
Tick, tock goes the Montero catching clock?
Interesting stuff.
moe