Top 10 Greatest Catchers of All-Time
Here is my first article on on the all-time greatest players at each position, today we will talk about catchers. This is all based on my personal opinion so please, feel free to tell me why I’m wrong.
10. Joe Torre (MLN, ATL, STL, NYM) .297 / 252HR / 1185RBIs / 9 ASGs / 1 MVP
People usually think of Joe Torre as the manager of the New York Yankees who won four World Series Championships and six American League Pennats from 1996 until 2007. However, it is easy to forget that Torre was considered one of the best catchers of his era and had a borderline Hall of Fame career. Torre had a .990 field percentage and threw out 41% of runners attempting to steal. While he spent almost equal time at first base and third base in his career, Torre comes in at #10 on my list because his combination of power and defense stand out.
9. Mike Piazza (LAD, FLA, NYM, SDP, OAK) – .308 / 427 HR / 1335 RBIs / 12 All-Star Games, 1 ROY
Mike Piazza is arguably the greatest offensive catcher of all-time. Normally, this would put you higher up on the list but Piazza was awful offensively. Known as a liability behind the plate, Piazza did have a respectable .989 fielding percentage but he threw out an anemic 23% of base runners. Piazza hit what might be the most famous homerun of the last 20 years on September 21, 2011. On a somber night at Shea in the first game back after resuming the season following the September 11th terrorist attacks, Piazza’s two-run homerun clinched the win for the Mets and lifted up the spirits of a heartbroken city.
8. Bill Dickey (NYY) – .313 / 202 HR / 1209 RBIs / 11 All-Star Games / HOF, 1954
Until Yogi Berra came along, Bill Dickey was the standard for catchers – not only for the New York Yankees but for all of Major League Baseball as well. From 1936 – 1939, Dickey hit over 20 home runs and drove in over 100 runs each year which were four of the best offensive seasons by a catcher ever at the time. With a field percentage of .988, Dickey threw out 47% of runners who attempted to steal. As a member of the Yankees, Dickey won eight World Series Championships and another 6 as a coach for an astounding total of 14. Enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1954, Dickey’s number 8 was retire by the Yankees in 1972.
7. Gabby Hartnett (CHC, NYG) – .297 / 236 HR / 1179 RBIs / 6 All-Star Games / 1 MVP / HOF, 1955
Gabby Hartnett is remembered as being a part of some of the greatest moments in baseball history. He was the catcher for the Cubs in the 1932 World Series when Babe Ruth called his shot, he was the catcher in the 1934 All-Star Game when Carl Hubbell struck out Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx, Simmons and Cronin in order and in 1938 when he hit a game winning home run to put the Cubs into first-place during the last week of the season as the sun was setting – forever being known as the ‘Homer in the Gloamin’. But if you look at Hartnetts career, both offensively and defensively, he is one of the greatest ever. His 57% caught stealing percentage is the highest of all time and he finished with a fielding percentage of .984. Hartnett was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1955.
6. Mickey Cochrane (PHA, DET) – .320 / 119 HR / 832 RBIs / 2 All-Star Games / 2 MVPS / HOF, 1947
Mickey Cochrane has the highest lifetime batting average and OBP (.419) of any retired catcher in baseball history and he was the first catcher to score and drive in 100 runs in the same season. While he was not the best defensive catcher – .985 fielding percentage and 39% caught stealing percentage – he is arguably one of the top 5 offensive catcher in history. Cochrane, a three time World Series Champion, was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947.
5. Carlton Fisk (BOS, CWS) – .269 / 376 HR / 1330 RBIs / 11 All-Star Games / 1 ROY / HOF, 2000
The preeminent catcher of the late 1970s and 1980s, Carlton Fisk is number five on our list of top catchers of all-time. The picture of Fisk waiving his homerun fair in the 1975 World Series is etched into the minds of all baseball fans. When he retired, Fisk held the record for most homeruns by a catcher and most games behind the plate. While both records have since been broken, Fisk was the gold-standard for consistency and production in his era and was elected the Hall of Fame in 2000.
4. Ivan Rodriguez (TEX, FLA, DET, NYY, HOU, WSN) – .296 / 311 HR / 1332 RBIs / 14 All-Star Games / 1 MVP
Arguably the greatest defensive catcher of all time, Ivan ‘Pudge’ Rodriguez is # 4 on our list all-time greatest catchers. In 1999 Rodriguez had one of the best seasons by catcher in history, when he hit .332 with 35 homeruns, 113 RBIs and 25SBs while winning the American League MVP award. In 2009, Rodriguez surpassed Carlton Fisk for the most games behind the plate. Finishing his career with a .991 fielding percentage and a 46% caught stealing percentage, Rodriguez retired in 2012.
3. Roy Campanella (BRO) – .276 / 242 HR / 856 RBIs / 8 All-Star Games / 3 MVPs / HOF, 1969
A pioneer in Major League Baseball, Roy Campanella comes in at # 3 on the list of all-time greatest catchers. One of the first Afican American players to play in Major Leagues after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1946, Campanella quickly became one of the best backstops in history. One of the greatest hitting catchers of all time, Campanella was also an excellent defensive catcher who threw out 57% of men trying to steal. Sadly, Campanella’s career was cut short after only 10 years in 1958 when he was paralyzed in a car accident. Campanella was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1969.
2. Yogi Berra (NYY, NYM) – .285 / 358 HR / 1430 RBIs / 18 All-Star Games / 3 MVPs / HOF, 1972
One of the most colorful characters in baseball history, Yogi Berra is our second greatest catcher of all time. Berra is the most decorated catcher in baseball history, having won 13 World Series Championships with the Yankees – a feat which will most certainly never be matched. Combining power and clutch hitting, Berra hit 358 home runs (305 as a catcher) which is 4th most in history. He is only the second catcher in history to win three MVP awards (the other being Roy Campanella) and his 18 All-Star Game selections are the 7th most in history. Berra, who had his # 8 jersey retired by the Yankees in 1972 (along with Bill Dickey), was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972.
1. Johnny Bench (CIN) – .267 / 389 HR / 1376 RBIs / 14 All-Star Games / 2 MVPs / ROY / HOF, 1989
Cincinnati Reds legend, Johnny Bench has been selected the greatest catcher of all time. As the backbone of the 1970s ‘Big Red Machine’, Johnny Bench helped lead the Reds to the 1975 and 1976 World Series Championships. The premeinent catcher of his generation and a standard in which all catchers are judged, Bench won two MVP awards and was selected to 14 All-Star Games. When he retired Bench held the record for games caught and home runs. Bench was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989
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