| |
December 2009
 |
|
Perhaps the Greatest Catcher Season ever was Joe Mauer's 2009 year. Not only did he win
the A.L. Batting Championship, for the third time, equaling the total number of times (3) that all catchers have won
that prize. Joe also: |
- Selected for the All-Star Game as a Starter
- Had the Highest Single Season Batting Average ever for a catcher with a .365
- Now is in First Place for the Catchers' Career Batting Average with .327
- Led the A.L. in On-Base Percentage (OBP) with a .444
- Led the A.L. in Slugging Average (SLG) with a .587 average
(The AVG, OBP & SLG constitute the
Sabermetric Triple Crown, which Mauer attained in 2009 and is the first catcher to do so.)
Led the A.L. in On-Base Plus Slugging (OPS) with a total of 1.031
Led the A.L. in Runs Created with 138
Led the A.L. in Offensive Win % with .791
Led the A.L. in Adjausted Batting Runs with 57
Earned the A.L. Gold Glove Award for excellence in fielding
Earned the A.L. Silver Slugger Award for excellence in batting
Is only the 7th catcher ever to win both the Gold Glove & Silver Slugger Awards in the same year
Named as the A.L. Players Choice Award Winner as an Outstanding Player by the MLB Players Association
Honored as the A.L.'s
Most Valuable Player
(MVP) and only the 11th catcher to win the award. He is the first
A.L. catcher in 33 years to receive the MVP
November 2009
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, Phil 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, Phil Athletics (AL) [HOF]
Mike Piazza, New York Mets (NL)
Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins (AL) *****
Ernie Lombardi, Cin 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 |
October 2009
Over the last several seasons, no one compares to Yadier Molina at picking off base runners. Yadier
has nabbed more runners who fell asleep on the bases than any other catcher by a wide margin. Here are the leaders
in catcher pickoffs since 2003. [Data and Source by John Dewan from The Fielding Bible - Volume II]
| Most Catcher Pickoffs Since 2003 |
| Catcher | Pickoffs |
Yadier Molina
Miguel Olivo
Jose Molina
Ivan Rodriguez
Jeff Mathis |
33
19
17
13
11 |
Based on analyzing run values, each catcher pickoff is estimated to save the team .46 runs.
Over the years, Molina's 33 pickoffs are worth 15 runs. Once again, no one compares to Yadier.
| Defensive Runs Saved by Catchers Since 2003 |
| Catcher | Pickoffs |
Yadier Molina
Jose Molina
Ivan Rodriguez
Gerald Laird
Paul Lo Duca |
45
35
35
23
21 |
September 2009
Perhaps the best offensive skill that a catcher (or any
player) can have is the ability to "get on base" rather than make an out. The
Coin Of The Realm in a baseball game is the OUT. A team, on average, has 27 of
them to either conserve or to squander. Each out in an inning reduces a team's
chance of getting about 1/2 of a run. Conversely, getting on base by any means
(hit, walk, hit-by-pitch) increases a team's chance of getting about 1/2 of a
run more. This is especially so for those batters in the "bottom of the order"
(7th thru 9th), which usually includes the catcher. Getting on base (versus
making an out) is a measureable statistic; it is called
On Base Percentage
(OBP). The Average for all players is
around .320.
Great On-Base players
have over .400
and poor players are less than .300.
25 Best Catcher On-Base-Percentage
Seasons
|
Catcher |
Year |
Team Name |
Lg |
OBP |
|
MICKEY COCHRANE |
1933 |
Philadelphia Athletics |
AL |
0.4591 |
|
MICKEY COCHRANE |
1935 |
Detroit Tigers |
AL |
0.4521 |
| ROGER
BRESNAHAN |
1903 |
New York Giants |
NL |
0.4430 |
|
JOHNNY BASSLER |
1924 |
Detroit Tigers |
AL |
0.4414 |
| CHIEF
MEYERS |
1912 |
New York Giants |
NL |
0.4413 |
| BOB
O'FARRELL |
1922 |
Chicago Cubs |
NL |
0.4386 |
| WALLY
SCHANG |
1919 |
Boston Red Sox |
AL |
0.4360 |
| PAT
COLLINS |
1926 |
New York Yankees |
AL |
0.4329 |
| SMOKY
BURGESS |
1954 |
Philadelphia Phillies |
NL |
0.4322 |
| CARL
TAYLOR |
1969 |
Pittsburgh Pirates |
NL |
0.4319 |
| MIKE
PIAZZA |
1997 |
Los Angeles Dodgers |
NL |
0.4313 |
| JOE
MAUER |
2006 |
Minnesota Twins |
AL |
0.4293 |
| WALLY
SCHANG |
1921 |
New York Yankees |
AL |
0.4280 |
| BILL
DICKEY |
1936 |
New York Yankees |
AL |
0.4280 |
|
MICKEY COCHRANE |
1934 |
Detroit Tigers |
AL |
0.4277 |
| DICK
DIETZ |
1970 |
San Francisco Giants |
NL |
0.4262 |
| JORGE
POSADA |
2007 |
New York Yankees |
AL |
0.4261 |
| STEVE
O'NEILL |
1921 |
Cleveland Indians |
AL |
0.4239 |
|
MICKEY COCHRANE |
1930 |
Philadelphia Athletics |
AL |
0.4236 |
| GABBY
HARTNETT |
1937 |
Chicago Cubs |
NL |
0.4236 |
| STEVE
O'NEILL |
1922 |
Cleveland Indians |
AL |
0.4231 |
|
MICKEY COCHRANE |
1931 |
Philadelphia Athletics |
AL |
0.4228 |
|
JOHNNY BASSLER |
1922 |
Detroit Tigers |
AL |
0.4220 |
| MIKE
PIAZZA |
1996 |
Los Angeles Dodgers |
NL |
0.4216 |
| BABE
PHELPS |
1936 |
Brooklyn Dodgers |
NL |
0.4212 |
|
|
|
|
|
25 Best Catcher On-Base-Percentage
