Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers

Jorge Posada

Silver Slugger Award 2000

All-Star Selection 2000, 01

Full Name: Jorge Rafael (Villeta) Posada
Bats: Both Throws: Right
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 190 lbs.
Born: Aug 17, 1971 in Santurce, P.R.
Major League Debut: Sep 04, 1995

PHOTO
GALLERY

CAREER BATTING STATISTICS

BATTING

YEAR

TEAM

AVG

RBI

OBP

SLG

1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001

NYY
NYY
NYY
NYY
NYY
NYY
NYY

-.---
.071
.250
.268
.245
.287
.277

1
8
60
111
112
151
138

0
14
188
358
379
505
484

0
1
29
56
50
92
59

0
1
47
96
93
145
134

0
0
12
23
19
35
28

0
0
0
0
2
1
1

0
0
6
17
12
28
22

0
0
25
63
57
86
95

0
1
30
47
53
107
62

0
6
33
92
91
151
132

-.---
.133
.359
.350
.341
.417
.363

-.---
.071
.410
.475
.401
.527
.475

Totals

AVG
.268

G
581

AB
1928

R
287

H
516

2B
117

3B
4

HR
85

RBI
326

BB
300

K
505

OBP
.369

SLG
.465

BATTING

BASERUNNING

MISC

YEAR

TEAM

HBP

GDP

IBB

SB%

AB/HR

AB/K

1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001

NYY
NYY
NYY
NYY
NYY
NYY
NYY

0
0
3
0
3
8
6

0
1
2
14
9
11
10

0
1
77
170
152
266
230

0
0
2
7
2
10
10

0
0
1
0
0
0
0

0
0
2
4
2
4
5

0
0
1
0
1
2
2

0
0
2
1
0
2
6

-.---
-.---
.333
.000
1.000
.500
.250

--.-
--.-
31.3
21.1
31.6
18.0
22.0

--.-
2.3
5.7
3.9
4.2
3.3
3.7

Totals

HBP
20

GDP
47

TB
896

IBB
31

SH
1

SF
17

SB
6

CS
11

SB%
.353

AB/HR
22.7

AB/K
3.8

CAREER FIELDING STATISTICS

YEAR	TEAM	POS	G	Ch	PO	A	E	DP	PB	FPCT
1995 1996 1997 1998 1998 1999 1999 2000 2000 2001 2001	NYY NYY NYY NYY NYY NYY NYY NYY NYY NYY NYY	C C C 1B C 1B C 1B C 1B C	1 4 60 1 99 1 109 12 142 2 131	1 19 393 8 637 5 755 72 955 7 1059	1 17 367 7 587 4 705 63 892 7 996	0 2 23 1 46 1 45 8 56 0 52	0 0 3 0 4 0 5 1 7 0 11	0 0 3 2 3 1 7 6 7 1 11	0 0 8 0 7 0 17 0 11 0 18	1.000 1.000 0.992 1.000 0.994 1.000 0.993 0.986 0.993 1.000 0.990
Totals			G 562	Ch 3911	PO 3646	A 234	E 31	DP 41	PB 61	FPCT 0.992

Drafted: Selected by the New York Yankees in the 24th round of the 1990 free-agent draft.
Personal Information: Father, Jorge Sr., is a scout for the Colorado Rockies and uncle, Leo, is a minor league hitting instructor for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Scouting Report

1998 Season
Jorge Posada established himself as the Yankees' first-string catcher in 1998. He hit for power, showed a strong arm and handled the pitching staff well. A former second baseman who moved behind the plate six years ago in the minors, he looked like a natural catcher for the first time in his career.

Hitting
Posada has power from both sides of the plate but makes far better contact as a righthander, which is why he hit 129 points higher from that side. He still gives away too many lefthanded at-bats because he doesn't recognize breaking balls and gets out ahead of changeups. He's a dangerous home-run threat but tends to swing for the fences too often. Posada loves to hit fastballs and can get around on all but the best.

Baserunning & Defense
Posada's arm and quick release make him a dangerous catcher to run on. He threw out 38 percent of basestealers in 1998, trailing only the near-legendary Pudge Rodriguez in the American League. Pitchers praise Posada for his quiet hands, which get more borderline strikes called in his pitchers' favor. He has improved as a receiver and become better at blocking balls in the dirt, though there is still room for growth in both areas. He runs pretty well for a catcher and is used in hit-and-run situations.

1999 Outlook
Posada has shown the all-around talent to merit an increase in his catching workload. If that happens, he's capable of hitting 25 home runs this season. Increased playing time should help him become a better lefthanded hitter. The more he catches, the more he improves defensively. An All-Star appearance, perhaps as soon as this season, isn't out of the question.

Scouting Report Source: STATS, Inc. Copyright 1998 STATS, Inc.