Players to Celebrate in 2012: Ivan Rodriguez

This is the fourth segment in a series on players we've watched for a long, long time who we might get to enjoy in 2012 for the last time. In the first three segments, the players covered have a definite home in 2012 and can count on playing time. The fourth player in our series is still a free agent, he's still unsigned and it's not guaranteed that he'll catch on with a team in 2012. His name is Ivan Rodriguez.

If you put two serious baseball fans in the same room and told them they had to argue the merits of Ivan Rodriguez's career, the two would have a lot to talk about. And one would probably sound a lot like Fred Flintstone with a lot of "yeahbuts" thrown in the conversation. Rodriguez does that to people. You are either wildly impressed by his career or thrown cold by certain aspects of it. Here's a sample of how that conversation might go:

• Fan1: Ivan Rodriguez is the only catcher (80% at that position) in history with more 500 doubles for his  career!
• Fan2: Yeahbut, he's also the only player in history who has more than 500 doubles that has more career doubles than walks.
• Fan1: Seriously? Well of all catchers who have ever played, I-Rod has 500 more hits than the nearest guy.
• Fan2: Yeahbut, he's played the last six years without being a league average hitter.

And on and on it would go. There are three things that cloud the career of Ivan Rodriguez. First, he has played long past his prime. Many would argue that he should have retired five years ago. Second, the catcher's allergy to taking walks have lead to some very famous numbers. Lastly, he's been implicated in the great PED debate. Let's talk a bit about all three.

First, when a player retires should be based on the market and on the player's desire to play. Many will say that Willie Mays hung on too long. Many will say that Greg Maddux hung around too long. To those arguments, this Fan says, "Bull." Baseball players have been playing the game since they were little boys. It's all they have ever known. If their enjoyment for the game far outstrips their ability and teams are willing to pay the player to do what they still love to do, then who are we to tell that player he shouldn't play? But what if they are just hanging on for the paycheck? Well, geez, does that make them any different from those of us who stay at our jobs long enough to collect our retirement? Why the double standard?

Plus, there is a value/payment proposition involved here. As long as the team doesn't pay the player too much money and the player adds some value to the team, why is there a problem? If you go to Willie Mays' B-R page, look at his Player Value section. Are there any negative WAR numbers for Willie Mays? Nope, not a single one. Are there any negative WAR numbers next to Greg Maddux's Player Value section? Nope. The same holds true for Ivan Rodriguez. He has provided value in every one of his seasons.

Our problem is that we want our superstars to only keep playing as long as they are superstars. As soon as they are physically unable to perform at their previously high level, we want them to get out of there. Jason Giambi is 41 and is still playing long past his prime. Many fans hate that. Why should they? The guy is enjoying himself and getting paid. Why shouldn't he?

The walk issue for Ivan Rodriguez is a problem we can't talk around. It's certainly a fact well documented. He does have more doubles than walks for his career. His 2007 season was record breaking. It is the only documented season ever where a catcher had more than 500 plate appearances and less than ten walks. The only other position player to have less walks in a season with more than 500 plate appearances since 1949 to have less walks than I-Rod that season was Shawon Dunston who famously only had eight walks in 1997. So yes, this writer will grant that Ivan Rodriguez didn't like to take a walk.

As for the last argument against Ivan Rodriguez that he was implicated (by Jose Canseco) as a user of PEDs, you already know that this writer doesn't care. He certainly wasn't alone. You can all have your fun if you want and poke holes and call him a cheater if you want. Not this guy.

As most of you know, value also comes from other places than hitting. There is also base running and fielding. Base running is something that has only been calculated since 2002. Ivan Rodriguez had already been catching and squatting for eleven years to that point. That he's only cited by Fangraphs as a -3.8 runs in base running since that time isn't half bad for a guy who has been getting into the crouch that long. But fielding? That's another story entirely.

According to Fangraphs, nobody has saved as many runs defensively as a catcher than Ivan Rodriguez. According to that site, he has saved 159 runs for his career. The closest to him is Jim Sundberg at 115. Baseball-reference agrees, giving Rodriguezz 167 runs saved for his career to Sundberg's 114. Rodriguez has the most assists of any catcher since 1961. Of all modern catchers, he has the highest career caught stealing rate which sits currently at 45.68. His only modern rival is Yadier Molina who sits at 44 percent. Even at the age of 39, Ivan Rodriguez threw out 52 percent of those that tried to steal against him. It was the ninth time in his career that his percentage was over 50 percent.

Mike Fast's work on how effective catchers are at getting strikes for their pitchers covered the years when Ivan Rodriguez was between the ages of 36 to 39. And even so, Fast rated Rodriguez above average in that category. An earlier study on the subject by Dan Turkenkopf rated Rodriguez even higher.

