There are 16 catchers in baseball's Hall Of Fame (including Josh Gibson,
Biz Mackey, & Louis Santop of Negroe League fame). Additionally, there are
eight more players in the HOF who caught at one time or another. Furthermore, there are
66 pitchers in the HOF of which 34 were caught by a Hall Of Fame
catcher, forming true:
HALL OF FAME BATTERIES
Catcher
Pitchers
Teams
Yrs
Years
Johnny Bench
Tom Seaver
CIN
5
1977-1981
Yogi Berra
Whitey Ford
NY-A
12
1950-1963
Roger Bresnahan
Rube Marquard
NY-N
1
1908
Christy
Mathewson
NY-N
6
1902-1908
Joe McGinnity
Balt/NY-N
8
1901-1908
Vic Willis
STL-N
1
1910
Roy Campanella
Don Drysdale
BKN
2
1956-1957
Sandy Koufax
BKN
3
1955-1957
Tommy Lasorda
BKN
2
1954-1955
Gary Carter
( None )
Mickey Cochrane
Lefty Grove
PHI-A
9
1925-1933
Waite Hoyt
PHI-A
1
1931
Bill Dickey
Lefty Gomez
NY-A
13
1931-1942
Burleigh Grimes
NY-A
1
1934
Waite Hoyt
NY-A
3
1928-1930
Herb Pennock
NY-A
6
1928-1933
Red Ruffing
NY-A
14
1930-1946
Buck Ewing
John Clarkson
CLE Spiders
2
1893-1894
Tim Keefe
Troy/NY-N
13
1880-1892
Amos Rusie
NY-N
2
1891-1892
Monte Ward
Troy/NY-N
13
1880-1892
Mickey Welch
NY-N
13
1880-1892
Rick Ferrell
Lefty Grove
BOS-A
4
1934-1937
Herb Pennock
BOS-A
1
1934
Early Wynn
WAS-A
4
1939, 41, 44, 47
Carlton Fisk
Steve Carlton
CHI-A
1
1986
Dennis Eckersley
BOS-A
3
1978-1980
Ferguson Jenkins
BOS-A
2
1976-1977
Juan Marichal
BOS-A
1
1974
Tom Seaver
CHI-A
3
1984-1986
Gabby Hartnett
Pete Alexander
CHI-N
5
1922-1926
Dizzy Dean
CHI-N
3
1938-1940
Burleigh Grimes
CHI-N
2
1932-1933
Ernie Lombardi
Carl Hubbell
NY-N
1
1943
Eppa Rixey
CIN
2
1932-1933
Warren Spahn
BOS-N
1
1942
Dazzy Vance
BKN
2
1931, 34
Ray Schalk
Red Faber
CHI-A
15
1914-1928
Carl Hubbell
NY-N
1
1929
Ted Lyons
CHI-A
6
1923-1928
Ed Walsh
CHI-A
3
1914-1916
November 2007
The 2007 season saw a number of Catcher Records tied or broken as well as some career milestones reached by the backstops.
New York Yankees' Jorge Posada won
the distinction of being the 28th catcher ever to have a .300-.400-.500 (AVG, OBP, SLG) season. Posada led all 2007 catchers in all three categories. He had a .338-.426-.543 season.
[See 300-400-500 catchers.]
Behind Jorge Posada in Catcher Batting Averages were Victor Martinez (CLE .301),
Russ Martin (LA Dodgers .293), and Joe Mauer (MIN .293).
Jorge Posada (NYA) easily won the Catcher On-Base Percentage title with a
.426 OBP. Next came Joe Mauer (MIN .382), Russ Martin (LAN .374), and Victor Martinez (CLE .374). The Catcher Highest Slugging Average title went to Jorge Posada (.543).
Behind him were Victor Martinez (CLE .505), and Russ Martin (LAN .469).
Victor Martinez (Cleveland Indians) led all MLB catchers with 25 homeruns.
Jorge Posada (NY Yankees) was in second with 20. Russ Martin (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Ben Molina (San Francisco Giants) came in at third (tie) with 19 HR's.
Most Catcher Doubles were hit by Jorge Posada (42) followed by Victor
Martinez (40), Brian McCann (38) and Russ Martin (32). Most Catcher Triples were by Miguel Olivo (Marlins) with 4. Seven catchers were tied for second place
with 3 (Ausmus, Iannetta, Laird, Martin, Mauer, Rodriguez, and Varitek).
The Most Runs Batted In title went to Victor Martinez (CLE) with 114. He was followed by Brian McCann (ATL 92), Jorge Posada
(NYA 90), and Russ Martin (LAN 87).
Most Hit By Pitch honors again befell to Kenji Johjima with 11. John Buck and Victor Martinez tied for second with 10.
Russ Martin (LAN) caught the Most Games at 145. Second place was
Jorge Posada (NYA) with 138. The Most Catcher Putouts were recorded by Russ Martin (LAN) with 1,065.
Jason Varitek was in second with 935 PO's. Russ Martin (LAN) had the Most Catcher Assists with 85. Gerald Laird (TEX) had 75 for second place.
The Most Catcher Errors (14) were a tie between Russ Martin (LAN) and Dioner Navarro (TBA).
In third place was Brian McCann with 13. The Most Passed Balls
(16) were recorded by both Ben Molina and Miguel Olivo. Behind them with 14 was A.J. Pierzynski (CHA).
Josh Bard (SD) won the dubious honor of having The Most Stolen Bases
Against him with 121. Jorge Posada (NYA) was second worst with 102. The Most Catcher Caught Stealing
was made by Russ Martin with 41. Second with 40 was Kenji Johjima (SEA). [See Catching Thieves 2007].
The Highest Fielding Average for a Catcher with 100+ games caught was won
by Chris Snyder (ARI) with .999 who just edged out Kenji Johjima (SEA) who had .998 average.
October 2007
The World Series Most Valuable Player award was created in 1955. Six catchers
have won the award: Gene Tenace (A's 1972), Johnny Bench (Reds 1976), Steve Yeager (Dodgers 1981),
Darrell Porter (Cardin als 1982), Rick Dempsey (Orioles 1983), and Pat Borders (Blue Jays 1992).
