Giants: Was Buster Posey the best catcher of the 2010s?

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – JUNE 23: Buster Posey #28 of the San Francisco Giants watches from the dugout during the eighth inning of the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 23, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated the Giants 3-2 in 10 innings. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Without further ado, here’s my take on the best catchers of the 2010s.

Note: In order to be eligible for inclusion, a player needed to appear in at least 500 games during the decade, which notably excluded Willson Contreras (436 G) and Gary Sanchez (372 G).

1. Buster Posey
2. Yadier Molina
3. Salvador Perez
4. Russell Martin
5. Brian McCann
6. Jonathan Lucroy
7. Carlos Ruiz
8. Matt Wieters
9. Yasmani Grandal
10. J.T. Realmuto
11. Wilson Ramos
12. Alex Avila
13. Miguel Montero
14. Yan Gomes
15. Francisco Cervelli
16. Kurt Suzuki
17. Jason Castro
18. Robinson Chirinos
19. Welington Castillo
20. Chris Iannetta

By a wide margin, Posey (42.2) led the position in WAR during the decade, with only Molina (31.9), Martin (23.9) and Perez (22.3) also eclipsing the 20 WAR mark.

Posey was also the positional leader in hits (1,378), RBI (673) and runs scored (594), while posting a stellar .302/.371/.458 batting line. He was never a truly elite power threat, but his 140 home runs were also good for fifth among catchers.

On the defensive side of things, Posey may have been a tick behind Molina and Perez, but he was a standout backstop in his own right and a Gold Glove winner.

All of that makes Buster Posey the best catcher of the 2010s and one of the true superstars of the decade.

Stay tuned as we break down where each San Francisco Giants staple during the decade ranked among his positional peers. Up next, Brandon Belt and the first basemen.

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