Careers
|
Catcher |
OBP |
|
MICKEY COCHRANE |
0.4192 |
| GENE
TENACE |
0.3879 |
| BILL
DICKEY |
0.3821 |
|
JORGE POSADA |
0.3800 |
| RICK
FERRELL |
0.3778 |
| MIKE
PIAZZA |
0.3765 |
|
JASON KENDALL |
0.3712 |
|
GABBY HARTNETT |
0.3696 |
| SPUD
DAVIS |
0.3689 |
|
MICKEY TETTLETON |
0.3688 |
|
CHRIS HOILES |
0.3661 |
| JOE
TORRE |
0.3648 |
|
SMOKY BURGESS |
0.3616 |
| ROY
CAMPANELLA |
0.3602 |
|
ERNIE LOMBARDI |
0.3582 |
|
DARREN DAULTON |
0.3571 |
|
SHERM LOLLAR |
0.3567 |
| WES
WESTRUM |
0.3562 |
| ED
BAILEY |
0.3546 |
|
JOHNNY ROMANO |
0.3543 |
|
DARRELL PORTER |
0.3539 |
| MIKE
LAVALLIERE |
0.3510 |
| EARL
BATTEY |
0.3488 |
|
BUTCH WYNEGAR |
0.3484 |
|
SHANTY HOGAN |
0.3482 |
|
|
Best Catcher On-Base-Percentage By Age
| Age |
Catcher |
Year |
Team |
Lg |
OBP |
| 19 |
BUTCH WYNEGAR |
1976 |
MIN |
AL |
0.3560 |
| 20 |
JACK O'CONNOR |
1890 |
CL6 |
AA |
0.3770 |
| 21 |
SHANTY HOGAN |
1928 |
NY1 |
NL |
0.4056 |
| 22 |
JOE MAUER |
2006 |
MIN |
AL |
0.4293 |
| 23 |
ROGER BRESNAHAN |
1903 |
NY1 |
NL |
0.4430 |
| 24 |
FRED CARROLL |
1889 |
PIT |
NL |
0.4855 |
| 25 |
BOB O'FARRELL |
1922 |
CHN |
NL |
0.4386 |
| 26 |
SMOKY BURGESS |
1954 |
PHI |
NL |
0.4322 |
| 27 |
MICKEY COCHRANE |
1931 |
PHA |
AL |
0.4228 |
| 28 |
JOHNNY BASSLER |
1924 |
DET |
AL |
0.4414 |
| 29 |
MICKEY COCHRANE |
1933 |
PHA |
AL |
0.4591 |
| 30 |
JACK CLEMENTS |
1895 |
PHI |
NL |
0.4460 |
| 31 |
CHIEF MEYERS |
1912 |
NY1 |
NL |
0.4413 |
| 32 |
RON HASSEY |
1986 |
CHA/NYA |
AL |
0.4056 |
| 33 |
MICKEY TETTLETON |
1994 |
DET |
AL |
0.4189 |
| 34 |
CHIEF ZIMMER |
1895 |
CL4 |
NL |
0.4174 |
| 35 |
MIKE STANLEY |
1999 |
BOS |
AL |
0.3926 |
| 36 |
GABBY HARTNETT |
1937 |
CHN |
NL |
0.4236 |
| 37 |
FRED JACKLITSCH |
1914 |
BLF |
FL |
0.3760 |
| 38 |
CHIEF ZIMMER |
1899 |
CL4 |
NL |
0.3780 |
| 39 |
CARLTON FISK |
1987 |
CHA |
AL |
0.3215 |
| 40 |
BOB BOONE |
1988 |
CAL |
AL |
0.3525 |
| 41 |
CARLTON FISK |
1989 |
CHA |
AL |
0.3556 |
| 42 |
CARLTON FISK |
1990 |
CHA |
AL |
0.3781 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
August 2009
Since 1876 there have been only 10
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 Jorge Posada who collected
his with the New York Yankees in 2000.
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 1954-2008 there were 42
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 on April 17, 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.
July 2009
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
(Minimum 5 games) which Sandy accomplished in six games. Sherm Lollar is
in second place with a career All-Star average of .400 (nine 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.
The Highest Career All-Star Slugging
Percentage by a Catcher is held by Gary Carter with .750 which he
produced in nine games (15 Total Bases in 20 At-Bats).
Johnny Bench and Gary Carter
jointly hold the catcher records for Most Career Homeruns in All-Star
games with 3.
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 holds the catcher record for
Most Career All-Star Hits with 11.
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 2009
JOHNNY BENCH AWARD
A selection committee reviews all offensive and defensive
statistics through the first 2/3 of the season and narrows the list to 10
semi-finalists by May 15.
At this time, information is gathered on the 10 semi-finalists and compiled into
a comprehensive biography of each catcher. Additional criteria include: POP
time, team ERA, GPA, leadership skills, interaction with teammates, calling
their own game and community involvement.
A vote from the national selection committee then narrows the list to three
finalists. Another vote, during the College World Series, is taken to determine
the winner. All finalists are brought to Wichita for the awards banquet at the
end of June. [See History of JB Award]
2009 Johnny Bench Award Semifinalists
Buck Afenir, University of Kansas, Sr.
Billy Alvino, High Point University, Sr.
Griffin Benedict, Georgia Southern University, Sr.
Dan Burkhart, Ohio State University, Soph
Jeffrey Farnham, New Mexico State University, Sr.
Mark Fleury, University of North Carolina, Jr.
Chris Henderson, George Mason University, Jr.
Greg Lagreid, Washington State University, Sr.
Francis Larson, University of California Irvine, Jr.
Josh Phegley, Indiana University, Jr.
Tony Sanchez, Boston College, Jr.
Matt Williams, Duke University, Sr.
J.T. Wise, University of Oklahoma, Sr.
** RED Indicates a
FINALIST
May 2009
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 backstops.
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 2009
A Major League team
usually carries two and sometimes three catchers on its active roster. Within
each team's Minor League organization there are 10-12 catchers at various levels
(AAA, AA, A, Rookie, etc.) to provide depth and for the future. Below are each
team's depth at the Major League and AAA levels coming out of the 2009
Spring Training.