The League Championship MVP honors was first awarded in the N.L. in 1977
and the A.L. in 1980. No catcher has ever won in the A.L. but five catchers have been honored in the N.L.: Darrell Porter
(Cardinals 1982 - also the WS MVP), Javier Lopez (Braves 1996), Eddie Perez (Braves 1999), Benito
Santiago (Giants 2002), and Ivan Rodriguez (Marlins 2003).
There have been 14 Catchers with two or more home runs in one World Series:
Mickey Cochrane (1930), Bill Dickey (1939), Yogi Berra (1952 & 1956), Roy Campanella (1955),
Gene Tenace (1972, Carlton Fisk (1975, Johnny Bench (1976), Steve Yeager (1977 & 1981), Ted
Simmons (1982), Gary Carter (1986), Sandy Alomar Jr. (1997), and Mike Piazza (2000).
Four catchers have had Two-Homer Games in World Series: Yogi Berra, Yankees 1956-Gm 7;
Gene Tenace, A's 1972-Gm 1; Johnny Bench, Reds 1976-Gm 4; and Gary Carter, Mets 1986-Gm 4. No catcher has
had two or more home runs in one LCS Game. A.J. Pierzynski, White Sox 2005 is the only catcher to have had a two-homer
Division Series Game.
Elston Howard (1955) & Gene Tenace (1972) homered in their First World
Series At-Bat. Rick Cerone (1980) homered in his First LCS At-Bat. Benito Santiago (1995) and
Brian McCann (2005) homered in their First Division Series At-Bat.
The Highest Catcher Career Post-Season Batting Averages were by: WS
Thurman Munson .373 (Minimum 50 AB); LCS Thurman Munson .339
(Minimum 50 AB); and Div A.J. Pierzynski .368
(Minimum 25 AB).
There have been 15 catchers who hit .400 or better in a single World Series
(Minimum 10 AB). They are:
Hank Gowdy 1914 Boston Braves .545
Johnny Bench 1976 Reds .533
Thurman Munson 1976 Yankees .529
Larry McLean 1913 Giants .500
Tim McCarver 1964 Cardinals .478
Elston Howard 1960 Yankees .462
Pat Borders 1992 Blue Jays .450
Bill Dickey 1932 Yankees .438
Four catchers have Hit A Double, Triple, and a Home Run in One World Series.
They are: Hank Gowdy (Boston Braves 1914); Elston Howard (NY Yankees 1960); Tim McCarver (St.
Louis Cardinals 1964); and Johnny Bench (Cincinnati Reds 1976).
September 2007
Gabby Street (technically) holds the record for the Oldest Catcher having squatted at
age 48 years, 11 months and 20 days. However, his last year as a catcher (1 game) was as a player-manager for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1931.
His true last year catching was in 1912 at the age of 30. Deacon McGuire is the True Oldest Active Catcher having caught his
last game (#1781) at age 48 years, 6 months and 0 days. He caught for 26 seasons over 29 years (1884-1912).
Ten Oldest Catchers
Catcher
Born
Last Game
YY-MM-DD
Deacon McGuire Grover Hartley Carlton Fisk Jack Ryan Merv Shea Clyde Sukeforth Rick Dempsey Johnny Riddle Bob Boone Chief Zimmer
Catching in the big leagues can be grueling for an old guy. In this era, we see more pitches. More pitching changes. More time taken between pitches.
More opposing hitters to study. It's not a get-in, get-out business.
When a team relies on a catcher in his mid- to late-30s to carry the load in a 162-game schedule, along with six weeks of warming up dozens of arms in spring training, and maybe the playoffs,
that's some high-level squatting.
Imagine how many times in his big-league career Ivan Rodriguez, who turns 36 in November, has bent down, stuck out his mitt and stopped a pitch from knocking him out.
A conservative estimate, including spring training, postseason, pregame and between innings: 45,000 squats a year over 17 years, a total of about 750,000, excluding his stints in winter league.
The following table lists the 20 Oldest Active Catchersand their ages at season's end. These all are big-name catchers beyond their primes, some relegated to backup roles and some working
in the Minors. There's only so much squatting a guy can do and it is doubtful that any on this list will find themselves on the above
Ten Oldest Catchers list.
The sixteen catchers entered the HOF by three different committees. Eight catchers
(Johnny Bench, Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Gary Carter, Mickey Cochrane, Bill Dickey, Carlton Fisk, and Gabby Hartnett) were
voted in by the Baseball Writers Association of America - BBWAA; five were admitted through the Veterans Committee (Roger Bresnahan,
Buck Ewing, Rick Ferrell, Ernie Lombardi and Ray Schalk); and three entered via the Negro League Committee (Josh Gibson,
Biz Mackey, and Louis Santop).
The very first catcher elected to the HOF was Buck Ewing in 1939. His eighteen
year career began in 1880 with Troy of the National League. He caught in 636 games out of the 1315 games played. He holds the
catcher record for most career triples with 178 and he had a lifetime batting average of .303 which puts him 5th on the
all-time catcher list.
The first catcher elected by the BBWAA was Mickey Cochrane in 1947 which
was the sixth year that his name appeared on the ballot. Cochrane's thirteen year career began in 1925 with Philadelphia (AL)
and he caught 1451 games out of the 1482 played. His lifetime batting average of .320 is the highest of any catcher.
The longest span of time (in years) between elections to the HOF by a catcher was
14 years. Ray Schalk & Gabby Hartnett entered in 1955 and Roy Campanella was voted in 1969. The shortest span of time was one
year when Bill Dickey entered in 1954 and in 1955 when Hartnett & Schalk entered.
