Cubs’ MLB-Best Catchers Pacing Offense, Huge Improvement Over Last Year
The Cubs have scored 124 runs this season, 17 more than the second-place Yankees, and their 121 team wRC+ is fifth overall. They’re walking more than all but three teams, striking out less than all but five, and their .176 ISO (raw power) ranks sixth as well. That’s pretty solid production from a unit relying largely on better health and bounceback from a number of players who were on the roster last year.
Jed Hoyer made several offseason roster upgrades, the most notable of which was acquiring right fielder Kyle Tucker, but the biggest relative boost to the lineup is coming from a spot not expected to produce much offense. Through 21 games, Cubs catchers lead MLB with 1.6 fWAR, 25 runs batted in, and a shocking 1.078 OPS. And while Carson Kelly‘s surprise turn as a slugger has led the way, Miguel Amaya is more than holding his own.
“We’ve been locked in and getting our work in,” Amaya told reporters in San Diego. “Obviously, the first thing we need to take care of is our pitchers. But it’s also taking care of that spot whenever we have the chance to bring runs in or move a runner, having those quality at-bats. We’re putting in that work, too, so we can be helpful on both sides of the game.
“And whoever is in the lineup that day, we’re going to be ready to do our job. And if we’re not in the lineup, we stay locked in for the game for whatever happens.”
Contrast that with last season, when Cubs backstops were near the bottom of the league in offensive production. Through the first month of 2024, they were worth -0.1 fWAR with eight RBI and a .654 OPS. Things only got worse from there, as the fWAR number had dropped to a league-low -1.2 with a .493 OPS through May. By the end of June, they were at -1.8 fWAR with a 33 wRC+ that said Cubs catchers were 67% below league-average in terms of creating runs.
The production began to turn around after Yan Gomes was let go in mid-June and Miguel Amaya ditched his leg kick for a smaller toe-tap in early July. Since July 7, when Amaya returned from sitting for a few days to adjust to his new swing, Cubs catchers are fourth in MLB with 3.3 fWAR and third with a 135 wRC+ (just two points behind the first-place Cardinals). That’s a massive jump from where they had been through the first few months of 2024.
We have to be careful not to put too much stock in their continued performance at this same level, but it’s more than fair to assume they can keep producing better than league average. That alone will be a huge help through the rest of the first half because the position isn’t a gaping hole in the offense. Tucker is an upgrade over Cody Bellinger, Pete Crow-Armstrong is hitting much better than last year, and Nico Hoerner looks better than ever despite missing most of spring training rehabbing offseason forearm surgery.
Now if the Cubs can just get Dansby Swanson‘s luck turned in the right direction and get Matt Shaw right at the plate, they could really make some noise. I’m going to cover the former topic in a subsequent piece and I already took a look at Shaw’s demotion earlier, but I would like to touch on that again here because the Amaya stuff hearkens back to something from the offseason about Shaw’s leg kick.
Sending Shaw back to Iowa may allow the organization’s hitting instructors to work with him on quieting things down a bit. Keep in mind, this isn’t a matter of changing the stance that so many people seem to be blaming for his struggles just because they think it looks weird. The issue isn’t how Shaw stands in the box, it’s his approach and timing. He watched way too many first pitch strikes, and falling behind early left him flailing more than he should have.
I don’t believe the big leg kick is responsible for that in and of itself, but Shaw was often caught off-guard and wasn’t able to produce enough good swings as a result. Reducing the kick and going with more of a toe-tap might allow him to get started early without having to commit, something we saw with Amaya. Perhaps a better comp is Angels shortstop Zach Neto, whose leg kick used to be similar to Shaw’s.
Here is Neto explaining the evolution of his move to MLB Network’s Yonder Alonso, who the White Sox once signed because he’s Manny Machado‘s brother-in-law.
You don’t fix what ain’t broken, and it’s possible Shaw can still succeed by simply changing his mindset and being more aggressive at the plate. But the improvements by Amaya and Neto offer templates for success that Shaw and the Cubs might try to follow. Something to keep an eye on as Shaw gets going with the I-Cubs.
It’ll be a little while before we get to see whether Shaw’s adjustments pay dividends in Chicago, so for now we can focus on Kelly, Amaya, and the rest of the surging offense.
