Jorge Posada will not catch A.J. Burnett’s first start of the postseason, and it’s clear he’s not too happy about it. Jose Molina will get the start when Burnett pitchers either game 2 or game 3. Burnett has been a much better pitcher with Molina behind the plate, which only adds to the criticism from some in the media who for the past decade have been claiming Posada is not a good “pitcher’s catcher”. Batters hit .221 off Burnett with Molina catching, versus .270 against him when Posada gets the start. Burnett’s strike out rate is also about 40% higher when he’s pitching to Molina.

Although I feel bad for Jorge, this move makes sense for the Yankees. Even though Posada is a much better hitter than Molina, he only hits one out of every 9 Yankee plate appearances. The catcher calls pitches for 9 out of every 9 opponents coming to the plate. A 50 point drop in opponents’ batting averages with Molinda back there more than makes up for Molina’s 50 point lower batting average when compared to Posada.

At this point in Jorge’s career, I think he might really be thinking about his legacy when he’s hurt by a move like this. It does put a scar on his career when he’s replaced by a younger catcher who is a worse hitter because it’s clear the younger catcher is a better pitcher’s catcher. Catchers live on their reputation to make a pitching staff better. Why else would Boston keep holding onto Jason Varitek? The guy hits in the low .200’s and he can’t throw anybody out on the bases, but he can take a mediocre pitcher and make him look good by knowing what pitches to call.

Tags: catcher, jason varitek, jorge posada, jose molina, new york yankees