The Rockies’ Catching Situation And History

Since the Colorado Rockies franchise was created in 1991, the organization has struggled in many aspects of the game, resulting in only one World Series appearance when they were swept by the Boston Red Sox in 2007. There are a lot of priorities for the Rockies as presently constituted, namely adding pitching depth in the rotation and the bullpen. But the battery isn’t complete without a top-tier catcher, which has been elusive to the organization for 29 years and counting. 

Some of the best catchers in the game, while limited and debatable, include the Kansas City Royals’ Salvador Pérez, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Jacob Stallings, free agent Yadier Molina, free agent J.T. Realmuto and the Chicago White Sox’s Yasmani Grandal. Notably, the three catchers on the Rockies active 40-man roster — Elias Días, Dom Nuñez and Tony Wolters — are not on this list. 

Catching is not a priority for the Rockies. In fact, according to reports, the Rockies are looking to cut payroll this offseason, specifically by listening to offers for superstar 3B Nolan Arenado. That alone is enough reason to believe they won’t pursue Molina or Realmuto in free agency this offseason, not to mention their dire need for more starting and relief pitching depth. So while the Rockies’ catching may not improve this offseason, let’s take a look at the catchers who have passed through the organization and left an impact, no matter how miniscule.

Tony Wolters (2016 – Present)

Wolters was the Rockies’ primary catcher this past season, starting 39 games behind the dish for them in 2020. An exceptional defensive catcher, Wolters’ offensive production has weighed down his potential as Colorado’s long-term catcher. He owns an underwhelming .238/.323/.319 career slash line with seven home runs and 123 RBIs in 391 games played. For reference, those numbers are similar to but still worse than those C Russel Martin put up during his 447-game tenure with the Toronto Blue Jays (.225/.336/.399, 211 RBI, 66 HR).

While Wolters should be considered the primary catcher, he has seen limited playing time in both the outfield and infield, which adds versatility to his player package. In addition to his 39 games as a catcher, he also logged four games at second base.

Joe Girardi (1993 – 1995)

Many might remember Girardi from his tenure as the manager for the New York Yankees or most recently as manager for the Philadelphia Phillies. However, during his prime, Girardi was one of the more consistent catchers in the game. In a strike-shortened season, Girardi managed to play his second highest amount of games in a season, starting 125 of 144 games. 

While Girardi’s bat was his greatest strength, he also maintained a league average caught stealing percentage (30%) in his three seasons with the Rockies. Girardi failed to play 100-plus games in two of his three seasons in Colorado but he still maintained a respectable .274/.323/.371 slash line with 40 doubles and 120 RBIs.

Chris Iannetta (2006 – 2011, 2018 – 2019)

Iannetta is arguably the single best catcher that has passed through the Rockies organization, and he left a positive impact on the team. Iannetta still leads all Rockies franchise catchers with 80 home runs (No. 15), 293 RBIs (No. 16), 435 hits (No. 21) and 185 extra base hits (No. 19) in 620 games played (No. 17). He ended his eight seasons in Colorado with a respectable (but not eye-popping) .232/.352/.422 slash line. 

Iannetta was not a perfect catcher; in fact, his defense showed he was pretty far from it. But he only committed 21 errors in his eight seasons with Colorado. His greatest fault was his inability to throw out runners, owning a below average caught stealing percentage (21%). In comparison, the league average during his Rockies tenure was 27.5%.

The ultimate point is this: if Iannetta has been the franchise’s best catcher, an improvement needs to be made at that position. Iannetta had a fruitful career as he is ranked No. 44 in hits (820), No. 15 in home runs (141), No. 33 in RBIs (502) and No. 28 in runs scored (449) on MLB’s all-time career totals for a catcher with a minimum of 500 games. Colorado was certainly lucky to have him for a few years, but there have been plenty of better catchers before him and there will certainly be better catchers after him. Similar to the Baltimore Orioles selecting C Adley Rutschman with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft, the Rockies may consider drafting a catching prospect in the near future to accompany their much-needed pitching additions.

Photo courtesy of Frank Franklin II/AP Photos