The thirteen non-Negro League HOF catchers have almost encompassed the entire history
of baseball (1876-2006). Buck Ewing started in 1880 and the chain of HOF catcher years progressed without a break
except for 1966 when no HOF catcher played. The chain went from Ewing (1880-1897) to Bresnahan (1897-1915) to Schalk (1912-1929)
to Hartnett (1922-1941) to Cochrane (1925-1937) to Dickey (1928-1946) to Ferrell (1929-1947) to Lombardi (1931-1947) to Berra
(1946-1965) to Campanella (1948-1957) to Bench (1967-1983) to Fisk (1969-1993) to Carter (1974-1992). When guaranteed HOF'ers
Piazza (1992-n) and Rodriguez (1991-n) enter the HOF the chain will have continued. I wonder which Rookie Catcher playing
this season will someday be elected to the HOF to keep the chain unbroken.
There are a few catchers that should be in the HOF and are not for a host of reasons.
They are (in no particular order): Wally Schang, Spud Davis, Joe Torre, Bill
Freehan, and Ted Simmons. The first four
(Schang, Davis, Torre and Freehan) will never get in because their time has passed for consideration by the Veteran's Committee.
However, Simmons can still be enshrined when the Veteran's Committee considers him in his VC Eligibility year (2011). Torre
will probably go in as a Manager, but he should be in as a player.
July 2007
Gabby Hartnett was the very first catcher in All-Star history to come to bat, when he appeared in the first All-Star Game in 1933.
The only player to have hit a home run in his very first at-bat (Sep 12, 1986) and his first All-Star at-bat (Jul 12, 1988) was catcher Terry Steinbach (MIN-A). Both Johnny Bench and Javy Lopez hit homers in their first All-Star at bat
but not their first MLB at bat..
Sandy Alomar Jr. has the highest career All-Star batting average (for catchers) with .417 which he accomplished in 6 games.
In the 1981 and 1984 All-Star games Gary Carter was named as the Most Valuable Player. He hit two homeruns in the 1981 Summer Classic.
Ivan Rodriguez was the youngest catcher to start an All-Star Game when he was voted to start in 1993. Pudge was 21 years old at the time. He had been previously named as an alternate the year before in 1992.
Johnny Bench and Gary Carter hold the catcher records for Most Career Homeruns in All-Star games with 3. Mike Piazza has two and can tie them with one swing of the bat.
The catcher record for Most Career All-Star RBI's is held by Johnny Bench with six. Gary Carter and Mike Piazza each have five. Ivan Rodriguez and Johnny Bench jointly hold the catcher record for Most Career All-Star Hits with 10.
Yogi Berra holds the catcher record for starting the Most All-Star Games with 17 (1948-1961). He was selected for 18 All-Star games.
June 2007
Since 1876 there have been only 9 catchers who have made two Unassisted Double Plays (UDP) in their career. Many catchers have had one career UDP. No catcher has ever had two in the same game. The last catcher to have two career UDP's was Buck Rodgers who collected his with the Los Angeles/California Angels in 1965 and 1969.
Ray Schalk holds the catcher record for the most double plays (226) in a career which he amassed in 1,727 games over an 18 year span (1912-1929). Steve O'Neil is in second place with 193 and Yogi Berra is in third place with 175.
The catcher record for the Most Double Plays in a Season is held by Steve O'Neil who had 36 of them while playing for the Cleveland Indians in 1916.
Unassisted Double Plays that do not involve interference generally fall into three types: Popups, Groundouts and Strikeouts plus caught stealing of home. From 1960-2004 there were 31 catcher UDP's. Eight were of the popup variety, four were groundouts, and nineteen were strikeouts plus caught stealing. A fourth variety is the very rare tagging out of two runners. Such notable backstops as Luke Sewell (1933), Darrell Porter (1979), Buck Martinez (1985), Carlton Fisk (1985), Darren Fletcher (1992), and Mike DeFelice (2000) accomplished this feat. Buck Martinez (TOR-A) tagged out Phil Bradley in a home plate collision that broke Martinez' leg. While sitting on the ground in agony, Buck tagged out Gorman Thomas who tried to score on the play.
Gregg Zaun (HOU-N) in 2002 had a strikeout/caught stealing UDP with a twist. After the K, the runner tried to steal second and Zaun ran out to second base and tagged him to finish the UDP.
Sometimes the catcher UDP happens because the batter didn't run. That happened to Jorge Posada in 2000 when Luis Alicea bunted with the bases loaded in front of the plate. Posada picked up the ball and stepped on the plate to force out the runner from third then proceeded to tag Alicea for the UDP.
May 2007
11 of the 30 major league managers today are former catchers. According to Bob Brenly, sitting behind the plate directing pitchers and
watching the whole field naturally grooms a baseball player to become a manager.
The 2007 managers who are former catchers are:
Bruce Bochy (Giants)
Bob Geren (A's)
John Gibbons (Blue Jays)
Grady Little (Dodgers)
Joe Maddon (Devil Rays)
Bob Melvin (Diamondbacks)
Jerry Narron (Reds)
Mike Scioscia (Angels)
Joe Torre (Yankees)
Eric Wedge (Indians)
Ned Yost (Brewers)
To date there have been 113 ex-catcher managers in the major leagues [See Complete List].
For these 113 skippers the average number of years managing is 5.2 and 670 games. They won an average of 327 and lost 339 games for a winning percentage of .491.
The Highest Career Winning Percentage (200 or more games managed) is held by Al Lopez with a .584 record (1,410 Wins out of
2,425 games). In second place is Hall Of Fame catcher Mickey Cochrane with .582 (348 out of 600 Games).
The former catcher Manager with the most years managing is Connie Mack who directed teams for 53 years in 7,755 games. He won 3,731
games and he won 5 World Series, all of which are records. Current Yankee manager Joe Torre is in 2nd place with 4 World Series victories. In all former catcher managers have won 19 World Series.
One measure of a manager's performance is
WINS ABOVE/BELOW EXPECTED WINS using a team's runs scored versus the team's runs allowed.
[See each manager's page). Through 2006 the ex-catcher with the best performance as a manager is Joe Torre who has racked up 54.6 more wins than expected.
April 2007
Numbers are everywhere in baseball from uniforms to positions to stats. The same can be said for key dates for the 1,661 career catchers since 1871. The following are just some of the
coincidental dates:
386 catcher's debut month was the same month as was his final game (ie. June 1972 and June 1985). 38 catcher's debut day was the same day as was his final game (ie. April 4 and July 4).