Plus, Ivan Rodriguez has been just fine at limiting passed balls over his career. All facets of his defense lead this writer to believe that Ivan Rodriguez was the elite defensive catcher of his generation. Add that to his offense, which up until six years ago, was among the best at his position, and you have what this writer believes is a Hall of Fame career. He was the lead catcher for two World Series champions, his arm was a cannon (and still is) and he's always been great fun to watch.

We don't know if Ivan Rodriguez will find a job in 2012. If he does, celebrate his career. There have been few we've seen better at his position. This writer will celebrate him, warts and all.

Celebrating Ivan Rodriguez

Earlier in the day, this writer posted an article asking why catchers can't hit (as a general rule). Once the post was listed on Twitter, a fellow writer (@RangersExpress) asked why the post didn't mention Ivan Rodriguez. It was a legitimate question. In a baseball age where we celebrate the careers of Derek Jeter, Jim Thome, Chipper Jones and call them, "sure-fire Hall of Fame players," why isn't Ivan Rodriguez ever mentioned that way? "Pudge" has been around so long and has been past his prime for so long that he is often forgotten. But Ivan Rodriguez has had a Hall of Fame career and should be celebrated like other grand players of the game. This one's for you, Nicholi.

Ivan Rodriguez is sixth on the active list in rWAR behind only A-Rod, Pujols, Chipper, Thome and Jeter. Pudge has more career WAR than Manny Ramirez, Scott Rolen, Vlad Guerrero, Todd Helton, Johnny Damon and Carlos Beltran. He is second in career WAR for catchers behind only the great Johnny Bench and there are a lot of great names below him on that list. If we went just by this category, could it be said that Pudge is the second greatest catcher in baseball history? Would you guess that Ivan Rodriguez's career OPS is a point higher than Carlton Fisk's? Probably not.

So why is Ivan Rodriguez such a quiet topic among the active great players of the game? He won an MVP Award and was in the top ten three other times. His career 106 OPS+ is quite nice for a catcher always noted for his defense. Perhaps Rodriguez has been passed over because he hasn't posted a great offensive season since 2004. He's become ridiculed for his lack of patience at the plate. His 2005 season where he walked only 11 times in 525 plate appearances set the standard for the "never takes a walk" crowd. Because he still loves to play the game, he has become somewhat of a vagabond as he's wandered to five different teams since 2008.

But none of that should matter. He should be remembered for his integral part of the Tigers' renaissance in 2006 when they went to the World Series. He should be remembered for all those great years in Texas. He should be remembered for being part of that Florida Marlin team that beat the Yankees in the 2003 World Series. Has any catcher caught more games with all that gear in hotter weather?

From 1995 to 2002, Ivan Rodriguez hit over .300 for eight years in a row. And if you bring that to 2006, he did it ten times in fourteen seasons. He played nine seasons where he played more than 130 games in a season...remarkable for a catcher. He's hit 934 extra base hits including 572 doubles in his career. And he has 2842 career hits. For the first half of Ivan Rodriguez's career, he was a terrific offensive catcher.

And we haven't even gotten to the good part yet. Catching defense has been debated hotly over recent years. But attempts have been made to rate catchers and their defense. One such attempt is called Total Zone Runs and Ivan Rodriguez leads all catchers in Total Zone Runs and it isn't even close. Plus, his total of 167 Total Zone Runs is the twelfth highest all time for any position player.

What many will remember about Ivan Rodriguez is his arm. Have some fun and just watch this video to see some highlights. Turn the sound down as the sound is terrible:

The reputation is well earned. In a day and age when 30 percent success at throwing out base runners in considered adequate, Ivan Rodriguez has averaged 46 percent for his career. Even at the age of 39, he is averaging 48 percent this season. As good as he is now as an older player, he was unbelievable as a younger one. He has led the league in stolen base percentage ten times! He had a streak between 1996 and 2002 where his caught stealing percentage was unbelievable:

• 1996 - 51 percent
• 1997 - 57 percent
• 1998 - 56 percent
• 1999 - 55 percent
• 2000 - 49 percent
• 2001 - 60 percent!!

Ivan Rodriguez should be celebrated. His record of endurance should be celebrated. He's caught in 200 more games than anyone else in history. He was a great defensive catcher who could also hit. He helped two teams get to the World Series and three Texas teams get to the playoffs. He's been an MVP, a multiple All Star and Gold Glove catcher. Yeah, he's probably hung on too long. But if you were still getting paid good money to do what you love, wouldn't you? Ivan Rodriguez has had an amazing career and it should not be forgotten.

