Greatest Catcher Ever - A Rotisserie Perspective
The arguments and discussions have continued since the early '30s regarding who
was the "Greatest Catcher of all time", especially so after the creation
of the Hall of Fame. There are now thirteen catchers (14 if you want to count Josh Gibson
from the Negro Leagues) in the HOF. In their time they were the best. However, to decide
who is THE BEST one has to use some measurement.
From the perspective of the rotisserie owners an offensive player's value is measured
each year on the basis of four (or more) statistical categories and how that player ranks
among all others at that position (catcher). For this discussion I will use the
"standard" four categories of: batting average (BA), home runs (HR), runs batted
in (RBI), and stolen bases (SB). Although this limits "greatness" to offensive
prowess and completely ignores fielding/throwing capability, the measures used are what
the rotisserie owners value most.
The first grouping of "Greatest Catchers" will be taken from the twelve
HOF'ers (excluding Josh Gibson whose Negroe League stats are difficult to compare against
MLB stats). Each player will be ranked in each of the four categories (yearly
average amounts) and the number one guy will receive 13 points, the second ranked
12
points and so forth down to last who will get 1 point in that category. Then, all category
points will be tallied to determine who is the Greatest Catcher Ever among the Hall
of Famers.
| HALL OF FAMERS - YR AVG
STATS |
| |
YR |
AVG |
AVG-R |
HR |
HR-R |
RBI |
RBI-R |
SB |
SB-R |
TOT-R |
Rank |
| DICKEY |
16 |
0.313 |
12 |
12.6 |
9 |
75.6 |
11 |
2.3 |
5 |
37 |
1 |
| KELLY |
16 |
0.308 |
11 |
4.3 |
4 |
59.4 |
8 |
23.0 |
13 |
36 |
2 |
| COCHRANE |
13 |
0.320 |
13 |
9.2 |
6 |
64.0 |
9 |
4.9 |
8 |
36 |
2 |
| CAMPANELLA |
10 |
0.276 |
4 |
24.2 |
13 |
85.6 |
13 |
2.5 |
6 |
36 |
2 |
| BENCH |
17 |
0.267 |
2 |
22.9 |
12 |
80.9 |
12 |
4.0 |
7 |
33 |
5 |
| BERRA |
19 |
0.285 |
7 |
18.8 |
11 |
75.3 |
10 |
1.6 |
4 |
32 |
6 |
| EWING |
18 |
0.303 |
9 |
3.9 |
5 |
49.1 |
4 |
19.7 |
12 |
30 |
7 |
| FISK |
24 |
0.269 |
3 |
15.7 |
10 |
55.4 |
5 |
5.3 |
9 |
27 |
8 |
| HARTNETT |
20 |
0.297 |
8 |
11.8 |
8 |
59.0 |
7 |
1.4 |
2 |
25 |
9 |
| LOMBARDI |
17 |
0.306 |
10 |
11.2 |
7 |
58.2 |
6 |
0.5 |
1 |
24 |
10 |
| BRESNAHAN |
17 |
0.279 |
5 |
1.5 |
2 |
31.2 |
1 |
12.5 |
11 |
19 |
11 |
| FERRELL |
18 |
0.281 |
6 |
1.6 |
3 |
40.8 |
3 |
1.6 |
3 |
15 |
12 |
| SCHALK |
18 |
0.253 |
1 |
0.6 |
1 |
33.0 |
2 |
9.8 |
10 |
14 |
13 |
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Based upon the Rotisserie perspective of the yearly average
production the GREATEST HOF CATCHER is Bill Dickey. However, the margin is so narrow
between the Number one guy (Dickey) and the Number four guy (Campanella) that the title of
Greatest is a coin toss.
There is another way to look at the statistics rather than the yearly
average and that is to rank players by their total career production. The GREATEST TABLES page contains a summary of the rankings using this
approach as well as all of the individual data tables used in this study. As can be seen,
Bill Dickey retains his position as the Number One Catcher among the Hall of Famers. The
remainder of the list becomes scrambled and the ranking totals tighten up without a clear
overwhelming winner.
Also, this ranking is composed entirely of Hall of Famers. What about
those not in the Hall who are Notable Catchers with impressive stats? (To see a
complete list of these players look to NOTABLES PAGE. The next
table displays the result of ranking the Top 23 Notable Catchers not in the HOF.
