All-Time Rankings: Catcher

[TruffleShuffle]

Rank your top 10 catchers of all-time. I'll put in for your consideration the top 25 catchers from Bill James' top 100 rankings, which he uses win shares to rate, as well as any catchers who are in the HOF but did not make James' top 25 list. Consider only their major league numbers - i.e., for Roy Campanella, do not take into account his years in the Negro Leagues. Linked are the baseball-reference.com statistics for each player. Number 1 is to be the best all-time catcher, and so on.

 

I'll mention this just once, but as is noted in James' book, it's important to understand the era during which players played. For this, take a look through the American League numbers from its inception. As is pretty evident, most of the 1900s and 1910s were part of a "dead ball" era in which pitchers dominated; then offense dominated in the 1920s and 1930s. Pitching was a little more effective during WWII, then the years from WWII to 1960 were pretty even between the pitchers and hitters. From 1963-1972, pitchers took over once again. Beginning in about 1986, pitching was overwhelmed by hitting.

 

What does all this mean? James says that the natural tendancy is to compare one player's numbers to another's without understand the context. So, the most frequently screwed over players, in terms of making the HOF, are hitters who played in a pitchers' era or in a pitchers' park for much of their careers; or, pitchers who played during a hitters' era and pitched in a bandbox. To level the playing field, I encourage people to look at ERA+ and OPS+, as well as a player's ranking against his peers in various statistical categories.

 

Johnny Bench

Yogi Berra

Bob Boone

Roger Bresnahan

Roy Campanella

Gary Carter

Mickey Cochrane

Darren Daulton

Bill Dickey

Buck Ewing

Rick Ferrell

Carlton Fisk

Bill Freehan

Gabby Hartnett

Elston Howard

Ernie Lombardi

Tim McCarver

Thurman Munson

Lance Parrish

Mike Piazza (active)

Darrell Porter

Ivan Rodriguez (active)

Ray Schalk

Wally Schang

Ted Simmons

Gene Tenace

Joe Torre

[Shilzzz]

craig biggio doesn't fit here?

[NewUserName]

I thought you had them ranked at first and not in alphabetical order.

 

So I say Bench and Berra and said yeah okay but than Bob Boone and i went "What the" Than I saw it was in alphabetical order and realized my error.

 

I havent looked up numbers or anything I just am going on my gut

1. Bench

2. Berra

3. IRod

4. Dickey

5. Fisk

6. Hartnett

7. Cochrane

8. Piazza probably would have ranked higher if he wasnt my least favorite player

9. Darrell Porter

10. Jody Davis personal fav or mine

 

What I want to know and maybe I should look up his numbers before I shoot off my mouth but what is Tim McCarver doing on the list. Wasnt he a career back up except for a couple of seasons in St Louis

[bhogg]

I wish Ted Simmons got more HoF love than he does / did.

[TruffleShuffle]

craig biggio doesn't fit here?

 

No, he counts as a second baseman. He played 1746 games at 2B before this season at 2B, as opposed to 427 at catcher and about 300 in the outfield.

[Rob]

And Joe Torre is a catcher?

[Jazz]

1. Bench

2. Berra

3. Fisk

4. Dickey

5. Munson

6. Piazza

7. I-rod

8. Ewing

9. Campanella

10. Cochrane

[RockTheIvy]

Josh Gibson's my pick, but since we aren't picking from the Negro Leagues, I'll have to go with Rick Wrona.

[TruffleShuffle]

OK, so we have two entries so far. Where are the people who voted yes in my poll? I guess it does take a little time to do the research into putting a good list together.

 

I'll do mine at the end, once I take the results and put them all together - probably toward the end of this week.

Edited July 16, 2006 by TruffleShuffle

[TruffleShuffle]

And Joe Torre is a catcher?

 

Yes, played more games at catcher than at any other position.

 

903 - C

787 - 1B

515 - 3B

[Hatman]

Not much love for my Grandfather's Brother. No wonder...I believe he held the dubious distinction of having the lowest AVG of anyone in the HOF...until Ozzie Smith arrived!

 

Mike Schalk

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Josh Gibson's my pick, but since we aren't picking from the Negro Leagues, I'll have to go with Rick Wrona.