Only 6 of these catchers had the same month and day for their debuts and their final games (of course this excludes the 114 catchers who had just a single game for a career):
Joe Just 5/13/1944 & 5/13/1945
Jim McDonnell 9/23/1943 & 9/23/1945
Johnny Peacock 9/23/1937 & 9/23/1945
Alex Sabo 8/1/1936 & 8/1/1937
Carl Sawatski 9/29/1948 & 9/29/1963
Admiral Schlei 4/24/1904 & 4/24/1911
120 catcher's birth month was the same month as was his month of death (ie. June 1920 and June 1985). 50 catcher's birth day was the same day as was his day of death (ie. April 4 and July 4).
Only 7 of these catchers had the same month and day for their births and their deaths (ie. died on their birthdays):
Medric Boucher 3/12/1886 & 3/12/1974
Bill Delancey 11/28/1911 & 11/28/1946
Gabby Hartnett 12/20/1900 & 12/20 1972
Chico Hernandez 1/3/1916 & 1/3/1986
Hickey Hoffman 10/27/1856 & 10/27/1915
Eddie McGah 9/30/1921 & 9/30/2002
Abe Wolstenholme 3/4/1861 & 3/4/1916
266 catchers died in the same city as their birth. 3 of these also died on their birthday:
Chico Hernandez - Havana, Cuba on 1/3/1916 & 1/3/1986
Eddie McGah - Oakland, CA on 9/30/1921 & 9/30/2002
Abe Wolstenholme - Philadelphia, PA on 3/4/1861 & 3/4/1916
2 catchers had the thrill of debuting on their birthday:
Rene Lacheman - born 5/4/1945 & debuted 5/4/1965
Bruce Benedict - born 8/18/1955 & debuted 8/18/1978
March 2007
Spring Training always sees a large number of catchers in camp. The below lists, by
team, are the catchers in camp for 2007. 40-Man roster catchers are shown first followed by
Non-Roster Invitees Full-time starting catcher is listed first.
CACTUS LEAGUE
Arizona Diamondbacks - Chris Snyder, Miguel Montero -
Wilkin Castillo, Josh Ford, Mark Johnson Chicago Cubs - Michael Barrett, Henry Blanco, Geovany Soto -
Jake Fox, Koyie Hill Chicago White Sox - A.J. Pierzynski, Toby Hall -
Cole Armstrong, Wiki Gonzalez, Donny Lucy, Gustavo Molina Colorado Rockies - Yorvit Torrealba, Alvin Colina, Chris Iannetta, Javy Lopez -
Edwin Bellorin, Geronimo Gil Kansas City Royals - John Buck, Jason LaRue, Paul Phillips -
Damaso Espino, Jared Price, Max St. Pierre, Matt Tupman Los Angeles Angels - Mike Napoli, Jeff Mathis, Jose Molina, Bobby Wilson -
Brent Del Chiaro, Tim Duff, Ben Johnson, Flint Wipke Milwaukee Brewers - Johnny Estrada, J.D. Closser, Damian Miller, Mike Rivera -
Nestor Corredor, Lou Palmisano Oakland Athletics - Jason Kendall, Jeremy Brown, Adam Melhuse, Mike Piazza -
John Baker, Kurt Suzuki San Diego Padres - Josh Bard, Rob Bowen -
Luke Carlin, Todd Greene, Nick Hundley, Pete Laforest, Colt Morton San Francisco Giants - Bengie Molina, Eliezer Alfonzo -
Stephen Holm, Todd Jennings, Justin Knoedler, Guillermo Rodriguez Seattle Mariners - Kenji Johjima, Rene Rivera -
Jamie Burke, Jeff Clement, Rob Johnson, Luis Oliveros Texas Rangers - Gerald Laird, Miguel Ojeda, Guillermo Quiroz, Chris Stewart -
Salomon Manriquez, Kevin Richardson
GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUE
Atlanta Braves - Brian McCann, Brayan Pena -
Iker Franco, Corky Miller Baltimore Orioles - Ramon Hernandez, Paul Bako, Adam Donachie -
J.R. House, Ryan Hubele, Eli Whiteside Boston Red Sox - Jason Varitek, George Kottaras, Doug Mirabelli -
Dusty Brown, Kevin Cash, Alberto Castillo Cincinnati Reds - David Ross, Chad Moeller, Javier Valentin -
Dan Conway, Ryan Hanigan, Ryan Jorgensen, Miguel Perez Cleveland Indians - Victor Martinez, Kelly Shoppach -
Armando Camacaro, Javi Herrera, Max Ramirez, Mike Rose, Wyatt Toregas Detroit Tigers - Ivan Rodriguez, Mike Rabelo, Vance Wilson -
Gabe Johnson, Dusty Ryan, Dane Sardinha, Steve Torrealba Florida Marlins - Miguel Olivo, Matt Treanor -
Chris Ashby, Brad Davis, Brett Hayes, Paul Hoover, Nick Trzesniak Houston Astros - Brad Ausmus, Hector Gimenez, Humberto Quintero -
Kevin Davidson, Eric Munson, Louis Santangelo Los Angeles Dodgers - Russell Martin, Mike Lieberthal -
A.J. Ellis, Ken Huckaby, Sandy Martinez, Kelly Stinnett Minnesota Twins - Joe Mauer, Chris Heintz, Mike Redmond -
Korey Feiner, Brad King, Matthew LeCroy, Jose Leger, Jose Morales New York Mets - Paul LoDuca, Ramon Castro -
Sandy Alomar Jr., Drew Butera, Mike DiFelice, Joe Hietpas, Mike Nickeas, Francisco Pena, Jose Reyes New York Yankees - Jorge Posada, Wil Nieves -
Francisco Cervelli, Raul Chavez, Ben Davis, P.J. Pilittere, Todd Pratt, Omir Santos Philadelphia Phillies - Rod Barajas, Ryan Budde, Chris Coste, Carlos Ruiz -
Tim Gradoville, Jason Hill, Jason Jaramillo, Lou Marson, Dusty Wathan Pittsburgh Pirates - Ronny Paulino, Humberto Cota -
Einar Diaz, Steve Lerud, Carlos Maldonado, David Parrish, Neil Walker St. Louis Cardinals - Yadier Molina, Gary Bennett -
Ryan Christianson, Brian Esposito, Michel Hernandez, Eli Marrero, Danilo Sanchez Tampa Bay Devil Rays - Dioner Navarro, Josh Paul, Shawn Riggans -
Josh Arhart, Raul Casanova, Yamid Haad Toronto Blue Jays - Gregg Zaun, Robinson Diaz, Jason Phillips -
Sal Fasano, Erik Kratz, Curtis Thigpen Washington Nationals - Brian Schneider, Jesus Flores -
Danny Ardoin, Juan Brito, Robert Fick, Brandon Harper
PREDICTION
Ronny Paulino (PIT) will lead all catchers in 2007 in Batting Average with over .320
February 2007
Since 1957 there have been 4,159 pitchers who have had a Major League Debut. The below listed catchers have caught the Most Pitching Debuts since then.
