Is Joe Mauer the Best Catcher of His Era?

For many local fans, Joe Mauer’s Twins tenure was complicated, because of injuries, his large contract, and his shift to first base. However, Mauer is seen in a different light at the national level, with many writers supporting his candidacy on the ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He is currently trending toward being inducted on the first ballot, but if he falls short when the results of the BBWAA balloting are announced later this month, he will be elected in the coming years.

Mauer played in an era with multiple catchers who put together Hall of Fame resumes. Like Mauer, Buster Posey was a high draft pick, and he helped the Giants win multiple World Series titles. Yadier Molina might be the best defensive catcher of all time, while being part of multiple Series-winning teams in St. Louis. So, how do these three catchers compare, and who is the best catcher of the era?

WAR
Wins Above Replacement has flaws, but it allows fans to understand how players compare from one era to the next. According to Baseball Reference, Mauer accumulated significantly more WAR than the other catcher counterparts from his era. Posey and Molina accumulated similar totals, with Posey being slightly higher (44.8 compared to 42.3). Mauer was worth 55.2 WAR during his 15-year career, including five seasons wherein he posted a 5.5 WAR or higher. Nearly all of Mauer’s WAR value came on the offensive side, with a 53.0 oWAR, while Molina was the significantly better defender (28.0 dWAR), but more on that later. 
WAR Ranking: 1. Mauer, 2. Posey, 3. Molina

JAWS
Jay Jaffe developed JAWS to measure a player’s Hall of Fame worthiness. A player’s JAWS is their career WAR averaged with their seven-year peak WAR. According to JAWS, Mauer ranks as the seventh-best catcher ever. Posey ranks 14th, and Molina ranks 22nd. Since Mauer already leads in total WAR, it makes sense for him to have a higher JAWS ranking. Mauer’s seven-year peak WAR ranks fifth among catchers, with his MVP season (7.8 WAR) helping his overall numbers. Posey ranks 10th in seven-year peak WAR, while Molina ranks 25th.    
JAWS Ranking: 1. Mauer, 2. Posey, 3. Molina

WPA
Win Probability Added is the change in a team's chances of winning caused by a batter's plate appearances. A change of +/- 1.0 would indicate one win added or lost due to the results of that player, based on the situations in which they came up. For hitters, WPA can be tied to the opportunities allotted to that batter, but throughout a career, it can point to a player helping his team to win. Mauer’s 27.6 WPA is nearly 10 wins higher than Posey's and 24.5 wins higher than Molina's, though of course, it's a purely offensive metric, so he's bound to hold that edge over them.
WPA Ranking: 1. Mauer, 2. Posey, 3. Molina

Adjusted Weighted Runs Created
According to MLB.com, wRC+ takes the statistic Weighted Runs Created and adjusts that number to account for critical external factors, like ballpark or era. It’s adjusted so that a league-average hitter would have a 100 wRC+, and 150 would be 50 percent above the league average. Mauer's time in the Metrodome hurts his adjusted numbers, because it was a hitter-friendly environment. Posey played in San Francisco, which is less friendly to hitters. Overall, Posey finished with the highest wRC+ among this group (129), with Mauer not far behind (123). Molina ended his career with a 97 wRC+, which puts him slightly below the league average. 
wRC+ Ranking: 1. Posey, 2. Mauer, 3. Molina

Postseason Résumé
Mauer’s postseason résumé is significantly limited compared to those of the other two catchers, because of his team’s inability to win a series during his career. Mauer played in 10 postseason games and went 11-for-40 (.275 BA), with (ahem) one extra-base hit (Phil Cuzzi says so, anyway) and a seven-to-four strikeout-to-walk ratio. Molina played in nearly 50 more playoff games than Posey and had superior offensive numbers. In 104 games, Molina’s OPS was 16 points higher while helping the Cardinals win two World Series titles. Posey gets the nod with the most World Series titles, but Molina ranks as the top postseason performer among this catching trio.
Postseason Résumé Ranking: 1. Molina, 2. Posey, 3. Mauer

Defense
Baseball has two sides to the game, and defense must be considered when looking at all-time great players. Molina is one of the best defensive catchers in baseball history, and his defensive résumé might be enough to get him elected to Cooperstown. He won nine Gold Gloves and four Platinum Gloves, while posting a 28.0 dWAR. Mauer earned three Gold Gloves, with Posey only earning one, as he was competing directly with Molina. Mauer and Posey tied by throwing out 33% of runners during their careers, but Posey had 232 more stolen base attempts against him. Molina threw out 40% of batters in his career, including leading MLB in that category in four different seasons. His intimidating brilliance as a thrower shut down running games, severely reducing the rate at which runners even attempted to steal.
Defense Ranking: 1. Molina, 2. Posey, 3. Mauer

Baseball has countless statistical areas in which to compare players, but there are some clear results among these three catchers. Jason Michalicek responded to me on Twitter with what I think is the best response. Mauer was the best offensively, Molina was the best defensively, and Posey was the most well-rounded. However, Mauer should be considered one of the best catchers ever, and it looks increasingly like that reality will be affirmed by a first-ballot election to the Hall of Fame.

How would you rank these players? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.