For more about Max, see his introductory post here.
At the end of the 2011 season, the Tampa Bay Rays declined catcher Kelly Shoppach’s $3.2 million option for 2012, setting him free to explore the market for his services. On November 28th, they signed Jose Molina as his replacement for one year and $1.8 million.
The middle Molina has been a backup catcher throughout his career: excluding his 2008 season with the Yankees (100 games played), he has never reached 80 games behind the plate in a season. However, Tampa Bay has few other backstop options at the major-league level and no catchers who qualify as top prospects, so barring injury, Molina will have a good chance to eclipse his career-high mark for games played in 2012.
The Rays did not hit their way into the 2011 postseason: they were middle-of-the-pack in runs scored in the American League, but last in their division, behind even the Orioles. The key to their success was run prevention, as they allowed the fewes...
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