The Five Greatest Catching Seasons in Diamondbacks History

Did your favorite make the list?

This is the first in a series chronicling the best seasons by a Diamondback at each position around the diamond.  In the franchise's short 25 year history they've had some great player seasons. In order to avoid certain players appearing multiple times however, this will be limited to one mention per player at a position.  Objective statistical measures are relied upon of course, but this is not a straight WAR ranking.  Subjective factors, intangibles, team success and even "clutch"  are all considered as equally if not more important than a few decimal points of WAR.

Here then are the five greatest catching seasons in Diamondbacks history

Number 5:  Wellington Castillo 2016

Baseball Reference

Somewhat of a forgotten man, Castillo had two good and somewhat underrated seasons for the Diamondbacks after coming over in a trade in early June of 2015.  Acquired for his power bat, he did not disappoint in that area, knocking 17 homers and posting a 114 OPS+.  But in 2016 he posted very positive defense numbers while still providing some pop behind the plate. His 2.2 WAR  was the 4th highest total in franchise history .  Durable, he is the only catcher other than Miguel Montero to log over 450 PA in a season, and his 1.4 dWAR (Defensive WAR) was also 3rd best in franchise history.  Only a lack of team success keeps him from ranking higher.  (I told you this was not going to be a straight WAR ranking)

Number 4:  Chris Iannetta 2017

Baseball Reference

Iannetta was  a late signing by Mike Hazen shortly before the start of spring training 2017.  Always thought of as an offense first catcher, he enjoyed one of his best seasons at the plate, especially down the stretch over the last two months of the season.  He hit .286 with nine homers and 18 RBI, posting a .960 OPS as the D-backs drove towards a wild card birth.  His 1.4 WPA (Clutch) number was especially impressive as his season was punctuated by some big games.  None were bigger than September 22nd, 2017 when he hit two homers and drove in eight runs in a wild 13-11 victory over the Miami Marlins.  That included a go ahead grand slam in the bottom of the 6th innings. 

He did not play in the wild card game and got just five at bats in the divisional series against the Dodgers however as Torey Lovullo opted to go with defense first catcher Jeff Mathis in the playoffs

Number 3:  Chris Snyder 2007

Baseball Reference

Chris Snyder's time with the Diamondbacks spanned 2004-2010. His two best seasons were 2007 and 2008 when he tallied 1.8 WAR each year.  His defensive rating was higher in 2007 while his offensive rating was better in 2008.  2007 was the year of  the "Anybody anytime" Diamondbacks.  That team won the division by going 90-72 on the back of great pitching and timely hitting, overcoming an overall weak offense.  They lost the NLCS in four straight to the Rockies but Snyder went 4-12 with two doubles, a homer, and three RBI in the series. 

Number 2:  Damian Miller 2001

Baseball Reference

Miller's 2000 regular season was statistically better than his 2001 season.  He had 2.0 WAR vs. 1.5 in 2001 and 95 OPS+ vs 89 in 2001.  But Miller caught 16 of the 17 post season games in 2001, the team's only world championship.  It's impossible to overstate how important he was to help guiding not only Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, but the rest of the pitching staff through that post season. If you asked most of the pitchers that he caught, they'd tell you he was the best catcher they ever threw to. 

Number 1:  Miguel Montero 2011

Baseball Reference

Montero's 2012 regular season was actually slightly better by some statistical measures, but for all practical purposes he had the same season at the plate.  He was better on defense in 2011 however, made the All Star team, and most importantly led the pitching staff of a surprising 94-68 team to an NL West title by eight games over the Giants.  Montero also went 6-20, .300 with two walks, two doubles, three runs scored and two RBI in a hard fought five game divisional series against the Brewers that the Diamondbacks lost 3-2.   Unquestionably the best catcher in franchise history, 2011 was his best overall season. 

By now you've detected a theme for catchers; team success really matters, perhaps more at this position than any other. In all of the years the Diamondbacks have made the playoffs, they've relied far more on excellent pitching than they did on their offense. So I've given a little more weight to team success at catcher than I am likely to do at the other positions. 

A few honorable mentions to finish this off.

Carson Kelly's 2021 season actually comes in at #5 for WAR, #4 for WAA (Wins Above Average) . But somehow it just didn't feel right putting the catcher of a 110 loss team in the top five. 

Jeff Mathis tallied 1.5 dWAR in just 69 games in 2018. The only higher total was Montero's 1.7 in 140 games in 2011. He truly was a remarkable defensive catcher. If only he could had hit even a little bit. But alas his offense that year, (.544 OPS, 45 OPS+) was so horrid it wiped out most of his defensive value as he ended up with just 0.6 WAR

Kelly Stinnett's was the primary catcher in the franchise's first season. He posted 1.6 WAR, 1.0 dWAR and a 107 OPS+ to help bring respectability in the team's maiden season. 

Here is a link to a Baseball Reference stat search that shows all of the catchers with at least 100 PA and 50% or more of their playing time at catcher. 

Let us know on Twitter what you think of this list.

The five greatest catching seasons in #Diamondbacks history. Click on the article and let us know what you think . https://t.co/pjB8jyeoPo

— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) January 1, 2023

For all of the other articles in this series see the links below

First Base

Second Base

Third Base