MLB writer egregiously overlooks SF Giants legend and Twins Hall of Famer on quarter-century team at catcher

Who has been the best catcher of the first 25 years of the new century? According to Jayson Stark of The Athletic, Yadi Molina gets the nod over SF Giants legend Buster Posey and Hall of Famer Joe Mauer.

MLB writer egregiously overlooks SF Giants legend and Twins Hall of Famer on quarter-century team at catcher

Molina, Mauer, and Posey were all great in different ways. Perhaps, Mike Piazza deserves to be in this conversation as well, but the first half of his career took place in the 1990's. I guess he was left off for that reason.

Molina was a tremendous defensive catcher, earning 10 NL All-Star nods and nine Gold Glove Awards while helping the St. Louis Cardinals to two World Series titles during his 19-year career. I do not think there is much of a question that he is the best defensive catcher in baseball history.

That said, Posey and Mauer were pretty clearly the better overall players, even if they did not have the longevity behind the plate that Molina had. Posey probably would have had more than one Gold Glove Award if he had not played at the same time as Molina, but that highlights how good Molina was behind the dish.

Posey was a very good defensive catcher in his own right, but he was also clearly the superior hitter compared to Molina. Posey put up a 129 wRC+ in his career, whereas Molina put up a 97 wRC+ during his career. With Molina, he had a few really strong offensive seasons in the middle of his career, but he was also a below-average hitter outside of those years.

In terms of overall value, the Giants legend was worth 57.9 fWAR in 12 major league seasons, whereas Molina put up 55.6 fWAR in 19 seasons. One of those seasons for Posey was a brief cup of coffee in 2009, where he appeared in just seven games. Who had the better career and peak? The answer is Posey.

The conversation becomes a little more nuanced with Twins legend Joe Mauer. That said, he was arguably the best catcher of his era until Posey arrived. This included taking him the AL MVP Award in 2009. At his peak, he was arguably the best player in the league and was an offensive force at a position that is not known for its bat.

Mauer was an above-average defensive catcher, too. He earned three AL Gold Glove Awards during his career. By the time he turned 30, he had to move to first base after sustaining a career-altering concussion.

However, Mauer's impact as a catcher was already set in stone. At his peak, his offensive upside might have been better than Posey's.

While Molina put up a tremendous career that will likely land him in the Hall of Fame, it is hard to deem him the catcher of the quarter-century team when he was not even the best catcher in baseball during his career. That nod would go to Mauer or Posey.