Their last debut batterymate is listed along with the date, their team and their opponent.
Catcher
#
Last Debut Caught
Brad Ausmus ***
19
8/12/2006 Jason Hirsh HOU vs SDN
Benito Santiago
16
5/22/2004 Zack Greinke KCA @ OAK
Carlton Fisk
15
4/10/1993 Rod Bolton CHA vs NYA
Don Slaught
14
5/18/1996 Shad Williams CAL @ NYA
Bob Boone
13
8/21/1990 Jim Campbell KCA vs MIN
Ivan Rodriguez ***
13
6/15/2006 Jordan Tata DET @ TEX
Gary Carter
12
6/9/1992 Jonathan Hurst MON vs NYM
Kirt Manwaring
12
7/21/1998 Mark Brownson COL @ HOU
Joe Oliver
12
4/6/2001 Christian Parker NYA vs TOR
Jason Kendall ***
12
7/30/2006 Shane Komine OAK vs TOR
Lance Parrish
11
7/29/1995 Giovanni Carrara TOR vs OAK
Joe Girardi
11
5/22/2002 Mark Prior CHN vs PIT
John Flaherty
11
4/30/2005 Chien-Ming Wang NYA vs TOR
Jorge Posada ***
11
8/22/2006 Jeff Karstens NYA @ SEA
Rick Cerone
10
7/10/1988 Steve Curry BOS @ CHA
Jim Sundberg
10
7/24/1989 Wilson Alvarez TEX vs TOR
Terry Steinbach
10
8/24/1999 Jason Ryan MIN vs BOS
Bengie Molina ***
10
8/18/2006 Davis Romero TOR @ BAL
A.J. Pierzynski ***
10
6/8/2006 Sean Tracey CHA vs DET
Mike Lieberthal ***
10
6/1/2006 Brian Sanches PHI @ LAN
Jerry Grote
9
4/14/1975 Randy Tate NYM @ PHI
Darrin Fletcher
9
8/4/2001 Brandon Lyon TOR vs BAL
Sandy Alomar Jr. ***
9
4/9/2006 Takashi Saito LAN @ PHI
Greg Zaun ***
9
4/27/2006 Casey Janssen TOR vs BAL
John Buck ***
9
9/6/2006 Jose Diaz KCA vs NYA
Buck Rodgers
8
8/21/1966 Ramon Lopez CAL @ WAS
Bruce Benedict
8
4/13/1989 Derek Lilliquist ATL @ SDN
Ron Karkovice
8
9/8/1995 Luis Andujar CHA @ OAK
Tony Pena
8
8/1/1997 Scott Eyre CHA @ ANA
Todd Hundley
8
8/6/2002 Steve Smyth CHN @ SFN
Mike Piazza ***
8
5/17/2006 Mike Thompson SDN @ ARI
*** indicates
Active Catcher
January 2007
The below lists are the Top 3 Catcher Fielding Record Holders for both Career and Season.
Most Putouts (Career)
11785 Gary Carter
11676 Ivan Rodriguez (thru 2006)
11369 Carlton Fisk
Most Putouts (Season)
1135 Johnny Edwards HOU NL 1969
1055 Mike Piazza LA NL 1996
1050 Dan Wilson SEA AL 1997
Most Assists (Career)
1859 Deacon McGuire
1811 Ray Schalk
1698 Steve O'Neill
Most Assists (Season)
238 Bill Rariden IND FL 1915
215 Bill Rariden NEW FL 1914
214 Pat Moran BOS NL 1903
Most Games Caught (Career)
2226 Carlton Fisk
2225 Bob Boone
2056 Gary Carter
Highest Fielding Percentage (Career - Minimum 800 Games)
0.9950 Damian Miller
0.9948 Dan Wilson
0.9944 Chris Hoiles
Fewest Passed Balls per 100 Games (Career - Minimum 800 Games)
3.34 Brad Ausmus (thru 2006)
3.37 Sherm Lollar
3.44 Al Lopez
Most Passed Balls (Season Post-1900)
35 Geno Petralli TEX AL 1987
33 J.C. Martin CHI AL 1965
28 Gus Triandos BAL AL 1959
28 Earl Williams ATL NL 1972
28 Ted Simmons STL NL 1975
Most Double Plays (Career)
226 Ray Schalk
193 Steve O'Neill
175 Yogi Berra
Most Double Plays (Season)
36 Steve O'Neill CLE AL 1916
29 Frankie Hayes TOT AL 1945
25 Ray Schalk CHI AL 1916
November & December 2006
The 2006 season saw a number of Catcher Records tied or broken as well as some career milestones reached by the backstops.
The Minnesota's Joe Mauer won the American League Batting Championship,
the first catcher ever to achieve that feat in the A.L. and the 3rd catcher in MLB history to do so. Mauer joined some
pretty elite company, as only two catchers in the history of modern baseball had won batting titles before him,
both occurring in the National League. Bubbles Hargrave (CIN) won a title in 1926 with .353 and Ernie Lombardi
accomplished the feat twice, in 1938 (CIN .342) and 1942 (BOS .330).
