It is often hard to quantify a catcher’s contribution to the team. One can look at his offensive numbers and how many runners he throws out.  With Joe Girardi, those stats only tell half of the story because his contribution to the Yankees is far greater.

Girardi was the model of consistency in ’97, hitting .269 with one HR and 29 RBI before the All-Star break and .257 with 21 RBI after the break. He had 26 multi-hit games and his average with runners in scoring position was .336 overall and .367 with less than two outs.

However, Joe suffered a couple of injuries in ’97 that kept him out of the lineup for 18 games. He jammed his shoulder while sliding head-first into home in Texas on May 15 which caused him to miss four starts. In September, Girardi missed 14 starts because of  a non-displaced fracture of a fingertip on his left hand.

In his second season in the Bronx, the Peoria, IL, native appeared in 112 games, 109 of which he started. His reputation as one of the top defensive catchers in the American League explains why Yankees’ pitchers love having him behind the plate. He knows each pitcher’s strengths, makes great decisions and always calls a good game. 

If past seasons are any indication, ’98 will once again see Girardi make significant contributions.