|
Full-Time |
☼ |
|
National League |
|
| Backup |
Ω |
|
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS |
|
| Competition |
◄► |
|
Chris Snyder |
☼ |
| Up-and-Coming |
▲ |
|
Miguel Montero |
Ω |
| On the Way Down |
▼ |
|
James Skelton |
▲ |
| In the Minors |
m |
|
ATLANTA BRAVES |
|
| American League |
|
|
Brian McCann |
☼ |
| BALTIMORE
ORIOLES |
|
|
David Ross |
Ω |
| Gregg Zaun |
☼ |
|
Clint Sammons |
▲m |
| Matt Wieters |
▲m |
|
CHICAGO CUBS |
|
| Chad Moeller |
Ω |
|
Geovany Soto |
☼ |
| BOSTON RED SOX |
|
|
Koyie Hill |
Ω |
| Jason Varitek |
☼ |
|
Paul Bako |
Ω |
| George Kottaras |
Ω |
|
Jake Fox |
▲m |
| Dusty Brown |
▲m |
|
Welington Castillo |
▲m |
| CHICAGO WHITE
SOX |
|
|
CINCINNATI REDS |
|
| A.J. Pierzynski |
☼ |
|
Ramon Hernandez |
☼ |
| Cole Armstrong |
▲m |
|
Ryan Hanigan |
Ω |
| Corky Miller |
▼m |
|
Wilkin Castillo |
Ω |
| Tyler Flowers |
▲m |
|
Craig Tatum |
▲m |
| CLEVELAND
INDIANS |
|
|
COLORADO ROCKIES |
|
| Kelly Shoppach |
◄► |
|
Chris Iannetta |
☼ |
| Victor Martinez |
◄► |
|
Yorvit Torrealba |
Ω |
| Chris Gimenez |
▲m |
|
Wilin Rosario |
▲m |
| Wyatt Toregas |
▲m |
|
FLORIDA MARLINS |
|
| Carlos Santana |
▲m |
|
John Baker |
☼ |
| DETROIT TIGERS |
|
|
Ronny Paulino |
Ω |
| Gerald Laird |
☼ |
|
Mike Rabelo |
▲m |
| Matt Treanor |
Ω |
|
Brett Hayes |
▲m |
| Dusty Ryan |
▲m |
|
HOUSTON ASTROS |
|
| Alex Avila |
▲m |
|
Ivan Rodriguez |
☼ |
| KANSAS CITY
ROYALS |
|
|
Humberto Quintero |
Ω |
| Miguel Olivo |
◄► |
|
J.R. Towles |
▲m |
| John Buck |
◄► |
|
Jason Castro |
▲m |
| Bryan Pena |
Ω |
|
Frederico Hernandez |
▲m |
| LOS ANGELES
ANGELS |
|
|
LOS ANGELES DODGERS |
|
| Mike Napoli |
◄► |
|
Russell Martin |
☼ |
| Jeff Mathis |
◄► |
|
Brad Ausmus |
Ω |
| Ryan Budde |
Ω |
|
Danny Ardoin |
Ω |
| Bobby Wilson |
Ω |
|
A.J. Ellis |
▲ |
| Hank Conger |
▲m |
|
Lucas May |
▲m |
| MINNESOTA TWINS |
|
|
MILWAUKEE BREWERS |
|
| Joe Mauer |
☼ |
|
Jason Kendall |
☼ |
| Mike Redmond |
Ω |
|
Mike Rivera |
Ω |
| Drew Butera |
▲ |
|
Angel Salome |
▲m |
| Wilson Ramos |
▲m |
|
NEW YORK METS |
|
| Jose Morales |
▲m |
|
Brian Schneider |
☼ |
| NEW YORK YANKEES |
|
|
Ramon Castro |
Ω |
| Jorge Posada |
☼ |
|
Robinson Cancel |
▲m |
| Jose Molina |
Ω |
|
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES |
|
| Francisco
Cervelli |
▲m |
|
Carlos Ruiz |
☼ |
| Chris Stewart |
▲m |
|
Chris Coste |
Ω |
| OAKLAND
ATHLETICS |
|
|
Joel Naughton |
▲m |
| Kurt Suzuki |
☼ |
|
Lou Marson |
▲m |
| Landon Powell |
Ω |
|
PITTSBURGH PIRATES |
|
| SEATTLE MARINERS |
|
|
Ryan Doumit |
◄► |
| Kenji Johjima |
☼ |
|
Jason Jaramillo |
Ω |
| Rob Johnson |
Ω |
|
Steven Lerud |
▲m |
| Jeff Clement |
▲m |
|
Robinzon Diaz |
▲m |
| Jamie Burke |
▼m |
|
SAN DIEGO PADRES |
|
| Adam Moore |
▲m |
|
Nick Hundley |
☼ |
| TAMPA BAY RAYS |
|
|
Henry Blanco |
Ω |
| Dioner Navarro |
☼ |
|
Jose Lobaton |
▲m |
| Shawn Riggans |
Ω |
|
Eliezer Alfonzo |
▲m |
| John Jaso |
▲m |
|
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS |
|
| TEXAS RANGERS |
|
|
Bengi Molina |
☼ |
| Jarrod
Saltalamacchia |
☼ |
|
Steve Holm |
Ω |
| Taylor Teagarden |
Ω |
|
Pablo Sandoval |
▲m |
| Max Ramirez |
▲m |
|
Buster Posey |
▲m |
| TORONTO BLUE
JAYS |
|
|
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS |
|
| Rod Barajas |
☼ |
|
Yadier Molina |
☼ |
| Michael Barrett |
▼m |
|
Jason LaRue |
Ω |
| Raul Chavez |
▲m |
|
Justin Knoedler |
▲m |
| J.P. Arencibia |
▲m |
|
Bryan Anderson |
▲m |
| FREE AGENTS |
|
|
WASHINGTON NATIONALS |
|
| Paul Lo Duca |
Ω |
|
Jesus Flores |
◄► |
| Johnny Estrada |
Ω |
|
Wil Nieves |
◄► |
| Guillermo Quiroz |
Ω |
|
Josh Bard |
▼m |
| Rob Bowen |
Ω |
|
Luke Montz |
▲m |
| Toby Hall |
Ω |
|
|
|
March 2009
Noted baseball
statistician Bill James has determined that around 50% of a catcher's defensive
job is catching would-be base stealers. That being said, the below tables
represent each league's best and worst caught stealing percentages (CS%) in
2008. (Minimum 50 stolen base attempts [SB+CS]).
