The Tigers have received less from their catchers over the last three seasons than any team in baseball. No, it isn't close.
Since 2018, Detroit's catchers have produced a WAR of negative 5.3, according to Fangraphs. No other team is under negative 4.0. Why? Because since 2018, Detroit's catchers have accounted for negative 115.7 Offensive Runs Above Average, according to Fangraphs. No other team is under negative 100.
So when Al Avila and the Tigers went shopping behind the plate this offseason, they made offense a priority. Which is why they ultimately signed Wilson Ramos to a one-year, $2 million deal over old friend Alex Avila, who signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Nationals.
"We really discussed that at length, and it really came down to Alex or Wilson: more defense or more offense?" Avila said Tuesday.
Ramos had a down year at the plate in 2020, dragged down by a brutal start. (So did Avila.) The Tigers are betting on his bat producing more like it did from 2016-19, when he hit .294 with an .808 OPS. Avila, over the same span, hit .220 with a .748 OPS.
Detroit's catchers over the last three seasons: .589 OPS. No other team is under .630.
"Through conversations with our staff, AJ (Hinch) and my front office, we felt to go more with the offensive side just because we’ve been so bad offensively behind the plate," said Avila. "But nobody ever said (about Ramos), 'This guy’s a butcher behind the plate. He’s going to be terrible.' Most of our guys felt that he’ll be fine behind the plate. He’s a good leader and a guy that really gets involved with his pitchers, so we don’t see it as a problem."
Defensive metrics have never been too kind to Ramos. That includes his pitch-framing skills. But the 33-year-old has caught nearly 1,000 games in the majors for a reason and Avila said the Tigers "know he can catch better than what the numbers show, and he’s determined to do so."
In the end, that would be gravy. The Tigers are counting on Ramos to hit. They figure to have a good defensive backup in Jake Rogers, and they have a well-regarded prospect in the pipeline in 2020 second-round pick Dillon Dingler. If Ramos can produce even league-average offense this year, he'll bandage Detroit's bleeding behind the plate.
"We got a little bit of organizational depth," said Avila. "We got Dillon Dingler coming not too far down the road hopefully, and (2019 sixth-round pick) Cooper Johnson, so there’s going to be some competition. But Wilson Ramos, for this year in the short term, was the right way to go."