New York Yankees Gary Sanchez is the best catcher in baseball

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez has the accolades, the impact, and the star-power to crown him as the best catcher in the MLB.

The state of Major League catchers isn’t much to be excited about these days. It’s not as honorable to be among the best at the position at this point in time. The job has recently been plagued with a bit of inconsistency, as well as lower durability and defensive standards.

Gary Sanchez has been criticized for all three of those negative characteristics, at some point during his New York Yankees career, but that’s not who he has grown to be.

The Kraken is far from perfect. His 2019 production wouldn’t be among the top backstops in the game, especially after his disappointing run a year earlier. But in comparison to the rest of the MLB’s catching landscape, Sanchez is the overall best player at the position.

He anchored and carried a lineup of injured players to one of the best records in baseball in 2019. His on-field leadership was most notable with the avalanche of injured players at the start of the season, resulting in many considering him the AL MVP of the first half.

Interestingly, he was the only catcher in baseball who garnered any MVP respect at all. But it’s also telling in terms of where he placed among his position in the MLB. Sanchez is a catcher who his pitching staff loves, as well as someone his manager has always supported even during times where he’s been a subject of harsh criticism.

Last season he was voted as the American League starter at the Midsummer Classic for a reason. There was simply no AL catcher more deserving than him.