| American League
Percent CS by Catcher |
| Catcher |
SB |
CS |
CS% |
|---|
| Jose Molina, NYY |
42 |
33 |
44.0 |
| Dioner Navarro, TBA |
45 |
28 |
38.4 |
| Kurt Suzuki, OAK |
55 |
32 |
36.8 |
| Joe Mauer, MIN |
51 |
29 |
36.3 |
| Rod Barajas, TOR |
42 |
22 |
34.4 |
| Kenji Johjima. SEA |
52 |
25 |
32.5 |
| Ivan Rodriguez, DET/NYY |
52 |
25 |
30.7 |
| Kevin Cash, BOS |
38 |
16 |
29.6 |
| Gerald Laird, TEX |
53 |
21 |
28.4 |
| Jeff Mathis, LAA |
57 |
20 |
26.0 |
| Greg Zaun, TOR |
40 |
14 |
25.9 |
| Jason Varitek, BOS |
56 |
16 |
22.2 |
| Ramon Hernandez, BAL |
99 |
24 |
19.5 |
| A.J. Pierzynski, CHA |
96 |
21 |
17.9 |
| Mike Napoli, LAA |
52 |
11 |
17.5 |
| Toby Hall, CHA |
43 |
9 |
17.3 |
| John Buck, KCA |
59 |
12 |
16.9 |
| A.L. Average is 26.84% |
| National League
Percent CS by Catcher |
| Catcher |
SB |
CS |
CS% |
|---|
| Jason Kendall, MIL |
55 |
41 |
42.7 |
| Ben Molina, SFN |
68 |
36 |
34.6 |
| Yadier Molina, STL |
34 |
18 |
34.6 |
| Brian Schneider, NYM |
42 |
21 |
33.3 |
| Chris Snyder, ARI |
49 |
22 |
31.0 |
| Paul Bako, CIN |
55 |
22 |
28.6 |
| Ryan Doumit, PIT |
68 |
25 |
26.9 |
| Geovany Soto, CHN |
69 |
25 |
26.6 |
| Jesus Flores, WAS |
47 |
17 |
26.6 |
| Yorvit Torrealba, COL |
45 |
16 |
26.2 |
| Matt Treanor, FLO |
44 |
15 |
25.4 |
| Nick Hundley, SD |
42 |
14 |
25.0 |
| Russell Martin, LAN |
70 |
23 |
24.7 |
| Carlos Ruiz, PHI |
65 |
20 |
23.5 |
| Chris Coste, PHI |
44 |
13 |
22.8 |
| Chris Iannetta, COL |
41 |
12 |
22.6 |
| Brian McCann, ATL |
93 |
27 |
22.5 |
| Josh Bard, SD |
53 |
10 |
15.9 |
| N.L. Average is 27.15% |
February 2009
Bill James developed
a statistic called
Win Shares, which is
essentially a method of taking a team's win total, and assigning Shares of the
Wins to individual players. Each team has 3.0 Win Shares for each win, a 3-to-1
ratio being the basis of the system. This is the only system which is team-based
rather than derived from individual stats. Most systems build from the
performance of individuals. The Bill James' system breaks down the performance
of the team.
Win Shares system DOES NOT
discriminate against players on weak teams. A player who hits .300 with 30 home
runs on a bad team rates exactly the same as a player who hits .300 with 30
homers on a good team. Win Share assignments from team to player are divided on
the basis of "claim points." Overall 48% of Win Shares are assigned to
hitters/baserunners, 35% are assigned to pitchers, and 17% are assigned to
fielders.
The following tables show
the 10 Catchers with: (1) The Most Career Win Shares; (2) The Most Win Shares in
a Season; and (3) The Most Win Shares per 100 Games Played. The first group
gives advantage to catchers with very long careers and the last group identifies
those with consistently good performances.
Ten Most Career Total Win Shares (WS)
| Catcher |
WS |
| Yogi Berra (HOF) |
375 |
| Carlton Fisk (HOF) |
368 |
| Johnny Bench (HOF) |
356 |
| Gary Carter (HOF) |
337 |
| Gabby Hartnett (HOF) |
325 |
| Mike Piazza |
325 |
| Ivan Rodriguez |
319 |
| Ted Simmons |
315 |
| Joe Torre |
315 |
| Bill Dickey (HOF) |
314 |
Ten Best Seasonal Total Win Shares (WS)
| Catcher - Year - Team |
WS |
| Mike Piazza 1997 LA-NL |
39 |
| Johnny Bench 1972 CIN-NL |
37 |
| Bill Freehan 1968 DET-AL |
35 |
| Yogi Berra 1954 NY-AL |
34 |
| Johnny Bench 1970 CIN-NL |
34 |
| Johnny Bench 1974 CIN-NL |
34 |
| Carlton Fisk 1972 BOS-AL |
33 |
| Bill Dickey 1937 NY-AL |
33 |
| Roy Campanella 1951 BRO-NL |
33 |
| Roy Campanella 1953 BRO-NL |
33 |
Ten Most Career Win Shares per 100 Games
| Catcher |
Games |
WS |
WS/100 |
| Mickey Cochrane (HOF) |
1,482 |
275 |
18.6 |
| Yogi Berra (HOF) |
2,120 |
375 |
17.7 |
| Bill Dickey (HOF) |
1,789 |
314 |
17.6 |
| Roy Campanella (HOF) |
1,215 |
207 |
17.0 |
| Mike Piazza |
1,912 |
325 |
17.0 |
| Johnny Bench (HOF) |
2,158 |
356 |
16.5 |
| Gabby Hartnett (HOF) |
1,990 |
325 |
16.3 |
| Roger Bresnahan (HOF) |
1,446 |
231 |
16.0 |
| Jorge Posada |
1,483 |
226 |
15.2 |
| Bill Freehan |
1,774 |
267 |
15.1 |
January 2009
With several aging backstops on the Free
Agent market (ie. Ivan Rodriguez, Brad Ausmus, Gregg Zaun, Jason Varitek among
others) just how long can these guys continue to catch?
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 |
11/18/1863
7/2/1888
12/26/1947
11/12/1868
9/5/1900
11/30/1901
9/13/1949
10/3/1905
11/19/1947
11/23/1860 |
5/18/1912
9/30/1934
6/22/1993
10/4/1913
8/19/1944
6/7/1945
9/27/1992
9/11/1948
9/27/1990
9/27/1903 |
48-06-00
46-02-28
45-05-26
44-10-22
43-11-14
43-06-07
43-00-14
42-11-08
42-10-08
42-10-04 |
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 turned 37 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 18 years, a
total of about 800,000, excluding his stints in winter league.
