From the Collection: Jeff Mathis, c, Los Angeles Angels
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If your child has decided that professional baseball is their vocation of choice, it would behoove you, especially if your kid is not embiggend with natural, top-flight baseball skills, to sit down and explore ways to hone the talents that will offer them the maximum competitive edge in that job market. Many of these skills don’t come with particularly high salary ceilings, but alternatively, they provide good floors that assure a long and productive careers.
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Example? If you are a left pitcher with some control and know how to sequence your pitches, you will be sticking around a while. See: Jamie Moyer, Mark Buehrle, Odalis Pérez, Rich Hill. Another example? A catcher who can control the run game, frame pitches, and work with young pitchers. You will be catching until your knees give out. See: Jose Molina, Henry Blanco, Austin Hedges, Brad Ausmus. Or, Jeff Mathis.
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I remember Jeff Mathis since he was part of a very good crop of Angels prospects in the early 2000s that included Francisco Rodriguez, John Lackey, Chris Bootcheck, Casey Kotchman, Bobby Jenks, Johan Santana, and Dallas McPherson.
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Mathis never really hit much. Over his 17 seasons in the big leagues, he hit .194/.252/.299 with a 48 OPS+. Career 0.3 WAR. That is…terrible. But his game was all about the glove, and he was his high-end defense, game calling, and ability to work with a pitching staff. And he made $22 million in the game before retiring in 2021.
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If you need more proof that this pays? Cleveland signed catcher Auston Hedges to a one-year, $4 million deal this offseason. His career numbers? Over 11 seasons in the majors, he is hitting .185/.244/.313 with a 52 OPS+. His career WAR? -2.1
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So get that kid a catcher’s glove. He will thank you later.