For various reasons Carlton Fisk and Josh Gibson and Mike Piazza could so easily have found themselves in my top 3 backstops of all time. They are all truly all time greats. Having said that, I feel really good about my ''All Time Top 3 Catchers ...
3 Yogi Berra: Even as I begin to write this, I ask myself one more time, ''How could I not have Yogi Berra 2nd or even 1st on my all time greatest catchers list?'' Anyways, one of the greatest orators of all time also happens to be one of the greatest catchers of all time and he is ranked # 3 here at Cowboy's Baseball. Born in St. Louis and traded for Joe Garagiola, his boyhood friend, he was one of only four players to be named MVP of the American League three times. As a player, coach, or manager Yogi appeared in 21 World Series. He was in fourteen World Series with the Yankees as a player and they won ten of them. Yogi Berra was considered an outstanding defender, a great handler of pitchers, and both mobile & quick. His defensive prowess shows through in his defensive stats and defensive records which include a fielding percentage of 1.000 in 1958; .989 lifetime. This master of malapropism and defense was also an 18 time All Star and 3 time AL MVP. His lifetime stats include a .285 BA, .348 OBP, 482 SLG., 358 HR, 1430 RBI, and 1175 RS. # 8 once led the Yankees in RBI for seven consecutive seasons - on a team that included Mickey Mantle & Joe DiMaggio. Five times he hit more home runs than he had strikeouts, which contributed to his being a feared hitter. I truly wish that I could have seen this man play. If I had, I believe that I would have been watching one of the greatest players to have ever played the game. I believe as well that I might have said, ''You can observe a lot by watching.'' [ A Yogi'ism ] ...
2 Ivan Rodriguez: I would call it highly probable that Ivan ''Pudge '' Rodriguez is the best defensive catcher of all time. It is so hard to make a claim like this across era's and given that I haven't seen some of the greats play. Arguments could certainly be made in favor of several others; suffice it to say, he was great behind the plate! Pudge has won the Gold Glove Award 13 times. Through May of 2006 he had thrown out 48% of would be base stealers and even though his career has trended downward since, he still has thrown out 45.68% lifetime. Combine this with his proficiency at picking runners off of first and his defensive prowess begins to shine through. He currently leads all catchers in MLB history in putouts and assists. I-Rod has a lifetime fielding percentage of .991. It was and is the leadership & defensive intangibles with this backstop that helped to create his defensive greatness. Offensively, this 14 time All Star was equally impressive. He was an AL MVP Award winner and a 7 time Silver Slugger Award winner. Pudge has 572 doubles, the most all time for catchers, and good enough for 21st all time at any position; 24 more doubles would place him 15th all time. He has the most doubles in a season for catchers with 44. He was the first catcher in AL history to have a 20/20 season and he was the first catcher in Major League history to have 30 home runs, 100 runs batted in, and 100 runs scored in a season. In recent years, his age has slowed him down and had an effect on his lifetime batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. Nonetheless, his lifetime stats are still very impressive. They are as follows: .296 BA, .334 OBP, .464 SLG., 311 HR, 1332 RBI, 1354 RS, 572 DB, and 127 SB. Ivan ''Pudge'' Rodriguez was one of the greatest catchers of all time. He is # 2 on my list ...
1 Johnny Bench: Johnny Lee Bench was the great catcher and an integral part of the Big Red Machine that amassed six division titles, 4 National League pennants, and two World Series championships. The 1976 World Series MVP hit .533 with 2 home runs in the series and yet this barely begins to explain what he brought to the game. ''Hands'' was a great leader and many say he took the game to a different level from behind the plate. This two time MVP won the Gold Glove Award 10 times. He had a career .991 fielding percentage and three times he led the National League in caught stealing percentage. The man who could hold seven baseballs in one hand had 14 All Star appearances to go with his two World Series rings, ROY Award, World Series MVP Award, Babe Ruth Award, Hutch Award, and Lou Gehrig Memorial Award. His lifetime stats include a .267 BA, .342 OBP, 476 SLG., 389 HR, 1376 RBI, and 1091 RS. Johnny Lee Bench, AKA ''Hands'' ... The greatest catcher of all time ...
Again, how does one definitively, authoritatively, make the statement: The Greatest Catcher of All Time? Carlton Fisk brought so much to the game - every game. Josh Gibson we can never truly know. Mike Piazza was the greatest hitting catcher ever, was he not? Just the name Yogi Berra - how could anyone ever argue his greatness from behind the plate or from the batters box. Ivan Rodriguez brought it to the ballpark every day at an elite level. These are my All Time Top 9 Catchers. Who are yours? ...
Until next time, so long everybody ...
Lee [ Cowboy ]
Oh, Cowboy, I must castigate you severely. Much as I detest the Yankees, Yogi Berra was the finest catcher to play the game. His offensive numbers in the era he played were without compare. His defensive ability was also without peer in his era. And he managed the game - there weren't managers telling him which pitch to call, as was the case for Pudge through almost all of his career.
ReplyDeleteAs a NL Central man, I could forgive you for rating Bench above Berra, though, alas, you'd still be wrong. But Pudge? Not even in Yogi's ZIP Code.