The following table lists the 20 Oldest Active Catchers and their
ages at year's end. These all are well-known catchers beyond their primes, some
relegated to backup roles. 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.
| Catcher |
Born |
YY-MM-DD |
| Brad Ausmus |
4/14/1969 |
39-08-17 |
| Mike Difelice |
5/28/1969 |
39-07-03 |
| Gregg Zaun |
4/14/1971 |
37-08-17 |
| Mike Redmond |
5/5/1971 |
37-07-26 |
| Sal Fasano |
8/10/1971 |
37-04-21 |
| Jorge Posada |
8/17/1971 |
37-04-14 |
| Henry Blanco |
8/29/1971 |
37-04-02 |
| Jamie Burke |
9/24/1971 |
37-03-07 |
| Ivan Rodriguez |
11/27/1971 |
37-01-04 |
| Adam Melhuse |
3/27/1972 |
36-09-04 |
| Jason Varitek |
4/11/1972 |
36-08-20 |
| Paul LoDuca |
4/12/1972 |
36-08-19 |
| Gary Bennett |
4/17/1972 |
36-08-14 |
| Paul Bako |
6/20/1972 |
36-06-11 |
| Raul Casanova |
8/23/1972 |
36-04-08 |
| Chris Coste |
2/4/1973 |
35-10-27 |
| Jason Larue |
3/19/1974 |
34-09-12 |
| Jason Kendall |
6/26/1974 |
34-06-05 |
| Ben Molina |
7/20/1974 |
34-05-11 |
| Chad Moeller |
2/18/1975 |
33-10-13 |
December 2008
There have been 1,675 career Major League
Catchers (plus 426 other position players who caught one or more games). There
have been 8,043 Pitchers. That makes 102,344 possible battery combinations. Of
the 1,675 catchers only 13 are in the
Hall Of Fame (plus 3
Negro League catchers). Of the 8,043 Pitchers only 61 are in the HOF (plus 5
Negro Leaguers). The 13 HOF Catchers and 61 HOF Pitchers are scattered across
many teams and many years. But, there have been 36
TRUE HOF BATTERIES:
Hall-of-Fame Catchers Catching Hall-of-Fame
Pitchers
|
Catcher
|
Pitcher
|
Starts
|
Shutouts
|
Note
|
|
Johnny Bench
|
Tom Seaver
|
94
|
6
|
|
|
Yogi Berra
|
Whitey Ford
|
212
|
24
|
A
|
|
Roger Bresnahan
|
Rube Marquard
|
1
|
0
|
B
|
|
Roger Bresnahan
|
Christy Mathewson
|
97
|
15
|
|
|
Roger Bresnahan
|
Joe McGinnity
|
106
|
4
|
|
|
Roger Bresnahan
|
Vic Willis
|
12
|
1
|
|
|
Roy Campanella
|
Don Drysdale
|
25
|
2
|
C
|
|
Roy Campanella
|
Sandy Koufax
|
18
|
2
|
|
|
Mickey Cochrane
|
Lefty Grove
|
224
|
18
|
|
|
Mickey Cochrane
|
Waite Hoyt
|
11
|
1
|
|
|
Bill Dickey
|
Lefty Gomez
|
247
|
25
|
D
|
|
Bill Dickey
|
Waite Hoyt
|
19
|
0
|
|
|
Bill Dickey
|
Herb Pennock
|
62
|
3
|
|
|
Bill Dickey
|
Red Ruffing
|
281
|
24
|
|
|
Buck Ewing
|
John Clarkson
|
1
|
0
|
|
|
Buck Ewing
|
Tim Keefe
|
164
|
15
|
|
|
Buck Ewing
|
Amos Rusie
|
16
|
0
|
|
|
Buck Ewing
|
Mickey Welch
|
277
|
28
|
|
|
Rick Ferrell
|
Lefty Grove
|
64
|
7
|
|
|
Rick Ferrell
|
Herb Pennock
|
2
|
0
|
|
|
Rick Ferrell
|
Early Wynn
|
15
|
1
|
|
|
Carlton Fisk
|
Steve Carlton
|
2
|
0
|
|
|
Carlton Fisk
|
Dennis Eckersley
|
62
|
4
|
|
|
Carlton Fisk
|
Fergie Jenkins
|
49
|
3
|
|
|
Carlton Fisk
|
Juan Marichal
|
2
|
0
|
|
|
Carlton Fisk
|
Tom Seaver
|
49
|
5
|
|
|
Gabby Hartnett
|
Pete Alexander
|
64
|
0
|
|
|
Gabby Hartnett
|
Dizzy Dean
|
18
|
2
|
|
|
Gabby Hartnett
|
Burleigh Grimes
|
20
|
2
|
|
|
Ernie Lombardi
|
Carl Hubbell
|
6
|
0
|
|
|
Ernie Lombardi
|
Eppa Rixey
|
14
|
2
|
|
|
Ernie Lombardi
|
Dazzy Vance
|
10
|
0
|
|
|
Ray Schalk
|
Red Faber
|
307
|
22
|
E
|
|
Ray Schalk
|
Carl Hubbell
|
1
|
0
|
|
|
Ray Schalk
|
Ted Lyons
|
48
|
5
|
|
|
Ray Schalk
|
Ed Walsh Sr.
|
23
|
4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NOTES
|
|
|
A - Also caught Ford's Debut 7/1/1950 NYA
@ BOS RELIEF 4.2IP No Decision
|
|
B - Also caught Marquard's Debut 9/25/1908
NYG vs CIN START 5IP Loss 7-1
|
|
C - Also caught Drysdale's Debut 4/17/1956
BRO vs PHI Opening Day RELIEF 1IP
|
|
D - Also caught Gomez's Debut 4/29/1930
NYA @ WAS RELIEF 5IP No Decision
|
|
E - Also caught Faber's Debut 4/17/1914
CHA vs CLE START 4.1IP No Decision
|
November 2008
Although catchers are not
known for their home run power, there have been several backstops with
significant home run events or catcher record-setting milestones:
First catchers to achieve 10, 20, 30 and 40 home
runs in a season
- 1889 Duke Farrell 11 HR's
- 1925 Gabby Hartnett 24 HR's
- 1930 Gabby Hartnett 36 HR's
- 1953 Roy Campanella 40 HR's
Mike Piazza holds the Career Catcher Homerun
Record with 396 HR's (Piazza has 427 career HR's playing any position). He broke
Carlton Fisk's record of 351.
Johnny Bench has 389 playing any position and 327 as a catcher.
|
Catchers who Hit a Home Run in their 1st Major League At Bat |
| Paul Gillespie |
CHI-N, September 11, 1942 (3 yrs in MLB,
6 career HR's)
@@ |
| Hack Miller |
CLE-A, April 23, 1944 (2 yrs in MLB, 1
career HR)
## |
| Don Leppert |
PIT-N, June 18, 1961 (4 yrs in MLB, 15 career
HR's) |
| Cuno Barragan |
CHI-N, September 1, 1961 (3 yrs in MLB,
1 career HR)
## |
| Bob Tillman |
BOS-A, May 19, 1962 (9 yrs in MLB, 79 career
HR's) |
| Gene Lamont |
DET-A, September 2, 1970 (5 yrs in MLB,
4 career HR's)
** |
| Mike Fitzgerald |
NY-N, September 13, 1983 (10 yrs in MLB,
48 career HR's)
** |
| Terry Steinbach |
OAK-A, September 12, 1986 (14 yrs in MLB, 162
career HR's) |
| Mitch Lyden |
CHI-N, June 16, 1993 (1 yr in MLB, 1
career HR)
## |
| Miguel Olivo |
CHI-A, September 15, 2002 (current
player, 73 career HR's)
** |
| Mike Napoli |
LAA-A, May 4, 2006 (current player, 46 career HR) |
** Only Homerun hit that
year
##
Only Homerun in Career
@@
Also hit a Homerun in Last Career At-Bat
|
Catchers who Hit a Home Run in their Last Major League At
Bat |
| Johnny Schulte |
BOS-N, September 20, 1932 @ NY-N, ??