| NOTABLES NOT HOF - YR AVG |
| |
YR |
AVG |
AVG-R |
HR |
HR-R |
RBI |
RBI-R |
SB |
SB-R |
TOT-R |
Rank |
| MUNSON |
11 |
0.2920 |
23 |
10.3 |
18 |
63.7 |
22 |
4.4 |
19 |
82.0 |
1 |
| CARTER |
19 |
0.2625 |
15 |
17.1 |
22.5 |
64.5 |
23 |
2.1 |
14 |
74.5 |
2 |
| FREEHAN |
15 |
0.2620 |
14 |
13.3 |
21 |
50.5 |
19 |
1.6 |
11.5 |
65.5 |
3 |
| COOPER |
18 |
0.2852 |
22 |
9.6 |
17 |
45.1 |
18 |
1.0 |
3.5 |
60.5 |
4 |
| PARRISH |
19 |
0.2522 |
7 |
17.1 |
22.5 |
56.3 |
21 |
1.5 |
9.5 |
60.0 |
5 |
| HOWARD |
14 |
0.2740 |
18 |
11.9 |
20 |
54.4 |
20 |
0.6 |
1 |
59.0 |
6 |
| PENA |
17 |
0.2612 |
11 |
6.3 |
13 |
41.1 |
14.5 |
4.7 |
20 |
58.5 |
7 |
| WILSON |
18 |
0.2840 |
20 |
1.8 |
4 |
34.5 |
8.5 |
4.8 |
22.5 |
55.0 |
8 |
| LOLLAR |
18 |
0.2640 |
16 |
8.6 |
16 |
44.9 |
17 |
1.1 |
5.5 |
54.5 |
9 |
| CRANDALL |
16 |
0.2539 |
9 |
11.2 |
19 |
41.1 |
14.5 |
1.6 |
11.5 |
54.0 |
10 |
| ROSEBORO |
14 |
0.2489 |
4 |
7.4 |
14 |
39.1 |
12 |
4.8 |
22.5 |
52.5 |
11 |
| DANNING |
10 |
0.2851 |
21 |
5.7 |
9 |
39.7 |
13 |
1.3 |
7.5 |
50.5 |
12 |
| BOONE |
19 |
0.2537 |
8 |
5.5 |
8 |
43.5 |
16 |
2.0 |
13 |
45.0 |
13 |
| BATTEY |
13 |
0.2700 |
17 |
8.0 |
15 |
34.5 |
8.5 |
1.0 |
3.5 |
44.0 |
14 |
| RUEL |
19 |
0.2750 |
19 |
0.2 |
1 |
28.1 |
4 |
3.2 |
18 |
42.0 |
15 |
| LOPEZ |
19 |
0.2615 |
12 |
2.7 |
6 |
34.3 |
6.5 |
2.4 |
16 |
40.5 |
16 |
| SCIOSCIA |
13 |
0.2590 |
10 |
5.2 |
7 |
34.3 |
6.5 |
2.2 |
15 |
38.5 |
17 |
| SUNDBERG |
16 |
0.2480 |
3 |
5.9 |
11.5 |
39.0 |
11 |
1.3 |
7.5 |
33.0 |
18 |
| HEMSLEY |
19 |
0.2618 |
13 |
1.6 |
3 |
29.2 |
5 |
1.5 |
9.5 |
30.5 |
19 |
| EDWARDS |
14 |
0.2420 |
2 |
5.8 |
10 |
37.4 |
10 |
1.1 |
5.5 |
27.5 |
20 |
| ARCHER |
13 |
0.2495 |
5 |
1.3 |
2 |
22.8 |
1 |
2.8 |
17 |
25.0 |
21 |
| HUNDLEY |
14 |
0.2360 |
1 |
5.9 |
11.5 |
27.2 |
3 |
0.9 |
2.5 |
18.0 |
22 |
| GROTE |
16 |
0.2517 |
6 |
2.4 |
5 |
25.3 |
2 |
0.9 |
2.5 |
15.5 |
23 |
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Now that we have ranked the HOF'ers and the NOTABLES individually,
how do they stack up against each other? The final presentation combines the
thirteen
HOF'ers with the Best 12 Notables and ranks them together to determine the GREATEST
CATCHER EVER Rotisserie Value that is.
