Mitch Garver Has Established Himself As The Best Hitting Catcher In Baseball

Do you know who Mitch Garver is? Well, it’s time to stop whatever you’re doing and learn. I’ve always been a proponent of catchers who can’t hit a lick. As long as they can handle a pitching staff, I want them on my team. David Ross was the classic example. He won wherever he went because he handled a staff. However, when a catcher can flat out hit and play defense, then we have something special. It’s time to learn who Mitch Garver is. He quietly might be the best two–way catcher in baseball.

Garver has been a huge breakout candidate for the Twins. The Minnesota backstop is a 2.8 WAR player slashing a batting line of .282/.365/.629. Garver also has 20 home runs. That’s in just 202 at-bats. Incredible power for a backstop. Only Gary Sanchez has more home runs for the position but also has 95 more at-bats. Garver’s OPS of .994 is the highest of any catcher with at least 50 at-bats. Scratch that. He’s the only catcher with at least a .900 OPS with at least 150 at–bats. Simply put, Garver has been the best offensive catcher in baseball. That’s the truth.

Look at the quick hands and bat speed. I don’t think Garver goes up there trying to hit bombs. He just has pure power. That’s incredibly rare for a catcher. What’s crazier is Garver was a nobody prior to this season. I bet you didn’t even know the guy existed prior to reading this. Garver, 28, is just in his second year of action but it took him a while to reach the big leagues. He never hit like this. When the Twins first called him up in 2017, he hit just .196. It’s an incredible turnaround.

Garver hasn’t been Jason Castro behind the plate but he’s still a positive. The Twins catcher is a 0.6 defensive WAR player. That’s in just 59 games, some of them at DH. When he’s back there, Garver has shown he’s capable. Don’t look now but Mitch Garver is slowly establishing himself as an elite catcher. It’s not a crazy statement to say that he’s been the best. Offensively, no one has been better. This is why baseball is so great. Every single year a guy like this pops. There’s talent everywhere. You just have to watch the games to actually find it. Now comes the hard part. Can Garver keep up this kind of crazy production?