Hank Blalock is still living off of the home run he hit off Eric Gagne in the 2003 All Star Game.
I think he is also the beneficiary of the "Look," which was described in "Moneyball" in reference to Billy Beane, during his playing days.

Too bad Gary Matthews, Jr. never had a name or he'd be on this list, too. I'm taking the unders on his release by the Angels as two years.

Sully, a "solid defensive catcher" is an understatement for Pudge. Throwing out over 1/2 of prospective basestealers each of the last two seasons, and still moving well at age 35, he is simply the greatest defensive catcher ever and still exceptionally valuable in this aspect. This more than outweighed his failure to take a walk.

He has now caught 1934 games in his career. That is a lot. Whether he will be able to perform at the same level defensively over the next couple of years is a legitimate question.

I don't know if the heat wears Blalock down in the summer but his first half stats have consistently been vastly superior to his second half numbers:

           First Half       |       Second Half
      AVG   OBP   SLG   OPS    AVG   OBP   SLG   OPS
2003 .323  .375  .524  .899   .272  .319  .520  .839 
2004 .303  .369  .572  .941   .240  .338  .406  .744 
2005 .285  .346  .479  .825   .236  .283  .375  .658 
2006 .287  .352  .443  .795   .237  .289  .346  .635

Blalock has been a huge beneficiary of playing home games in a hitter friendly ballpark. His road stats are well-below average. I can't even imagine what his second half rate stats on the road look like.

I like the theme of this article a lot, but I have to question a number of the selections when compared to what you said you were looking for. While guys like Garciaparra *sigh* and Izturis make perfect sense, some of them don't seem to:

Rodriguez- Considering how difficult it is to find a decent hitting catcher who can also defend, I don't see why he's here. True, his production and what people expect from his bat is overrated, but you said this wasn't an "most overrated" list. Unlike, say, Garciaparra at first base (where any solid prospect could be plugged in a potentially give you good numbers), catch is much more difficult to fill in. Take a look at some of the retreads who have starting jobs at the position this year, and I'd say I'll take Pudge over that any day.

Giles- While he has been in decline, the question still remains whether the decline is due to constant injuries or falling skill; the Padres thought it was worth another few seasons to get the answer. Given his age, his position, his fielding skill, and his stats even just 2 years ago, why not?

Blalock- He could become the captain of this team, but I think you jumped the gun on him. Another still young player who has experienced injuries recently, there's nothing to indicate that Blalock can't bounce back to what people thought he would be. Of course, in two or three years, Blalock could still be stuck in the same rut...call me back then.

Gonzalez- Don't mistake one person's questionable decision for the public's general opinion. I think everyone sees Gonzalez for what he is: on his last legs, declining skill in all facets, a good former star who can still do something. Just about everyone agrees that it made no sense for the Dodgers to sign him...doesn't mean Gonzalez is set for permament employment. It wasn't long ago that he was still very productive, and given health he could still put up a better OBP than most players...in the right situation, he's worth a shot, and it's not his fault that he landed in the wrong one.

Sheffield- I just don't get this one. He's always hurt, and yet still hits, his physical skills are still there and there...what's to question. True, the wheels could fall off completely, but last year was an injury wash, and he's produced otherwise (why did you say two full seasons removed?). The Tigers are in a situation where he fits and they can pay some to win now...looks sensible to me, whether it works out or not, sometimes you have to take a risk.

I think this theme is much better for players who produced early in their careers and then hung around for far too long. Giles and Blalock could absolutely be going down that road, but I think it's still too early for them. Meanwhile, Rodriguez, Gonzalez, and Sheffield are all what they are *channeling Coach Green*...veterans whose best days are likely behind them, but who can still contribute more this year than the average replacement player. If I have a hole at one of their positions, and I want to win now...why not take that chance?

Nomar, Blalock and Wright are the dregs of this bunch, and Sheffield might be right on their heels. Great article, Sully.

I totally disagree with Sheffield being on this list. If healthy, Sheff is going to hit... there's just no questioning that. Being the full-time D.H. should help stay healthy. The Tigers will be estatic if he puts together a season like 2005 (291/379/512) because he hit (364/449/722) with RISP. That's what he's there for. Plus, the injury he had last season was a total fluke.

I think Garrett Anderson would be a good choice as the left fielder. (And if anyone still thinks Darrin Erstad has value, he would certainly fit in on the list as well.)

At third, I would consider Melvin Mora.

Yanks fan here... Sheff's a bit of a stretch for this list, yeah. He produced as a Yank. Not as much as Vlad has in the same time (sigh), but he was good. He sucked in the playoffs for the Yanks, but that hardly distinguishes him from his teamates during the same time. He will hit in Detroit, though he moved from one tough stadium for RH power hitters to another. The question is whether he hits enough to be worth what they gave to get him. As of this writing, of course, Humberto Sanchez is shut down due to elbow soreness. Again. So maybe the Tiggers knew what they were doing.

Does Tony Woe-mack still have a job, btw? If so, he's GOTTA make this list. How about Christian Guzman?

I don't know about Izturis. Yes, he's mediocre enough, but is he guaranteed a starting job the rest of his career? After getting shown the door in LA to make room for a true talent in Furcal, I think we're seeing Izturis enter a journeyman phase in his career, where he will keep the dirt left of second base warm until an organization's prospect can vault out of AAA. (Not that the Cubs have anybody knocking on the door, but who knows what the Cubs are thinking at any given time?)

A better candidate might be David Eckstein, whose ordinary batting stats and barely-there fielding skills will be forever glossed over because of his little-engine-that-could mentality and shiny WSMVP trophy. As soon as his skills decline, he'll get the "veteran leadership" pass because he's just so darn cute, and I think that fits your criteria better than Izturis's streak of luck at playing on teams without other options.

There is something questionable about putting a guy who is still productive and in the middle of a multi-year contract on this list. Torri Hunter I understand since he is blocking a prospect who is likely better than him already. But, Pudge deserves better than to be lumped in with this group. He's still likely to be a 3-4 win player this year which leaves him fairly compensated. If he signs a several year $10+ million dollar contract this offseason, he'd definitely belong here next year, but when the catcher position is stocked with players like Brad Ausmus, Mike Lieberthal, and Jason Kendall, I find it hard to believe that Rodriguez, who's production is still quite good, is the guy who is living exclusively off his name.

Great idea for an article. But I agree that Sheffield and Rodriguez do not belong on this list. Before his injury, Sheff was a true offensive force, and as a DH he should be that again.
A 98 OPS+ from the catcher's spot is outstanding. The average line for ML catchers last year was .269/.329/.416. Pudge's numbers look a lot better in that light, and when you factor in his defense, he is still one of the best in the game. Jason Kendall, on the other hand, had an OPS of .709 in what was a "bounce-back" year for him. Pudge, though, still has "game."

Agree with many of the above comments re: Ivan Rodriguez. An OPS+ of 98 is above average for a catcher. What else do you want the guy to do?

Just to pile on, nothing Ivan Rodriguez has done in the past 14 years can be confused with "offensie woes." He had the 7th-most offensive Win Shares of any catcher in baseball last year.