| HOF and NOTABLES COMBINED -
YR AVG |
| CATCHER |
YR |
AVG |
AVG-R |
HR |
HR-R |
RBI |
RBI-R |
SB |
SB-R |
TOT-R |
Rank |
|
| DICKEY |
16 |
0.3130 |
24 |
12.6 |
18 |
75.6 |
23 |
2.3 |
12 |
77.0 |
1 |
HOF |
| CAMPANELLA |
10 |
0.2760 |
13 |
24.2 |
25 |
85.6 |
25 |
2.5 |
14 |
77.0 |
1 |
HOF |
| COCHRANE |
13 |
0.3200 |
25 |
9.2 |
11 |
64.0 |
20 |
4.9 |
20 |
76.0 |
3 |
HOF |
| BENCH |
17 |
0.2670 |
10 |
22.9 |
24 |
80.9 |
24 |
4.0 |
15 |
73.0 |
4 |
HOF |
| KELLY |
16 |
0.3080 |
23 |
4.3 |
7 |
59.4 |
18 |
23.0 |
25 |
73.0 |
4 |
HOF |
| BERRA |
19 |
0.2850 |
17 |
18.8 |
23 |
75.3 |
22 |
1.6 |
8.5 |
70.5 |
6 |
HOF |
| MUNSON |
11 |
0.2920 |
19 |
10.3 |
13 |
63.7 |
19 |
4.4 |
16 |
67.0 |
7 |
NOTBL |
| FISK |
24 |
0.2690 |
11 |
15.7 |
20 |
55.4 |
14 |
5.3 |
21 |
66.0 |
8 |
HOF |
| EWING |
18 |
0.3030 |
21 |
3.9 |
6 |
49.1 |
11 |
19.7 |
24 |
62.0 |
9 |
HOF |
| CARTER |
19 |
0.2625 |
8 |
17.1 |
21.5 |
64.5 |
21 |
2.1 |
11 |
61.5 |
10 |
NOTBL |
| HARTNETT |
20 |
0.2970 |
20 |
11.8 |
16 |
59.0 |
17 |
1.4 |
5 |
58.0 |
11 |
HOF |
| LOMBARDI |
17 |
0.3060 |
22 |
11.2 |
14.5 |
58.2 |
16 |
0.5 |
1 |
53.5 |
12 |
HOF |
| FREEHAN |
15 |
0.2620 |
7 |
13.3 |
19 |
50.5 |
12 |
1.6 |
8.5 |
46.5 |
13 |
NOTBL |
| PARRISH |
19 |
0.2522 |
2 |
17.1 |
21.5 |
56.3 |
15 |
1.5 |
6 |
44.5 |
14 |
NOTBL |
| HOWARD |
14 |
0.2740 |
12 |
11.9 |
17 |
54.4 |
13 |
0.6 |
2 |
44.0 |
15 |
NOTBL |
| COOPER |
18 |
0.2852 |
18 |
9.6 |
12 |
45.1 |
10 |
1.0 |
3 |
43.0 |
16 |
NOTBL |
| WILSON |
18 |
0.2840 |
16 |
1.8 |
4 |
34.5 |
4 |
4.8 |
18.5 |
42.5 |
17 |
NOTBL |
| BRESNAHAN |
17 |
0.2790 |
14 |
1.5 |
2 |
31.2 |
1 |
12.5 |
23 |
40.0 |
18 |
HOF |
| PENA |
17 |
0.2612 |
5 |
6.3 |
8 |
41.1 |
8 |
4.7 |
17 |
38.0 |
19 |
NOTBL |
| CRANDALL |
16 |
0.2539 |
4 |
11.2 |
14.5 |
41.1 |
7 |
1.6 |
8.5 |
34.0 |
20 |
NOTBL |
| ROSEBORO |
14 |
0.2489 |
1 |
7.4 |
9 |
39.1 |
5 |
4.8 |
18.5 |
33.5 |
21 |
NOTBL |
| FERRELL |
18 |
0.2810 |
15 |
1.6 |
3 |
40.8 |
6 |
1.6 |
8.5 |
32.5 |
22 |
HOF |
| LOLLAR |
18 |
0.2640 |
9 |
8.6 |
10 |
44.9 |
9 |
1.1 |
4 |
32.0 |
23 |
NOTBL |
| SCHALK |
18 |
0.2530 |
3 |
0.6 |
1 |
33.0 |
2 |
9.8 |
22 |
28.0 |
24 |
HOF |
| LOPEZ |
19 |
0.2615 |
6 |
2.7 |
5 |
34.3 |
3 |
2.4 |
13 |
27.0 |
25 |
NOTBL |
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Based upon the Top 25 Rotisserie-perspective catchers, there is a TIE for the title of GREATEST CATCHER between Bill Dickey and Roy Campanella. However, Mickey Cochrane comes in at a very close 3rd place just a ranking point behind. And what about that non-HOF Thurman Munson who ranks 7th ahead of Fisk and Ewing? And then there's Gary Carter who ranks ahead of Gabby Hartnett and Ernie Lombardi, both in the Hall of Fame! Lastly for you Piazza and Rodriguez fans out there, where do Mike and Ivan stand in comparison to the Top 25 Roti catchers? The following chart shows their numbers along with their rankings in each category in the Top 25 (stats thru 1999).
| PIAZZA & RODRIGUEZ - YR
AVG |
| CATCHER |
YR |
AVG |
AVG-R |
HR |
HR-R |
RBI |
RBI-R |
SB |
SB-R |
TOT-R |
Rank |
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| PIAZZA |
8 |
0.3280 |
25 |
30.0 |
25 |
96.0 |
25 |
1.6 |
8.5 |
83.5 |
1 |
STUD |
| RODRIGUEZ |
9 |
0.3000 |
20 |
16.0 |
20 |
69.0 |
21 |
6.7 |
21 |
82.0 |
2 |
STUD |
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The answer is they rank #1 and #2 on the list, if they were added to the Top 25 Roti Catchers. However, with just 8-9 years catching they both still have 7-8 more years to go AND maintain their productivity.
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