Needz Fills a Hole

When starting catcher James McCann went down with an injury, longtime backup Tomas Nido stepped in. While Nido was competent with the bat, his real plus skill was his work behind the plate. Nido led all NL catchers with a 16.8 Fielding Runs Above Average (FRAA) and Catcher Defensive Adjustment (16.9). He was second in the NL in Pitch Framing Runs (15.3) and Called Strikes Above Average (0.018). Nido ended the season with a .994 Fielding Percentage and threw out 21 percent of runners who attempted to steal a base. All of this led to Nido being named a finalist for the National League Gold Glove Award. This hat was from Nido’s breakout 2022 season.