Behind Joe Mauer in Catcher Batting Averages were Brian McCann (ATL .333),
Paul LoDuca (NY Mets .318), Victor Martinez (CLE .316), Ronnie Paulino (PIT .310), and Ivan Rodriguez (DET .300).
Brian McCann (Atlanta Braves) led all MLB catchers with 24 homeruns.
Jorge Posada (NY Yankees) and Ramon Hernandez (Baltimore Orioles) came in second with 23 HR's. San Diego's
Mike Piazza held 4th place with 22 round-trippers. This gives Piazza a career total of 396 as a catcher and 419 overall.
Most Catcher Doubles were hit by Paul LoDuca (39) followed by Victor
Martinez (37) and Joe Mauer (36). Most Catcher Triples were jointly held by Ivan Rodriguez, Russell Martin and Joe Mauer (4)
There was a 3-way tie for Most Runs Batted In with 93 RBI's by Brian McCann
(ATL), Victor Martinez (CLE) and Jorge Posada (NYY). 4th place belongs to Ramon Hernandez (BAL) with 91.
Joe Mauer (MIN) easily won the Catcher On-Base Percentage title with a
.429 OBP. Next came Victor Martinez (CLE .391), Brian McCann (ATL .388), Jorge Posada (NYY .374), and
Jason Kendall (OAK .367). The Catcher Highest Slugging Average title went to Brian McCann (.572).
Behind him were Joe Mauer (.507), Mike Piazza (.501) and Jorge Posada (.492). Joe Mauer won
the distinction of being the 27th catcher ever to have a .300-.400-.500 (AVG, OBP, SLG) season. [See 300-400-500 catchers.]
Most Hit By Pitch honors befell to Kenji Johjima with 13. Jason Kendall came in second with 12.
Kenji Johjima (SEA) caught the Most Games at 144. Second place was
Jason Kendall (OAK) with 141. The Most Catcher Putouts were recorded by Brad Ausmus (HOU) with 929.
Jason Kendall was right behind him with 924 PO's. Yadier Molina (STL) had the Most Catcher Assists with 78. Ronnie Paulino (PIT) had 72 for second place.
The Most Catcher Errors (13) were made by Ramon Hernandez (BAL).
Second place was a tie between Paul LoDuca and Ronnie Paulino who had 11 each. The Most Passed Balls
(13) were recorded for Ramon Hernandez and Jorge Posada. Behind them with 11 were Bengie Molina (TOR)
and Doug Mirabelli (BOS).
Victor Martinez won the dubious honor of having The Most Stolen Bases
Against him with 100. Mike Piazza (SD) was second worst with 97. The Most Catcher Caught Stealing
was made by Ramon Hernandez with 42. Tying for second with 38 were Ronnie Paulino & Jorge Posada. [See Catching Thieves 2006].
The Highest Fielding Average for a Catcher with 100+ games caught was won
by Kenji Johjima with .993 who just edged out (by 4th decimal places) Russell Martin (LAD) and Brian Schneider (WAS) who had .993+ averages.
October 2006
The World Series Most Valuable Player award was created in 1955. Six catchers
have won the award: Gene Tenace (A's 1972), Johnny Bench (Reds 1976), Steve Yeager (Dodgers 1981),
Darrell Porter (Cardin als 1982), Rick Dempsey (Orioles 1983), and Pat Borders (Blue Jays 1992).
The League Championship MVP honors was first awarded in the N.L. in 1977
and the A.L. in 1980. No catcher has ever won in the A.L. but five catchers have been honored in the N.L.: Darrell Porter
(Cardinals 1982 - also the WS MVP), Javier Lopez (Braves 1996), Eddie Perez (Braves 1999), Benito
Santiago (Giants 2002), and Ivan Rodriguez (Marlins 2003).
There have been 14 Catchers with two or more home runs in one World Series:
Mickey Cochrane (1930), Bill Dickey (1939), Yogi Berra (1952 & 1956), Roy Campanella (1955),
Gene Tenace (1972, Carlton Fisk (1975, Johnny Bench (1976), Steve Yeager (1977 & 1981), Ted
Simmons (1982), Gary Carter (1986), Sandy Alomar Jr. (1997), and Mike Piazza (2000).
Elston Howard (1955) & Gene Tenace (1972) homered in their First World
Series At-Bat. Rick Cerone (1980) homered in his First LCS At-Bat. Benito Santiago (1995) and
Brian McCann (2005) homered in their First Division Series At-Bat.
The Highest Catcher Career Post-Season Batting Averages were by: WS
Thurman Munson .373 (Minimum 50 AB); LCS Thurman Munson .339
(Minimum 50 AB); and Div A.J. Pierzynski .368
(Minimum 25 AB).
There have been 14 catchers who hit .400 or better in a single World Series
(Minimum 10 AB):
Hank Gowdy 1914 Boston Braves .545
Johnny Bench 1976 Reds .533
Thurman Munson 1976 Yankees .529
Larry McLean 1913 Giants .500
Tim McCarver 1964 Cardinals .478
Elston Howard 1960 Yankees .462
Pat Borders 1992 Blue Jays .450
Bill Dickey 1932 Yankees .438
Yogi Berra 1953 Yankees .429
Yogi Berra 1955 Yankees .417
Bob Boone 1980 Phillies .412
Tony Pena 1987 Cardinals .409
Mickey Cochrane 1929 A's .400
Bill Dickey 1938 Yankees .400
Four catchers have Hit A Double, Triple, and a Home Run in One World Series.
They are: Hank Gowdy (Boston Braves 1914); Elston Howard (NY Yankees 1960); Tim McCarver (St.
Louis Cardinals 1964); and Johnny Bench (Cincinnati Reds 1976).
September 2006
One measure of a catcher's greatness in his career is the number of times he led all catchers in his
league in batting and fielding categories. Some backstops are good at batting and some excell at fielding. But there are those few who have
led all catchers in both aspects of the position. The below list identifies the leader who led the most times in nine categories. To see the
expanded list go to CATEGORIES LED. Or, you can view the list of over 200 catchers and THEIR CAREER TALLY OF LEADING THE LEAGUE.