Inning 0 Men On ?? Outs, BSN Lost 3-13 (5 yrs in MLB, 14 career HR's, 192 Games
career)
** |
| Mickey Cochrane |
DET-A, May 25, 1937 @ NY-A, ?? Inning 0
Men On ?? Outs, DET Lost 3-43 (13 yrs in MLB, 119 career HR's, 1482 Games
career)
## |
| Paul Gillespie |
CHI-N, September 29, 1945 @ PIT-N, ??
Inning 1 Man On ?? Outs, CHN Won 4-3 (3 yrs in MLB, 6 career HR's, 89 Games
career)
@@ |
| Kevin Pasley |
SEA-A, October 1,
1978 vs TEX-A, 7th Inning 1 Man On, 0 Outs, SEA Lost 4-9 (4 yrs in MLB, 1 career
HR, 55 Games career)
Ʊ |
| Jeff Tackett |
BAL-A, August 2, 1994 @ MIN-A, 7th Inning 0 Men
On 2 Outs, BAL Won 10-0 (4 yrs in MLB, 7 career HR's, 136 Games career) |
| Todd Zeile |
NY-N, October 3, 2004 vs MON-N, 6th Inning 2 Men
On 0 Outs, NYN Won 8-1 (17 yrs in MLB, 253 career HR's, 2158 Games career, Began
career as a catcher then switched to 3B-2B. Final Game was as a catcher) |
** Only Homerun hit that year
## Hall OF FAMER
@@ Also hit a Homerun in 1st
Career At-Bat
Ʊ Only Homerun in career |
Catchers With Homers From Both Sides of the Plate in One
Game |
| Wally Schang |
PHI-A, September 8, 1916 vs. NY-A |
| Ted Simmons |
STL-N, April 17, 1975 vs. NY-N |
| Ted Simmons |
STL-N, June 11, 1979 vs. LA-N |
| Alan Ashby |
HOU-N, September 27, 1982 vs. SD-N |
| Mark Bailey |
HOU-N, September 16, 1984 vs. SD-N |
| Donnie Scott |
SEA-A, April 29, 1985 vs. MIL-A |
| Mickey Tettleton |
BAL-A, June 13, 1988 vs. DET-A |
| Mickey Tettleton |
DET-A, May 7, 1993 vs. NY-A |
| Chad Kreuter |
DET-A, September 7, 1993 vs. CAL-A |
| Todd Hundley |
NY-N, June 18, 1994 vs. FLA-N |
| Todd Hundley |
NY-N, May 18, 1996 vs. SF-N |
| Raul Casanova |
DET-A, June 6, 1996 vs. BAL-A |
| Todd Hundley |
NY-N, June 10, 1996 vs. ATL-N |
| Todd Hundley |
NY-N, May 5, 1997 vs. COL-N |
| Todd Hundley |
NY-N, July 20, 1997 vs. CIN-N |
| Jorge Posada |
NY-A, August 23, 1998 vs. TEX-A |
| Jorge Posada |
NY-A, July 10, 1999 vs. NYM-N |
| Jorge Posada |
NY-A, April 23, 2000 vs. TOR-A |
| Jorge Posada |
NY-A, June 28, 2002 vs. NYM-N |
| Jorge Posada |
NY-A, March 31, 2004 vs. TAM-A (In Japan) |
| Jorge Posada |
NY-A, May 24, 2005 vs. DET-A |
Catchers who have Hit 3 Homeruns in One Game |
| Mickey Cochrane |
PHI-A, May 21, 1925 (A) |
| Bill Dickey |
NY-A, July 26, 1939 (H) - 3 consecutive homers |
| Andy Seminick |
PHI-N, June 2, 1949 (H) |
| Walker Cooper |
CIN-N, July 6, 1949 (H) |
| Wes Westrum |
NY-N, June 24, 1950 (H) |
| Roy Campanella |
BRK-N, August 26, 1950 (A) - 3 consecutive homers |
| Smokey Burgess |
CIN-N, July 29, 1955 (H) |
| Ed Bailey |
CIN-N, June 24, 1956, first game (A) |
| Johnny Bench |
CIN-N, July 26, 1970 (H) - 3 consecutive homers |
| Bill Freehan |
DET-A, August 9, 1971 (A) |
| Johnny Bench |
CIN-N, May 9, 1973 (A) |
| Gary Carter |
MON-N, April 20, 1977 (H) -
3 consecutive homers |
| Johnny Bench |
CIN-N, May 29, 1980 (A) |
| Gary Carter |
NY-N, September 3, 1985 (A) - 3 consecutive
homers |
| Dan Wilson |
SEA-A, April 11, 1996 (A) |
| Mike Piazza |
LA-N, June 29, 1996 (A) |
| Benito Santiago |
PHI-N, September 15, 1996 (A) - 3 consecutive |
| Bobby Estalella |
PHI-N, September 4, 1997 (A) |
| Ivan Rodriguez |
TEX-A, September 11, 1997 (H) - 3 consecutive
homers |
| Tyler Houston |
MIL-N, July 9, 2000 (H) - 3 consecutive homers |
| Jason Varitek |
BOS-A, May 20, 2001 (A) |
| Mike Lieberthal |
PHI-N, August 10, 2002 (A) - 3 consecutive homers |
Catchers who Hit an In The Park Grand Slam Home Run |
| Willard Brown |
NY-PL, August 29, 1890 (7 yrs in MLB, 6 career HR's) |
| Lave Cross |
PHI-N, July 6, 1892 (21 yrs in MLB, 47 career HR's) |
| Parke Wilson |
NY-N, September 5, 1893 (7 yrs in MLB, 3 career HR's) |
| Red Dooin |
PHI-N, October 1, 1904 (15 yrs in MLB, 10 career HR's) |
| Chief Meyers |
NY-N, September 11, 1909 (9 yrs in MLB, only HR in 1909) |
| Tex Erwin |
BRO-N, July 2, 1911 (6 yrs in MLB, 11 career HR's) |
| Mickey Cochrane |
DET-A, June 4, 1936 (13 yrs in MLB, 119 career HR's) |
| Wes Westrum |
NY-N, August 2, 1950 (11 yrs in MLB, 96 career HR's) |
| Tim McCarver |
STL-N, June 9, 1963 (21 yrs in MLB, 97 career HR's) |
| Jim Essian |
OAK-A, June 10, 1979 (21 yrs in MLB, 97 career HR's) |
| Ron Karkovice |
CHI-A, August 30, 1990 (12 yrs in MLB, 96 career HR's) |
| Dan Wilson |
SEA-A, May 3, 1998 (12 yrs in MLB, 86 career HR's thru 2003) |
October 2008
When is 100 Hits not
equal to other 100 Hits? The answer is when the 100 are all Singles while the
other is a mixture of Singles, Doubles, Triples, and Homeruns. The difference
can be measured; it is a statistic called
Slugging Average
(SLG). It is computed by counting all of the bases earned divided by
the At-Bats. The Seasonal Average for all players is around .380. Great
players have Seasons over .500 and poor players are
less than .320. The Career Average for all Catchers (1876-2007) is .362 while
the Career Average for Hall-Of-Fame players is .440.
