Ranking the Top 3 Catchers in Diamondbacks History

Two veterans and a young star highlight the list of top backstops in D-backs franchise history

This is the first in a series of articles ranking the top Diamondbacks players in franchise history by position. Today we take a look at the catchers.

#1: Miguel Montero 906 G, .264/.342/.421, 103 OPS+, 13.6 WAR, 4.1 dWAR

Montero was signed as an international free agent out of Venezuela  when he was 17 years old back on 2001. He made his major league debut with the franchise in 2006, and was the backup to Chris Snyder in 2007 and 2008.  With Snyder injured in 2009 he took over full time catching duties , and hit .294 with 16 homers.  Back in a time share in 2010, Montero finally took over the full time job for good in 2011.  He made the all star team that year, playing in 140 games, including 134 behind the plate. The team won the NL West and made it to the NL Championship Series that year while Montero hit .282 with 18 homers and 82 RBI and a 121 OPS+.

Montero was equally as good in 2012, posting a 123 OPS+ while hitting .286 with 15 homers and 86 RBI. He saw  a drop off in his batting numbers but remained durable and made his second all star team in 2014, playing in 136 games.  Known as an offense first catcher, Montero struggled with his defense during his first three years with the club. But starting in 2009 his defense began to improve as his caught stealing rates jumped. In fact in 2011 he led the league in Caught Stealing percentage with 40%, and followed that up in 2012 with 42%.  Montero is by far the franchise leader in games and innings caught.  Montero currently serves as a player development assistant in the D-backs organization, helping to work with young developing catchers. 

#2: Damian Miller 467 G,  .269/.336/.437,  93 OPS+, 5.9 WAR, 3.6 dWAR 

Miller was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 1990 but didn't reach the majors until 1997 at the age of 27. The defense minded backstop was taken by the Diamondbacks in the expansion draft following that season.  He began the 1998 season in Triple-A Tucson but was called up in May and stuck with the team the rest of the year, appearing in 57 games. By 1999 he established himself as the primary catcher, and was most frequently paired with Hall of Famer Randy Johnson.  Johnson has on numerous occasions referred to Miller as the best catcher he ever threw to. 

Miller contributed at the plate too, posting numbers that were better than the average catcher for the time, and just below league average overall. Miller started all but one of the 17 games for the D-backs during  2001 postseason and Championship run. 

#3: Gabriel Moreno 111G, .284/.339/.408, 104 OPS+. 4.3 WAR, 3.1 dWAR

In just one season with the team, Moreno has established himself as one of the great catchers in franchise history, such was the magnitude of his impact in 2023.  Moreno led all of major league baseball with 3.1 dWAR, playing spectacular defense behind the plate. He led the league in caught stealing percentage and overall defense. At the same time he was an above league average hitter during the regular season and produced several key hits and homers during the team's postseason run to the World Series. 

You can read more about Moreno's fabulous 2023 season at this link below.

Diamondbacks 2023 Player Reviews: Gabriel Moreno

Honorable mention:  Chris Snyder is second on the franchise list in games caught and plate appearances by a catcher, and posted an 88 OPS+.  He also had decimal points higher WAR (4.6) and dWAR (3.6)  than Moreno, but five times as many games caught.  Snyder was the primary catcher for the 2007 division winning D-backs. The full list of franchise catcher stats can be found at this Baseball Reference link