Category
Catcher
# Yrs
Years Led
Batting - Hits
Yogi Berra
10
1949-1957, 1959
Batting - Doubles
Ted Simmons
7
1971-73, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982
Batting - Home Runs
Yogi Berra
11
1947, 1949-57, 1961
Batting - Average
Mickey Cochrane
8
1925, 1927-31, 1933-34
Batting - On Base %
Gene Tenace
7
1973-79
Batting - Slugging
Mike Piazza
10
1993-2002
Fielding - Games Caught
Yogi Berra
8
1950-57
Fielding - Putouts
Ray Schalk
9
1913-20, 1922
Fielding - Assists
Gabby Hartnett
6
1925, 1927-28, 1930, 1934-35
Yogi Berra ranks number one among all catchers with a total of 64 times leading all catchers in his league in one category or another. Mike Piazza is in second place with 48 times.
August 2006
Herold Muddy Ruel is credited with labeling catching equipment as "Tools of Ignorance", although some say it was Bill Dickey.
In 1877 Harvard baseball captain Fred Thayer adapted a fencer's mask for Alexander Tyng to be used by catchers. [See History of the Mask.]
The earliest documented use of a glove occurred on June 28, 1870 by catcher Doug Allison. [See History of the Mitt.] In 1887 Draper and Maynard was the first company to market a glove specifically for catchers.
Giants catcher and Hall-of-Famer Roger Bresnahan introduces the shin guard in 1907. [See History of the Shin Guard.]
On November 23, 1987 helmets (instead of soft covers) were made mandatory for catchers.
Charlie Bennett was the first to wear a chest protector. In 1886 he wore the protector, which his wife devised, outside his jersey. [See History of Chest Protector.]
June 2006
Boomerang players are players that move from one team to another and back again in
the same season. There have been about a dozen such catcher trades from 1876 to 2005. The first boomerang catcher was
Ossee Schreckengost who in 1899 went from Stl-N to Cle-N and back to Stl-N.
Nig Clarke holds the catcher record for the
Quickest Boomerang when, within a matter of 10 days in 1905, he went from Cle-A to Det-A and back to Cle-A.
Single position player for same position player trades are not that common. There have been less than 50
such trades involving just two catchers. The
earliest trade of this type occurred on December 7, 1897 when St. Louis traded
catcher Morgan Murphy to Pittsburgh for catcher Joe Sugden.
[Thanks to David Ball for this bit of info.]
Spud Davis (Stl-N) was traded for catcher Jimmie Wilson
(Phi-N) on May 11, 1928 then traded back to Stl-N on November 15, 1933 for Jimmie Wilson, who was then named to manage the Phillies, which he did
for 9 years.
The first catcher Free Agent Signing was Buck Ewing in 1883 by the New York Giants. The first catcher
to Jump Leagues was Tony Cusick on 8/23/1884 when he left the Wilmington Quicksteps (Union Association) to join the Philadelphia
Phillies (National League).
The very first major league trade occurred when the St. Louis Browns traded outfielder Hugh Nicol to Cincinnati for
catcher Jack Boyle and $350 on November 12, 1886
There have been 47 trades in which teams swapped their catchers and no other players. The
last of these kind of trades involved Gary Bennett (PHI-N) and Todd Pratt (NY-N) on 7/23/2001.
The practice of loaning a player for an interim period goes back to the start of baseball. The first recorded
instance of a catcher being loaned was in 1902 when Lew Drill (Was-A) was loaned to Baltimore (AL) for four days (7/17 to 7/21).
On November 5, 1978, Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Manny Sanguillen was involved in
one of the strangest trades in history. Oakland A's manager Chuck Tanner was still under contract. To obtain the rights to hire Tanner, the Pirates traded
Sanguillen and $100,000 to Oakland for their Manager Tanner.
Of the 31 players who played in 4 different Major Leagues, four of them were catchers: Jim Brennan (UA, NL,
AA, PL), Duke Farrell (NL, PL, AA, AL), Morgan Murphy (PL, AA, NL, AL), and Pop Snyder (NA, NL, AA, PL).
There are 13 players who played for 10 or more Major League Teams and one of them was a catcher, Deacon
McGuire who jointly holds the record (with Mike Morgan) who both played with twelve teams
in their careers.
May 2006
There have been 137 players who have have played both ends of a battery (pitcher - catcher) at some point in their
MLB careers. Many have played other fielding positions as well. In fact one could make up a complete positional team of those versatile batterymen (catcher
& pitcher & other).
P - Roger Bresnahan (HOF)
C - Buck Ewing (HOF)
1B - Jimmie Foxx (HOF)
2B - Hardy Richardson
3B - Ezra Sutton
SS - Bert Campaneris
LF - Jim O'Rourke
CF - Paul Hines
RF - King Kelly (HOF)
DH - Wayne Nordhagen
PH - Cal McVey
Mgr - Cap Anson (HOF)
Coach - Cookie Rojas
There have been 41 career catchers who have pitched in a game. Amos Booth holds the record amongst these forty-one with 95 2/3 Innings Pitched in a Career and 86 Innings Pitched in a Season.
Five times there have been catchers who CAUGHT and PITCHED in the SAME GAME: Frank Bowerman (9/23/1904), Roger Bresnahan (8/3/1910), Rick Cerone (7/19/1987 and 8/9/1987), and
Rick Dempsey (7/2/1991). None of the four won these games .
The catcher career pitching records for Games Pitched (15), Games Started (9), Batters Faced (449),
and Complete Games (6) are all held by Amos Booth.
Jim Keenan holds the catcher career pitching ERA record with an Earned Run Average
of 2.37.
April 2006
The Negro League Committee recently selected seventeen new members for
Baseball's Hall Of Fame, which included two outstanding catchers: Raleigh "Biz" Mackey and Louis Santop
making sixteen catchers now in the HOF.
The sixteen catchers entered the HOF by three different committees. Eight catchers
(Johnny Bench, Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Gary Carter, Mickey Cochrane, Bill Dickey, Carlton Fisk, and Gabby Hartnett) were
voted in by the Baseball Writers Association of America - BBWAA; five were admitted through the Veterans Committee (Roger Bresnahan,
Buck Ewing, Rick Ferrell, Ernie Lombardi and Ray Schalk); and three entered via the Negro League Committee (Josh Gibson,
Biz Mackey, and Louis Santop).
