Looking
for a
specific
Catcher
or a
Topic?
Enter
CATCHER's
NAME
or
KEY WORDS
|
|
|
The most demanding and dangerous position on a baseball field is the one
designated as "Number 2" on your scorecard - the Catcher. He's involved in every
pitch and touches the ball more than anyone else does and he's supposed to be in
charge of the infield. But, he pays a price: players keep crashing into him and
hitting him with pitches and bats, and he has to spend all night in a crouch.
His career is usually limited to less than 1,500 games behind the plate - but he
won't get that far if he can't ignore the pain and contribute to the offense.
This web site is in honor of those masked men who've worn the
Tools of Ignorance. Without their daring, intellect, skills, and devotion
to the game, baseball would never be what it is today nor would it have survived
the past one hundred and forty years.
|
| Catch These Catcher Trivia
Congratulations to the Twin's Joe Mauer for capturing his 3rd Batting (Average) Championship. This is, indeed, a spectacular accomplishment for a catcher given the
day-to-day hardships and injuries of the position plus the requirement to have at least 502 plate appearances in the season [3.1 PA's for his team's scheduled games].
Add to this is the fact that only eight other players in the history of the A.L. have won 3 or more League Batting Championships. No catcher has ever won more than two titles.
What is also significant is that Joe Mauer, in his brief 6 year career has a .327 average, which puts him Number 1 BAVG Leader all time for catchers. The below two
charts show the Top 15 Catcher Batting Average Leaders for both a Season and a Career.
Batting Average (Season)
(502 Minimum Plate Appearances)
Rnk
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15 |
Year
2009
1936
1997
1912
1930
1937
1926
1894
1933
1931
1998
2006
1938
1942
2008 |
|
Catcher & Team
Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins (AL) *****
Bill Dickey, New York Yankees (AL) [HOF]
Mike Piazza, Los Angeles Dodgers (NL)
Chief Meyers, New York Giants (NL)
Mickey Cochrane, Philadelphia Athletics (AL) [HOF]
Gabby Hartnett, Chicago Cubs (NL) [HOF]
Bubbles Hargrave, Cincinnati Reds (NL) *****
Wilbert Robinson, Baltimore Orioles (NL)
Spud Davis, Philadelphia Phillies (NL)
Mickey Cochrane, Philadelphia Athletics (AL) [HOF]
Mike Piazza, New York Mets (NL)
Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins (AL) *****
Ernie Lombardi, Cincinnati Reds (NL) [HOF] *****
Ernie Lombardi, Boston Braves (NL) [HOF] *****
Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins (AL) ***** |
AVG
.365
.362
.362
.359
.357
.354
.353
.353
.350
.349
.348
.347
.342
.330
.328 |
***** Indicates Won League Batting Championship
[HOF] Indicates enshrined in Baseball's Hall Of Fame
Batting Average (Career)
(5,000 Plate Appearances Minimum)
| 2 |
|
Mickey Cochrane (1925-1937) [HOF] |
.320 |
| 3 |
|
Bill Dickey (1928-1946) [HOF] |
.313 |
| 4 |
|
Mike Piazza (1992-2007) |
.308 |
| 5 |
|
Ernie Lombardi (1931-1947) [HOF] |
.308 |
| 6 |
|
Buck Ewing (1880-1897) [HOF] |
.303 |
| 8 |
|
Gabby Hartnett (1922-1941) [HOF] |
.297 |
| 9 |
|
Manny Sanguillen (1967-1980) |
.296 |
| 10 |
|
Smokey Burgess (1949-1967) |
.295 |
| 11 |
|
Thurman Munson (1969-1979) |
.292 |
| 12 |
|
Javy Lopez (1992-2006) |
.287 |
| 14 |
|
Walker Cooper (1940-1957) |
.285 |
| 15 |
|
Ted Simmons (1968-1988) |
.285 |
|
CURRENT PLAYERS |
| 1 |
|
Joe Mauer (2004- ) [stats thru 2009] |
.327 |
| 7 |
|
Ivan Rodriguez (1991- ) [stats thru 2009] |
.299 |
| 12 |
|
Jason Kendall (1996- ) [stats thru 2009] |
.290 |
[Click to see
past months' Trivia.] |
Catcher Question of the Month
(Answer can be found on this web site)
Which catcher had 704 Plate Appearances in a Season (Most ever for a catcher) and batted over .325?
|
LAST MONTH's
QUESTION & ANSWER |
|
SUBMIT
TRIVIA ANSWER |
|
JOE MAUER
2009 A.L. Batting Champion
1st Catcher Ever
To Be a 3-Time Champ
CLICK FOR STORY
|
