NEW YORK -- Jorge Posada will be among the constants returning for another season in pinstripes, fresh off a campaign regarded as a bounceback year for the veteran Yankees backstop.
The 35-year-old switch-hitter put aside the usual nicks and bruises of life behind the plate to post another solid campaign in 2006, batting .277 with 23 home runs and 93 RBIs in 143 games.
Posada's RBI total tied Cleveland's Victor Martinez and Atlanta's Brian McCann for the league lead among Major League catchers, while his .492 slugging percentage was second in the American League to Minnesota's promising young Joe Mauer. Posada's .374 on-base percentage ranked third in the circuit.
But the numbers are of little surprise, considering Posada long has been known as one of the top offensive catchers in the game. Enjoying the dimensions of Yankee Stadium, Posada has strongly stated that case by collecting 163 home runs and 626 RBIs over the last seven seasons.
Those numbers have not only made Posada an invaluable and familiar piece of the Yankees attack, but they have earned him select company among the top backstops in baseball.
Entering a stage when such power statistics normally tend to decline, Posada seems to be bucking the trend.
Still, the fan favorite continues to find new ways to reinvent and improve his game, and Posada's biggest strides in 2006 seemed to come with each throw to a base.
Working closely with first-base coach and catching instructor Tony Pena, Posada's throwing improved markedly last season.
A solid defender who has made great strides in his handling of the pitching staff and blocking balls during his career, Posada added another weapon to the equation by gunning down 38 would-be basestealers in 102 attempts.
That performance tied Pittsburgh's Ronnie Paulino for the second-most caught stealings in the Major Leagues and produced a 37.3 percent mark, well surpassing Posada's previous career average.
Posada -- who shook off knee, elbow and finger injuries during 2006, not to mention illness and a broken nose in Spring Training -- figures to have little trouble adjusting to most of the pitching staff as the 2007 season draws closer.
That should include left-handed newcomer Kei Igawa, considering Posada has been through the situation of working with Japanese hurler Hideki Irabu during his Bronx tenure.
Above Igawa, Posada is obviously familiar with the repertoire of Andy Pettitte, as well as returning Yankees Mike Mussina, Carl Pavano and Chien-Ming Wang. Should Randy Johnson remain with the club in April, that also doesn't figure to be an issue, as Posada and Johnson appeared to put aside any differences to forge a working relationship.
While there remains time for the Yankees to pursue another option, Wil Nieves appears a strong candidate to serve as Posada's 2007 backup.
Nieves, 29, has gone hitless in 10 at-bats with the Yankees over the last two seasons after being acquired from the Angels for reliever Bret Prinz during the last days of Spring Training 2005, though he has proved a capable performer in Triple-A.
Nieves batted .259 with five home runs and 34 RBIs while seeing regular duty for the Columbus Clippers in 2006, playing in 88 games and logging 321 at-bats. Behind Nieves, Omir Santos, a 25-year-old who played at Double-A Trenton in 2006, has shown promise as one of the system's top defensive catchers.
