The Good, Bad, and Ugly: Arizona Diamondbacks Catcher Carousel

Arizona Diamondbacks’ catcher John Ryan Murphy is in the middle of a league-worst slump since the All-Star break while veterans Alex Avila and Jeff Mathis have gotten things going.

If we’re being totally honest, the entire three-catcher system used in Arizona has been disappointing. In fact, if you combine the Arizona Diamondbacks’ group of Alex Avila, Jeff Mathis, and John Ryan Murphy, they’re hitting just .195 in 439 at-bats.

Recently, however, things have turned for both Mathis and Avila while Murphy cannot buy a base-hit.

In Avila’s case, the former All-Star has raised his batting average 66 points since late June. Between June 21st until now, Avila is hitting .344 (11-for-32) in 13 games with three home runs and nine walks. Now 31-years old, though, Avila isn’t the team’s best option defensively but has the trust of his pitchers and is being used often as a pinch-hitter.

Mathis, the team’s best defensive catcher with a group-high defensive runs saved (9), has a career batting average below .200 but has gotten things going recently. Since July 8th, Mathis is hitting .306 (11-for-36), thus raising his 2018 mark from .172 to .209. But for what he adds defensively, the 14-year veteran isn’t even close to a power threat. In fact, Mathis hasn’t homered since May 15th, 2017 (or his last 281 plate appearances).

Finally, we get to John Ryan Murphy, a guy who looked like he had the position locked up earlier in the season. It’s crazy, in his first 32 games this year, the former Yankee had a .278 batting average with eight home runs. That’s three more home runs than he had in his first five seasons (146 games).

Unfortunately, it all fell apart after he won the job. From June 3rd until now, he’s hit .153 (15-for-98) with a .215 OBP and .419 OPS. It’s only getting worse, too. Murphy is hitless in his last 29 plate appearances, reaching base just once with a walk. Since the All-Star break, he has the most at-bats of any catcher without a hit (18).

The AB’s have been dwindling for Murphy lately, doled out to Avila and Mathis instead. While it’s the best decision overall, you’ve gotta hope that he can have a good game when he gets his shot, build off of it, and return to his early-season form. Murphy, at this point, has the highest upside of the group.