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Monday, August 2, 2010

Jorge Posada, Ageless Wonder

Quietly, Jorge Posada has been putting together another spectacular year with the wood. Amidst the myriad injuries Posada has fought through over the course of the season, he has managed to put up a wonderful slash line of .267/.373/.481, which converts into a .374 wOBA. These numbers are even more eye-popping when you consider that Posada is a 38 year-old catcher.


Posada compares very favorably with other players at his position. As a matter of fact, Posada has the 4th best wOBA among MLB catchers (min. 200 PA). In addition, the four men in front of him (Buster Posey, Giovanni Soto, Miguel Olivo) all get the benefit of playing in the National League and seeing pitches from pitchers like Jeff Suppan, who put up -0.3 WAR.

Another thing about Posada's performance that I would like to point out is his power. Even at 38, Posada is managing to put up a .214 ISO, which is actually greater than his career average (.203). It should also be pointed out that no other catcher in ML history has managed to put up a higher ISO in his age-38 season. I find it astonishing that Posada is still managing to hit with so much power at such a late age.

Over the years, Yankee fans have been spoiled by Jorge Posada's offensive output at catcher. I'll grant you that his defense is not top-notch, and his health has been giving some at bats away to the light-hitting Francisco Cervelli, but his performance this year has been rather historic. It is very surprising to me that Posada has been able to defy the aging curve and continue to be a strength in the Yankee line-up.

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