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Number 1 – Jason Kendall
This one was tough. It really came down to what was more valuable – above average defense with average offense, or above average offense with average defense. But Jason Kendall had a dynamic athletic factor to his game that most catchers do not have, and it really gave him the edge here.
Kendall averaged 20 stolen bases a season between 1997 and 2002. But, overall, Kendall was an all-around great hitter. During his tenure with the Bucs, he batted .306/.387/.416. That also included a 140 total stolen bases, 1.2 base running runs above average, and a 113 wRC+/108 OPS+.
Although he was an awful pitch framer, Kendall was not horrible defensively. He was above average in catching runners trying to steal on him. He also had a 5.5 dWAR in Pittsburgh. Although the stat was created in the last season he was in Pittsburgh, Kendall was still responsible for +31 defensive runs saved, including +19 in his age 34 season. If he was that good defensively at 34-years-old, he couldn’t have been that bad in his prime with the Pirates.
During Kendall’s tenure with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team did not have a single winning season. Due to this, the play of Kendall gave fans something to root for when there was not much else positive about the club.