The very first catcher elected to the HOF was Buck Ewing in 1939. His eighteen
year career began in 1880 with Troy of the National League. He caught in 636 games out of the 1315 games played. He holds the
catcher record for most career triples with 178 and he had a lifetime batting average of .303 which puts him 5th on the
all-time catcher list.
The first catcher elected by the BBWAA was Mickey Cochrane in 1947 which
was the sixth year that his name appeared on the ballot. Cochrane's thirteen year career began in 1925 with Philadelphia (AL)
and he caught1451 games out of the 1482 played. His lifetime batting average of .320 is the highest of any catcher.
The longest span of time (in years) between elections to the HOF by a catcher was
14 years. Ray Schalk & Gabby Hartnett entered in 1955 and Roy Campanella was voted in 1969. The shortest span of time was one
year when Bill Dickey entered in 1954 and in 1955 when Hartnett & Schalk entered.
The thirteen non-Negro League HOF catchers have almost encompassed the entire history
of baseball (1876-2006). Buck Ewing started in 1880 and the chain of HOF catcher years progressed without a break
except for 1966 when no HOF catcher played. The chain went from Ewing (1880-1897) to Bresnahan (1897-1915) to Schalk (1912-1929)
to Hartnett (1922-1941) to Cochrane (1925-1937) to Dickey (1928-1946) to Ferrell (1929-1947) to Lombardi (1931-1947) to Berra
(1946-1965) to Campanella (1948-1957) to Bench (1967-1983) to Fisk (1969-1993) to Carter (1974-1992). When guaranteed HOF'ers
Piazza (1992-n) and Rodriguez (1991-n) enter the HOF the chain will have continued. I wonder which Rookie Catcher playing
this season will someday be elected to the HOF to keep the chain unbroken.
There are a few catchers that should be in the HOF and are not for a host of reasons.
They are (in no particular order): Wally Schang, Spud Davis, Joe Torre, Bill
Freehan, and Ted Simmons. The first four
(Schang, Davis, Torre and Freehan) will never get in because their time has passed for consideration by the Veteran's Committee.
However, Simmons can still be enshrined when the Veteran's Committee considers him in his VC Eligibility year (2011). Torre
will probably go in as a Manager, but he should be in as a player.
March 2006
Several catchers will be striving to achieve personal, catcher or player career milestones in the 2006 season. Here are just some of them:
OFFENSE
Mike Piazza (SD) 400 Homeruns as a player (Currently has 397)
Mike Piazza (SD) 400 Homeruns as a catcher (Currently has 376)
Mike Piazza (SD) 2,000 Hits as a player (Currently has 1,929)
Jason Kendall (OAK) 300 Doubles as a player (Currently has 284)
Ivan Rodriguez (DET) 300 Homeruns as a player (Currently has 264)
Jorge Posada (NYA) 200 Homeruns as a catcher (Currently has 170)
Ivan Rodriguez (DET) 250 GIDP (Currently has 239)
Charles Johnson 1,000 Strikeouts (Currently has 997)
DEFENSE
Benito Santiago 2,000 Games Caught (Currently has 1,917)
Ivan Rodriguez (DET) 11,500 Putouts as a Catcher (Has 10,929)
Benito Santiago 500 Runners Caught Stealing (Has 499)
Ivan Rodriguez (DET) 500 Runners Caught Stealing (Has 496)
Ivan Rodriguez (DET) 16,000 Innings Caught for 3rd Place (Has 15,159)
MISCELLANEOUS
Jason Kendall (OAK) 200 Hit-By-Pitch (Currently has 197 and ranks 5th all-time behind #1 Craig Biggio with 273)
February 2006
There were 103 different catchers who appeared in games during the 2005 season. The average
number of games caught was 117 for the 29 starters with over 80 games. The following are the leaders in various stats for the 2005 season.
OFFENSE (300 Plate Appearances)
Highest Batting Average - Victor Martinez (CLE) with .305
Highest On Base Percentage - Victor Martinez (CLE) with .378
Highest Slugging Average - Jason Varitek (BOS) with .489
Highest Isolated Power - Rod Barajas (TEX) with .212
Most Home Runs - Jason Varitek (BOS) with 22
Most Triples - Rod Barajas (TEX) with 5
Most Doubles - Mike Matheny (SF) with 34
Most Base On Balls (Walks) - Greg Zaun (TOR) with 73
Most Plate Appearances - Jason Kendall (OAK) with 676
Fewest At-Bats per Homerun - Sal Fasano (BAL) with 14.6 AB's
DEFENSE (100+ Games Caught)
Most Games Caught - Jason Kendall (OAK) with 147
Most Putouts - Jason Kendall (OAK) with 985
Most Assists - Mike Matheny (SF) with 77
Most Double Plays - Mike Matheny with 12
Best Fielding Avg - Brad Ausmus (HOU) with .999
Fewest Passed Balls - Johnny Estrada (ATL) with 2
Lowest Catcher ERA - Brad Ausmus (HOU) with 3.16
Best Caught Stealing % - Ivan Rodriguez (DET) with 45%
RECORDS SET
Most Career Homeruns by a Catcher - Mike Piazza (NY-N) with 376
Most Consecutive Errorless Chances in a Season - A.J. Pierzynski (CHI-A) 777
Most Consecutive Errorless Games in a Season - A.J. Pierzynski (CHI-A) 117
January 2006
Noted author Bill McNeil has just published a new book [see link at right] about catchers in which
he gives a brief history of the position and a mini-bio on the fifty All-Time Greats. He also developed a ranking system that
includes both offensive and defensive rankings. The below table lists the TOP TWENTY-FIVE catchers and their rankings. To learn more
about the components of the rankings you'll need to buy McNeil's book, which is a must for any fan interested in the Masked Men
of the Diamond. [Also see GREATEST CATCHERS and Hartnett's HOF.]
