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Tribe Backstop Best – Cleveland Indians’ Five Best All-Time Catchers

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4. VICTOR MARTINEZ (2002-09)

The case could be made that Martinez — still the Tigers’ primary designated hitter — should be higher on this list because he was probably the best-hitting catcher in Indians history. His work behind the plate, however, drops him in this estimation. Martinez was sometimes complimented for his handling of pitchers, but overall, he was generally regarded a subpar catcher defensively.

Martinez caught a combined 49 games to begin his big-league and Indians careers in the 2002-03 seasons. He averaged 132 games and 127 starts at catcher over the next four years. He was behind the plate for just 55 games in an injury-laden 2008 campaign. After catching 52 games and playing 47 at first base over the first four months of the 2009 season, Martinez was sent to the Boston Red Sox on July 31 — just before the trade deadline — for pitchers Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price.

In 821 games with Cleveland, including 684 at catcher, the switch-hitting Martinez hit .297 with 191 doubles, two triples and 103 home runs in 3,035 at bats. He had 518 RBI and 413 runs scored, and posted a .369 on-base percentage and .463 slugging percentage.

Martinez threw out 24 percent of base-runners attempting to steal, about five percent below the league average.

A three-time all-star with Cleveland, Martinez finished seventh in the MVP voting in 2007, when the Indians won the AL Central title, then defeated the Yankees three games to one in an AL Division Series before yielding a 3-1 lead to the Red Sox and losing the Championship Series, 4-3.

Martinez hit .301 in 562 at bats over 147 games (121 at catcher) in 2007, with 40 doubles, 25 homers, 114 RBI and 62 walks. He was 6-of-17 (.353) with a double, homer and four RBI in the division series, singling twice and driving in two runs in Cleveland’s 6-4 series-clinching win at Yankee Stadium. Then, against Boston for the AL pennant, Martinez was 8-of-27 (.296) with a double, homer and three RBI.

In 2005, when the Indians were in playoff contention until the final weekend, Martinez finished seventh in the AL with a .305 batting average. He was 10th (108) in RBI in 2004, seventh (114) in 2007 and fifth (108) in 2009 when he was hitting .284 with 67 RBI before he was traded to Boston.

Twice with the Indians, Martinez was second in the AL in games caught, and he led the league’s catchers with 61 assists in 2004.

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Mike Peticca covered the Indians and Cavaliers for The Associated Press from 1976 to 1998 and the Browns from 1976 to 1995. The Akron native doubled as a Plain Dealer sports writer for several years, and then covered high school, college and professional teams for The PD until 2013. He is a longtime baseball Hall of Fame voter.

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