25 Best Catcher Slugging Averages
(Season)
(400 At-Bats Minimum)
|
NickName |
LastName |
Year |
Team |
Lg |
SLG |
|
JAVY |
LOPEZ |
2003 |
ATL |
NL |
0.6871 |
|
MIKE |
PIAZZA |
1997 |
LAN |
NL |
0.6385 |
|
GABBY |
HARTNETT |
1930 |
CHN |
NL |
0.6299 |
|
BILL |
DICKEY |
1936 |
NYA |
AL |
0.6170 |
|
MIKE |
PIAZZA |
2000 |
NYN |
NL |
0.6141 |
|
ROY |
CAMPANELLA |
1953 |
BRO |
NL |
0.6108 |
|
MIKE |
PIAZZA |
1995 |
LAN |
NL |
0.6060 |
|
ROY |
CAMPANELLA |
1951 |
BRO |
NL |
0.5901 |
|
JOHNNY |
BENCH |
1970 |
CIN |
NL |
0.5868 |
|
WALKER |
COOPER |
1947 |
NY1 |
NL |
0.5864 |
|
CHRIS |
HOILES |
1993 |
BAL |
AL |
0.5847 |
|
ROY |
CAMPANELLA |
1955 |
BRO |
NL |
0.5830 |
|
MIKE |
PIAZZA |
1999 |
NYN |
NL |
0.5749 |
|
MIKE |
PIAZZA |
2001 |
NYN |
NL |
0.5726 |
|
BRIAN |
McCANN |
2006 |
ATL |
NL |
0.5724 |
|
BILL |
DICKEY |
1937 |
NYA |
AL |
0.5698 |
|
BILL |
DICKEY |
1938 |
NYA |
AL |
0.5683 |
|
MIKE |
PIAZZA |
1996 |
LAN |
NL |
0.5631 |
|
MIKE |
PIAZZA |
1993 |
LAN |
NL |
0.5612 |
|
RICK |
WILKINS |
1993 |
CHN |
NL |
0.5605 |
|
JOE |
TORRE |
1966 |
ATL |
NL |
0.5604 |
|
IVAN |
RODRIGUEZ |
1999 |
TEX |
AL |
0.5583 |
|
JOE |
TORRE |
1971 |
SLN |
NL |
0.5552 |
|
MICKEY |
COCHRANE |
1931 |
PHA |
AL |
0.5534 |
|
ROY |
CAMPANELLA |
1950 |
BRO |
NL |
0.5515 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
25 Best Catcher
Slugging Averages (Career)
(5,000 PA Minimum)
|
NickName |
LastName |
SLG |
|
MIKE |
PIAZZA |
0.5452 |
|
JAVY |
LOPEZ |
0.4911 |
|
GABBY |
HARTNETT |
0.4888 |
|
BILL |
DICKEY |
0.4860 |
|
YOGI |
BERRA |
0.4822 |
|
JORGE |
POSADA |
0.4794 |
|
IVAN |
RODRIGUEZ |
0.4793 |
|
MICKEY |
COCHRANE |
0.4778 |
|
JOHNNY |
BENCH |
0.4758 |
|
WALKER |
COOPER |
0.4636 |
|
ERNIE |
LOMBARDI |
0.4599 |
|
CARLTON |
FISK |
0.4567 |
|
BUCK |
EWING |
0.4557 |
|
JOE |
TORRE |
0.4521 |
|
MICKEY |
TETTLETON |
0.4489 |
|
SMOKY |
BURGESS |
0.4455 |
|
LANCE |
PARRISH |
0.4405 |
|
GARY |
CARTER |
0.4387 |
|
TED |
SIMMONS |
0.4370 |
|
GENE |
TENACE |
0.4287 |
|
ELSTON |
HOWARD |
0.4270 |
|
TERRY |
STEINBACH |
0.4198 |
|
BENITO |
SANTIAGO |
0.4152 |
|
BILL |
FREEHAN |
0.4120 |
|
THURMAN |
MUNSON |
0.4098 |
|
|
|
September 2008
Perhaps the best
offensive skill that a catcher (or any player) can have is the ability to "get
on base" rather than make an out. The
Coin Of The Realm in a
baseball game is the
OUT. A team, on average, has 27
of them to either conserve or to squander. Each out in an inning reduces a
team's chance of getting about 1/2 of a run. Conversely, getting on base by any
means (hit, walk, hit-by-pitch) increases a team's chance of getting about 1/2
of a run more. This is especially so for those batters in the "bottom of the
order" (7th thru 9th), which usually includes the catcher. Getting on base
(versus making an out) is a measureable statistic; it is called
On Base Percentage
(OBP). The Average for all players is around .340. Great
players have over .400 and poor players are less than
.300.