Catch But Don't Walk

After posting about the Seattle Mariners' woes at the catching position the last few years, it occurred to the Fan that there have been a lot of recent catchers that don't like stand at the plate for very long. Perhaps they have restless leg syndrome after doing all that squatting. Ivan Rodriguez had a famous season where he only walked nine times the entire year. All that being said and thought about, this Fan thought it would be fun to compile the ten lowest walk rates for catchers in the last 30 years. The minimum number of plate appearances is 300 so it had to be a regular catcher who played at least 50% of his games at that position. These are the top ten...or should the Fan say: Bottom ten?

• Bo Diaz - 1988 Cincinnati Reds. Diaz walked only seven times in .327 plate appearances. His On Base Percentage that year was .236. Yeesh.
• Miguel Olivo - 2008 Kansas City Royals. Olivo, who the Fan just wrote about, walked seven times in 317 plate appearances. His .278 OBP was just north of his .255 batting average that year.
• Einer Diaz - 2003 Texas Rangers. Nine walks in 361 plate appearances. .294 OBP.
• Eliazor Alfonso - 2006 San Francisco Giants. Nine walks in 309 plate appearances. .302 OBP. At least he was over .300
• Miguel Olivo - 2006 Florida Marlins. There he is again! Nine walks in 452 plate appearances. .287 OBP.
• Ivan Rodriguez - 2007 Detroit Tigers. This is the one people remember. Nine walks in 515 plate appearances. It doesn't seem possible. One of those walks was intentional. .294 OBP.
• Rich Gedman - 1982 Boston Red Sox. Gedman was a good hitter until he met a certain unnamed batting coach.. Ten walks in 305 plate appearances. .276 OBP.
• Dan Wilson - 1980 Seattle Mariners. Ten walks in 303 plate appearances.
• Bob Kearney - 1985 Seattle Mariners. Disturbing trend here. Eleven walks in 326 plate appearances. .277 OBP.
• Bob Melvin - 1990 Baltimore Orioles. Eleven walks in 318 plate appearances. .267 OBP.
• Pat Borders - 1991 Toronto Blue Jays. Eleven walks in 312 plate appearances. .271 OBP.
• Mike Methany - 1998 Milwaukee Brewers. Eleven walks in 314 plate appearances. .278 OBP.
• Ivan Rodriguez - 2005 Detroit tigers. Eleven walks in 525 plate appearances. .290 OBP.

Ivan Rodriguez is king of the non walk catchers.

Catchers with the ten lowest On Base Percentages in the last thirty years.

1. .236. Bo Diaz (327 plate appearances),
1. .236. Eli Marrero (1999 Cardinals, 343 plate appearances).
3. .242. Bob Boone (1984 Angels, 486 plate appearances! Yowza!)
4. .243 Mike Methany (1996 Brewers, 341 plate appearances)
5. .244 Dan Wilson (1994 Mariners, 303 plate appearances)
6. .245 Matt Walbeck (1994 Twins, 359 plate appearances)
7. .246 Tony Pena (1993 Red Sox, 347 plate appearances)
8. .252 Tim Laudner (1987 Twins, 317 plate appearances)
9. .256 Todd Hundley (1992 Mets, 390 plate appearances)
9. .256 Steve Yeager (1983 Dodgers, 366 plate appearances)

A Tale of Four Old Catchers

This post isn't a comparison really. Three of the old catchers we will be discussing start. The other just plays once a week. But what is really striking is how different old catchers age. Johnny Bench was basically done as a young man and even moved to the infield. Carlton Fisk excelled into his forties. Generally, catchers don't hold up over the long haul. After all, it's a tough position. Catchers get beat up every single game they are behind the plate. Part of their job is to smother balls in the dirt even when it means bruised chests and shoulders (and shins, etc.). The four catchers we are going to talk about have all aged differently. They are: Brad Ausmus, Jorge Posada, Ivan Rodriguez and Jason Varitek.

Brad Ausmus is now forty years old. In all those years, he's never been very good offensively. Well, he did have two seasons at league average. But he's averaged 61 on the OPS+ scale for the three seasons before this one. It's easy to state that nobody has ever paid Ausmus to hit. In fact, the only thing he ever led the league in was grounding into double-plays (2002). But he's always had a great reputation as a catcher behind the plate, not only defensively, but for his handling of pitchers. The Fan still doesn't know how you measure that kind of thing. During his prime, he did throw out anywhere from 35 to 48 percent of base runners trying to steal against him. That's pretty good. In 1914 games behind the plate, he's only had 61 passed balls in his career. That's pretty darn good too.

But the last four years haven't been great for Ausmus. Not only has he not hit well, but his caught stealing rate fell into the twenties. How can you explain then that a 40 year old catcher has thrown out 38% this year? Or that he has his highest batting average in fifteen years? Or that he has his highest OPS+ in nine years? You can't other than his playing time is way down and he picks his spots in odd starts. Still, it's a nice swan song for the old guy.

