Yankees Midseason Report Card: Catchers

As the New York Yankees reach the midpoint of the 2016 season, Yanks Go Yard is taking a look at how each player on the roster has performed in the first half. Here are the midseason grades for the team’s catchers.

First up, starting catcher: Brian McCann

Brian McCann’s time in pinstripes is generally seen as disappointing since he has failed to replicate the elite production of his early career with Atlanta, but that is generally an unfair view. Yes, he may be slightly overpaid, but he has settled in as a durable and solidly above average backstop during his three-year Yankees career, and this season has been no different.

Over the past three seasons, McCann ranks fourth among MLB catchers with 342 games played and fifth in fWAR with 6.5 wins above replacement. He also leads all catchers in home runs during that span. McCann is not the superstar many fans thought they were getting when the Yankees inked him to a five-year $85 million contract before 2014, but he has been far from a bust in the Bronx.

Because of the weak crop of American League catchers this year, McCann is actually on the hunt for a spot on the 2016 All-Star squad despite just OK production on the field. He’s hitting .232/.337/.441 (107 wRC+) through his first 255 plate appearances. His 13 home runs lead all AL catchers as of Tuesday. 

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After two consecutive years of above average defense, most metrics show that McCann’s work behind the plate is starting to slip this year. He is four runs below average by DRS and has thrown out just 20% of potential base stealers this year, down from 37% in 2014-2015.

At 32 and with over 11,000 career innings at catcher on his legs, McCann’s decline could come at any time. He’s struggled with fatigue down the stretch the last two season, so expect to see him get ample time off in the second half. A Gary Sanchez promotion at some point is even a possibility at some point to help with that.

Midseason Grade: B

Next, the backup backstop: Austin Romine

After nine years in the Yankees minor league system without managing to stick in the big leagues, 27-year-old backstop Austin Romine seemed destined for a career as a Quad-A player. He had previously gotten an extended look during the injury-plagued 2013 season but looked overmatched at the plate, hitting .207/.255/.296 (47 wRC+) in 148 plate appearances.

Then, when all hope seemed lost, Romine miraculously beat out the Yankees top prospect Gary Sanchez (ranked number three in the system by MLB Pipeline) for the reserve catcher job in spring training this year. While Sanchez’s service time was certainly a consideration, Romine played well this spring and has done a serviceable job as Brian McCann’s backup in the first half. In his first 95 PAs of 2016, Romine has hit .256/.266/.400 (67 wRC+).

Next: Yankees Midseason Report Cards: Starting Pitchers

That’s a step up from his 2013 slash line, but still nothing special, even for a backup catcher. By all accounts, his defense is decent but not Molina-esque. In other words, he’s a replacement level catcher. With Sanchez continuing to tear up Triple-A this season (not to mention the surprising Kyle Higashioka), it seems only a matter of time before Romine is replaced by someone more exciting. Still, nice to see a long-time farmhand finally get his shot.

Midseason Grade: C-