First of all, let’s state the obvious: Martin Maldonado was not acquired to hit. He was acquired by Eppler for his defensive skill, which we have seen in action many times. He threw out baserunners last year at a .387 clip, good for 5th best in the league. He started the most games at catcher out of anyone in the MLB last year as well, with 137 games, a feat in itself.

However, these defensive numbers come at the price of really any significant offensive production. Maldonado got on base in 2017 at the low, low rate of .276. He slugged a career high .368 but also hit .221. So, based on just the standard numbers, Maldonado is having a barely average season on offense. What makes this stand out even more is the fact that he had a walk rate of 3.2% (absurdly low, but not too different from his career numbers). Maldonado finished the season with an offensive contribution, which combines hitting plus base running and compares them to the average hitter, of -18.2. I never really paid too much attention to his offensive contributions, only thinking "Hey, he’s not bad. He had 14 home runs this year." But Maldonado, aside from his 14 home runs and 38 RBIs, brings nothing offensively to the table.

Maldonado’s defense was good enough last year that his defensive contribution, which combines fielding and positional adjustment and compares them to the average, graded out to 12.4. So, for those keeping track, Maldonado contributed -18.2 on offense and 12.4 on defense compared to the average. However, he also was worth 1.0 WAR, which is worth more than Jett Bandy or Carlos Perez ever reached as Angels or even reach now.

Once again, you must keep in mind that Maldonado was acquired for his defense. So, in that sense, he’s doing his job. Being top 5 in every defensive category for a catcher is very, very good. Playing in 137 games is a herculean feat and murder on the knees, so hats off to him for toughing it out. However, his offensive production is so low that you shouldn’t expect Maldonado to shoulder any part of the offense. It’s unfortunate to essentially have a black hole and a waste of a batter in the lineup, but it’s easier to swallow if you realize that his defensive contributions outweigh his ineptitude on offense. The Halos have had this kind of black hole in the lineup before (see: Left Field before J-Up or Second Base (take this opportunity to think about Taylor Featherston as the starting Second Baseman)) but without the defense to back it up.

Luckily, the Angels lineup is strong enough now that Maldonado’s lack of offense won’t hurt them. It’s easier when the lineup doesn’t require so much of Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. I will gladly take the Gold Glove winning catcher and Rene Rivera if the alternative was a committee of Carlos Perez, Juan Graterol, and Jett Bandy.

In short, Maldonado can’t hit (and very few catchers actually do) but his defense is so good that he’s still worth the spot in the lineup and better than the alternative.