The Rays did not lose to the Red Sox on Sunday because of a passed ball.
No sir, there were plenty of other reasons for Boston’s completion of a four-game sweep. For instance, Tampa Bay hitters went 0-for-15 with runners in scoring position. And Shane McClanahan was not particularly sharp during his five innings of work.
But I keep going back to Hunter Feduccia’s passed ball with the bases loaded when the score was still tied in the third inning. McClanahan threw a sinking curveball that Chad Durbin whiffed at but Feduccia allowed to go between his legs as the go-ahead run scored.
Why am I fixated on that?
Because it reminded me of how little the Rays are getting from their two catchers this season.
I don’t think anyone expected Feduccia or Nick Fortes to be contenders for the All-Star team in 2026, but there was hope that they might finally stop the revolving door of catchers that we’ve seen lately in Tampa Bay. In the last five years, the Rays have had 10 different catchers start at least 20 games in a season.
And the way things are going right now, I’d expect that trend to continue in 2027.
It’s not that Fortes and Feduccia have been horrible. Trust me, the Rays have seen worse.
But I’m just not sure what they bring to the table.
Neither is a particularly good hitter. They both began Sunday with an OPS+ of 76. That means their offensive production is about 24% lower than the average hitter in the majors this season.
OK, that’s not shocking. There are certain positions the Rays value more for defense than offense. Catcher is high on that list.
The problem is, Feduccia and Fortes have not exactly shined defensively, either.
To start with, they’ve combined for 12 errors, which is tied for the MLB lead among catching combos. And in Statcast’s Fielding Run Value statistic (which measures throwing, blocking and framing among other things) Feduccia ranks 21st and Fortes 25th among catchers with at least 300 innings this season.
Personally, I think those Statcast numbers are slightly off. Fortes is the stronger defensive catcher, but Feduccia is ranked higher because he’s done better catching base stealers and framing pitches. Overall, however, the Rays seem to value Fortes’ work behind the plate more than Feduccia’s. Which explains why Fortes has gotten more playing time despite the fact that Feduccia is a left-handed hitter, which typically means he would get the bulk of at-bats in a platoon situation.
But all of that is nitpicking. The bottom line is this:
If you’re a below-average hitter, you better be an asset in the field. And the numbers say Fortes and Feduccia are, at best, mediocre defensively. Hence, Baseball Reference has Fortes and Feduccia with a combined WAR of minus-0.8, which puts the Rays 22nd in catching value.
Is it possible Fortes and Feduccia shine when it comes to calling pitches? Sure, that could be an advantage. The pitchers have been complimentary of the way the catchers have handled that aspect of the game. How valuable that is for a team with a veteran pitching staff is debatable.
There’s some chatter that the Rays will look for a catcher at the trade deadline, but the pool of candidates is not terribly large and teams generally pay a higher premium in midseason trades.
The more likely scenario is the Rays will be looking for a frontline catcher in the offseason.
Like usual.