Ivan Rodriguez has been a major league catcher for nineteen years now. When you think of Rodriguez, you think of his arm. Always the arm. And his numbers back up the hype. He's thrown out 46% of base runners trying to steal in his career. That's a weapon. Since the ideal success rate for stealing is 70%, the 54% success rate versus Rodriguez is outstanding. And he is still dealing there. Even at 38 years of age, Rodriguez has thrown out 33% this year. Still very good.

The one thing about Ivan Rodriguez though is his hitting. For twelve years, he was an offensive force. In those twelve years, he averaged an OPS+ of 112. He won the MVP in 1998 when his OPS was .914. He still has a career batting average of .299. He is no longer a force. In fact, he has become a rather easy out, especially since he basically forgot how to take a walk for the last eight years. He's pretty much a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame unless the whispers of PED use become confirmed.

Jorge Posada got a later start than those last two guys. But he's just as old. Now 38, Posada is still dishing it pretty well at the plate. Since Posada became the regular Yankee catcher in 1998, he has only had a sub-100 OPS+ season since. His lifetime OPS+ is 124, which is outstanding for a catcher.

But Posada has never been nearly as good a defensive catcher as Ausmus and Rodriguez. His overall RTOT for his career is -15. Compare his 133 career passed balls in 15 seasons to Ausmus's 61 in 19 or Ivan Rodriguez's 122 in 19. Both Rodriguez and Posada have had run ins with pitchers over calling a game. You never hear that about Ausmus. And Posada hasn't been great at throwing out base stealers. His career 29% is way below the other two. He is at his career average this year in that category, which is a surprise for a 38 year old.

Jason Varitek was probably the soul of the Red Sox during their championship years. As such, he has been the Red Sox captain which speaks volumes about his leadership during that time. He has the reputation as a fiery guy who is great for pitchers. Those are all intangibles that can't be measured. But you can't discount them either. What can be said is that he was the starting catcher for two champions. You can't take that away from him.

Varitek was a good offensive catcher for a stretch too. Though it took him longer to break into the major leagues than the others (the 37 year old is in his 13th season), he had a nice five year stretch where he averaged an OPS+ around 120. But three of the last four years have been abysmal. In his early years, he didn't strike out that much. But in the last five seasons, he has averaged well over 100 strikeouts a season. His one saving grace is his ability to take a walk, something Ivan Rodriguez has never been very good at. Varitek has something else over the other three we've talked about: He's the only one of the four that has not led the league in grounding into double plays.

Varitek has been a good defensive catcher on the RTOT scale with a positive number for his career. But like Posada, he's never been great at throwing out runners. His career number of 24% is even worse than Posada's. So you can't lump him into the same category as Rodriguez and Ausmus. And unfortunately, this year has been historic in failing in that category. He's thrown out only 12% of base runners this season. He's been stolen on 106 times and has only caught 15 of them. Ugh! Those are similar to a certain former Dodgers/Mets catcher.

Of these four old catchers, all of them have had bright moments with playoff teams. All of them have been among the best of their era for differing reasons. Ausmus has had a nice swan song this year. Ivan Rodriguez is no longer a valuable major leaguer. Posada is still an elite offensive catcher. Jason Varitek unfortunately, looks like he has played one season too many.

Ivan Rodriguez Makes Sense for the Astros

Give Ivan Rodriguez and his agent credit. They landed in the one situation where Rodriguez, at the age of 37, has a chance to get significant time behind the plate for a team that desperately needed a catcher.

Rodriguez has not backed off his stance that he is not a backup and that limited the interest in just about every other team. Rodriguez is a Hall of Fame catcher, no doubt about that, but his On Base Percentage has been under .300 for two of the past three years.

He never had much patience as a batter, but what little he had is totally gone. Who can forget that the last four years, he has walked only 69 times in over 2000 plate appearances. That boggles the mind a little bit. Especially considering that in two of those years, he combined for just 20 walks in 1000+ plate appearances. Wow!

But a diminished Pudge is far better than anything the Astros already had. J. R. Towles might be a nice guy, but he's batted .188 in 180+ at bats. The other contender they had batted .234 last year. If Pudge can bat .270 and push is OBP over .300 at least, it will be a significant upgrade and he's still not a bad defensive catcher.

There has been some hints that pitchers in Detroit and New York did not enjoy throwing to him behind the plate. The Fan isn't sure what that is all about, but it's not like the guy has never done this before.

The bottom line is that Rodriguez is no longer a starter quality catcher. But he's better than anything the Astros had and for that, Pudge will get one more year to perhaps put a bookend on his HOF career back in the state of Texas where he should be comfortable.