Atlanta Braves searching for backup catcher: David Ross, A.J. Pierzynski potential targets

This is one of the smaller rumors that the Braves have been involved in recently, but one of the many areas that need to be addressed for the team heading into next season: backup catcher.

According to MLB.com’s Braves beat writer, the ever-reliable Mark Bowman, Atlanta is checking in on A.J. Pierzynski and former fan-favorite David Ross:

Last season, Pierzynski split games between the Boston Red Sox (72) and the St. Louis Cardinals (30) and finished the season with a .251/.288/.337 triple slash with five home runs. He had 50 runners steal bags “on him” and threw out 11, good for a caught stealing percentage of 18 percent–or 72nd in the league.

Ross played the entire year with the Red Sox and finished with a slash of .184/.260/.368 with seven homers. He threw out 22 percent of the runners who attempted to steal “on him”–62nd in the league.

Both of these catchers have suffered significant drop offs in offensive production over the past few years–most notably a drop in power. With both players 37-years-old though, that makes sense and they are certainly just bench players at this point in their careers. Ross would be a great player to bring back if only for his positive energy and support among the fans.

This is definitely a minor move to be watching out for, but we’ll keep tabs on it all for you.