 

Josh Gibson could hit.

[ConstableRabbit]

Josh Gibson's my pick, but since we aren't picking from the Negro Leagues, I'll have to go with Rick Wrona.

 

Josh Gibson could hit.

 

His numbers are amazing, and I would have love to have seen him play (and end up in the MLB) but I don't think we can include players from other pro-baseball leagues in a Major League Baseball best players list -- it gets too complicated.

[jjgman21]

I think Fisk deserves a little more love, simply because he remained a plus offensive player and was a great catcher for 10 years more than just about anyone on this list.

 

and where's Steve Swischer?

 

McCarver and Shalk truly have no place on this list.

[Hatman]

I think Fisk deserves a little more love, simply because he remained a plus offensive player and was a great catcher for 10 years more than just about anyone on this list.

 

and where's Steve Swischer?

 

McCarver and Shalk truly have no place on this list.

 

Still no love.

[BWcubs21]

1. Berra

2. Bench

3. Dickey

4. Cochrane

5. Pizza

6. Hartnett

7. Fisk

8. Campanella

9. I-Rod

10. Carter

[jjgman21]

I think Fisk deserves a little more love, simply because he remained a plus offensive player and was a great catcher for 10 years more than just about anyone on this list.

 

and where's Steve Swischer?

 

McCarver and Shalk truly have no place on this list.

 

Still no love.

 

sorry man, but I have no love for Matheny or Ausmus as great all time catchers either. you have to do more than play defense to be great in my mind.

[Illini Iceman]

1. Gabby Hartnett

2. Randy Hundley

3. Jody Davis

4. Michael Barrett

5. Joe Girardi

6. George Mitterwald

7. Barry Foote

8. Damon Berryhill

9. Scott Servais

10. Steve Swisher

 

Honorable Mention:

Tim Blackwell

Doug Rader

Rick Wilkins

Scott Servais

Benito Santiago

[ConstableRabbit]

1. Gabby Hartnett

2. Randy Hundley

3. Jody Davis

4. Michael Barrett

5. Joe Girardi

6. George Mitterwald

7. Barry Foote

8. Damon Berryhill

9. Scott Servais

10. Steve Swisher

 

Honorable Mention:

Tim Blackwell

Doug Rader

Rick Wilkins

Scott Servais

Benito Santiago

 

Servais listed twice and no love for Damien Miller? Harsh! :D

[stitchface]

benito's time on the cubs is officially wiped from my memory.

[TruffleShuffle]

Maybe we can make a special thread for joke entries so that I don't have to weed them out later

[CuseCubFan69]

Johnny Bench was the best all around catcher that I've ever seen.

 

I told one of my players that he was going to be the next Johnny Bench and he was upset because he thought he wan't going to play anymore.

[TruffleShuffle]

I think Fisk deserves a little more love, simply because he remained a plus offensive player and was a great catcher for 10 years more than just about anyone on this list.

 

and where's Steve Swischer?

 

McCarver and Shalk truly have no place on this list.

 

I'd argue that McCarver is borderline, because his peak years were in the '60s, when offense was hard to come by. His OPS+ in the 60s was over 100, which is good for a catcher. As for Schalk, you're right - he doesn't belong on the list. Then again, he doesn't belong in the HOF either.

[Hatman]

I think Fisk deserves a little more love, simply because he remained a plus offensive player and was a great catcher for 10 years more than just about anyone on this list.

 

and where's Steve Swischer?

 

McCarver and Shalk truly have no place on this list.

 

Still no love.

 

sorry man, but I have no love for Matheny or Ausmus as great all time catchers either. you have to do more than play defense to be great in my mind.

 

That's OK. I agree...Grand Uncle Ray couldn't hit and doesn't rank. But, he was a member of the 1919 Black Sox and didn't take the money...

[Rob]

Can't start with anybody other than...

 

1. Bench

2. Berra

3. Campy

4. Piazza

5. Cochrane

6. Fisk

7. Gabby Hartnett

8. Gary Carter

9. Ted Simmons

10. Ernie Lombardi

 

Lombardi might not belong on the list... but that's only because the infielders were playing him in the outfield. If he would have gotten a normal infield defense, he'd have been as much of a monster as his size would suggest.