Mauer Overtakes 'Tek

In baseball, a players worth can only numerically be calculated on offense. Especially in terms of rating catchers, it is the intangables that cannot be numerically calculated, yet it is also the intangibles that make or break a catcher. A catcher's value cannot be measured numerically. There is no number that rates how well a catcher calls a game. There is no number that shows a catcher's leadership. Also, there is not a number that shows how well a catcher handles his pitchers. The only numbers that measure a catcher's worth deal with their hitting statistics, how many errors they make, and what percent of potential basestealers that they throw out. These statistics do not even come close to measuring what matters most in terms of valueing a catcher. Yet these seem these numbers seem to be the only thing that matters when evaluating players at times.

The 2008 season has been no different. Earlier this week, Minnesota Twins catcher overtook Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek as the leading vote-getting catcher in the American League. Sure, Mauer is dominating Varitek in almost every offensive category. Mauer owns Varitek in batting average (.325 to .231), RBIs (29 to 25), OBP (.411 to .306), SLG (.430 to .392), and runs (46 to 17). If the catcher's position was based only on hitting, Mauer would easily be the choice of best catcher since Mike Piazza.

However, the catcher is arguably the most important defensive player on the field. He calls pitches, handles pitchers, calls defenses, and is the leader of the defense. These are the intangibles of a catcher. Varitek does every single one of them 100 times better than Mauer does. Boston's pitching statistics are better than those in every single category, including ERA (3.86 to 4.31), BAA (.245 to .287), OPSA (.703 to .780), saves (25 to 22), WHIP (1.34 to 1.41), and quality starts (43 to 41). These are two teams that have relatively equal pitching talent. It is a matter of the catcher being able to call a game and handle the pitcher to maximize that talent. Varitek has done just that. Boston is 48-32, good enough for the second best record in the AL. Mauer has done a terrible job of it. Minnesota's record is 41-36, tied for the sixth best in the AL. In the 14-team AL, Minnesota ranks 9th in ERA, dead last in BAA, 13th in OPSA, 10th in WHIP, and 7th in quality starts. Boston 6th in ERA, 4th in BAA, 5th in OPSA, 4th in saves, 6th in WHIP, and 4th in quality starts.

Jason Varitek is also much, much more important to the Red Sox than Mauer is to the Twins. When Mauer missed 29 games from mid-May to early June and 13 games in late August to early September in 2007, the Twins were 17-25, a winning percentage of .400. With Mauer in the lineup nearly everday, the 2007 Twins were 62-58. a winning percentage of .517. While there was a notable difference with the 2007 Twins when Mauer was out of the lineup, the 2006 Red Sox suffered even more when they lost Jason Varitek for 32 games in August. Before he was injured, Boston was tied with the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. By the time Varitek came back on September 4th, Boston was 9 games behind New York. Before his injury, Boston was 63-42, a winning percentage of .600. While Varitek was out, Boston was 11-22, a winning percentage of .333. Varitek's presence is clearly much more important for Boston than that of Mauer's for Minnesota, as the Red Sox completely collapsed without their captain in 2006. The 2007 Twins were still able to play decent baseball without Mauer.

Another way of proving how much better Varitek is at handling pitchers is by how many no-hitters or perfect games he has caught compared to Mauer. Mauer has caught zero. Varitek has caught 4, 2 in the past two years, including one by a rookie making just his second career start. Varitek was able to lead Clay Buchholz when he was just making his second career start into a no-hitter. Varitek calmed him down and got him focused on the game, while a normal 22-year might have collapsed under the pressure. Varitek helped Buchholz handle the immense pressure at the end of a game when a no-hitter is still alive. Mauer has still yet to lead a Twins pitcher even close to throwing a no-hitter.

Even though Joe Mauer is a much better offensive player than Varitek is, Varitek's experience, value, and presence is much more vital to the Red Sox than those of Mauer's to the Twins. While Mauer struggles to handle a pitching staff, Varitek is a master of it. He should be guiding the American League at Yankee Stadium in the 2008 MLB All-Star Game. Joe Mauer, on the other hand, should be watching and learning from a master on the bench. He has a lot to learn and there is no one better at handling pitchers, calling a game, and being a leader in all of baseball than Jason Varitek. After looking at offensive numbers, fans should think about the value Jason Varitek has to the Red Sox before clicking Joe Mauer's name on the AL ballot this summer.