25 Best Catcher On-Base-Percentage
(Season)
|
Nick Name |
Last Name |
Year |
Team |
Lg |
OBP |
|
MICKEY |
COCHRANE |
1933 |
PHA |
AL |
0.4591 |
|
MICKEY |
COCHRANE |
1935 |
DET |
AL |
0.4521 |
|
ROGER |
BRESNAHAN |
1903 |
NY1 |
NL |
0.4430 |
|
MIKE |
PIAZZA |
1997 |
LAN |
NL |
0.4313 |
|
JOE |
MAUER |
2006 |
MIN |
AL |
0.4293 |
|
WALLY |
SCHANG |
1921 |
NYA |
AL |
0.4280 |
|
BILL |
DICKEY |
1936 |
NYA |
AL |
0.4280 |
|
MICKEY |
COCHRANE |
1934 |
DET |
AL |
0.4277 |
|
DICK |
DIETZ |
1970 |
SFN |
NL |
0.4262 |
|
JORGE |
POSADA |
2007 |
NYA |
AL |
0.4261 |
|
MICKEY |
COCHRANE |
1930 |
PHA |
AL |
0.4236 |
|
MICKEY |
COCHRANE |
1931 |
PHA |
AL |
0.4228 |
|
MIKE |
PIAZZA |
1996 |
LAN |
NL |
0.4216 |
|
WILBERT |
ROBINSON |
1894 |
BLN |
NL |
0.4212 |
|
DARRELL |
PORTER |
1979 |
KCA |
AL |
0.4207 |
|
JOE |
TORRE |
1971 |
SLN |
NL |
0.4207 |
|
ROGER |
BRESNAHAN |
1906 |
NY1 |
NL |
0.4192 |
|
FRED |
CARROLL |
1890 |
PTP |
PL |
0.4183 |
|
BILL |
DICKEY |
1937 |
NYA |
AL |
0.4168 |
|
JORGE |
POSADA |
2000 |
NYA |
AL |
0.4167 |
|
CHRIS |
HOILES |
1993 |
BAL |
AL |
0.4160 |
|
GENE |
TENACE |
1977 |
SDN |
NL |
0.4145 |
|
DOGGIE |
MILLER |
1894 |
SLN |
NL |
0.4144 |
|
BILL |
DICKEY |
1938 |
NYA |
AL |
0.4124 |
|
JASON |
KENDALL |
2000 |
PIT |
NL |
0.4121 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
25 Best Catcher On-Base-Percentage
(Career)
|
Nick Name |
Last Name |
OBP |
|
MICKEY |
COCHRANE |
0.4192 |
|
WALLY |
SCHANG |
0.3931 |
|
GENE |
TENACE |
0.3879 |
|
ROGER |
BRESNAHAN |
0.3864 |
|
BILL |
DICKEY |
0.3821 |
|
JORGE |
POSADA |
0.3801 |
|
RICK |
FERRELL |
0.3778 |
|
MIKE |
PIAZZA |
0.3766 |
|
JASON |
KENDALL |
0.3742 |
|
MIKE |
GRADY |
0.3738 |
|
FRED |
CARROLL |
0.3702 |
|
GABBY |
HARTNETT |
0.3696 |
|
MIKE |
STANLEY |
0.3695 |
|
SPUD |
DAVIS |
0.3689 |
|
MICKEY |
TETTLETON |
0.3688 |
|
CHIEF |
MEYERS |
0.3668 |
|
CHRIS |
HOILES |
0.3661 |
|
JOE |
TORRE |
0.3648 |
|
MUDDY |
RUEL |
0.3645 |
|
SMOKY |
BURGESS |
0.3616 |
|
ROY |
CAMPANELLA |
0.3602 |
|
BOB |
O'FARRELL |
0.3602 |
|
ERNIE |
LOMBARDI |
0.3582 |
|
JOE |
FERGUSON |
0.3576 |
|
DARREN |
DAULTON |
0.3571 |
|
|
|
August 2008
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 2008
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
(Minimum 5 games) which Sandy accomplished in six games. Sherm Lollar is
in second place with a career All-Star average of .400 (nine 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.
The Highest Career All-Star Slugging
Percentage by a Catcher is held by Gary Carter with .750 which he
produced in nine games (15 Total Bases in 20 At-Bats).
Johnny Bench and Gary Carter
jointly hold the catcher records for Most Career Homeruns in All-Star
games with 3.
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 holds the catcher record for
Most Career All-Star Hits with 11.
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 2008
Some of the Catcher Records Currently
held:
- Games Caught in a Season (
160)
- Randy Hundley (CHI-N) 1968
Games Caught in a Career (2226)
- Carlton Fisk (1969-1993)
Most Years with 100 or More Games Caught (15)
Bob Boone
Batting Average - Season (.362)
- Bill Dickey (NY-A) 1936
Batting Average - Career (.320)
- Mickey Cochrane (1925-1937)
Slugging Average - Season (.639)
- Mike Piazza (LA-N) 1977
Slugging Average - Career (.545)
- Mike Piazza (1992-2007)
Home Runs - Season (42)
- Javy Lopez (ATL-N) 2003
Home Runs - Career (427)
- Mike Piazza (1992-2007)
Highest Fielding Average - Career (1000+ Games) (.9932)
Bill Freehan DET, 1,581 games
Most Assists - Career (1,835)
Deacon McGuire
Most Assists - Season (214)
Pat Moran (BOS-N) 1903
Most Assists - 9-Inning Game (Since 1900) (8)
Wally Schang BOS-A 5/12/1920
Most Passed Balls in a Game (12)
- Gid Gardner (Was-AA) 5/10/1884
Catching for the Most Teams Career (10)
- Deacon McGuire
Most Consecutive Errorless Games (252)
- Mike Matheny (STL-N) 8/2/2002 - 8/1/2004
Most Errors - Career (Since 1900)
234 Ivey Wingo
Most Errors - Season (Since 1900)
40 Red Dooin, PHI-N
1909
Most Errors - Inning (Since 1900)
3
Jeff Reed MON-N 7/28/1987; Jeff Sweeney NYA
7/10/1912; John Peters CLE 5/16/1918
Most Stolen Bases Off Catcher - Inning (8)
Steve O'Neill (CLE-A) 7/19/1915 and Mike Gonzalez (NY-N) 7/7/1919
Most Runners Caught Stealing 9-Inning Game (Since 1900) (6)
Bill Bergen (BRO-N) 8/23/1909 and Wally Schang (PHI-A) 5/12/1915
Most Runners Caught Stealing - Inning (3)
Les Nunamaker (NY-A) 8/3/1914 3rd inning
Most No-Hitters Caught - Career (4)
Jason Varitek 2001, 2002, 2007 & 2008
May 2008
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 2008 managers who are former catchers are:
Bruce Bochy (Giants)
Bob Geren (A's)
John Gibbons (Blue Jays)
Joe Girardi (Yankees)
Joe Maddon (Devil Rays)
Bob Melvin (Diamondbacks)
John Russell (Pirates)
Mike Scioscia (Angels)
Joe Torre (Dodgers)
Eric Wedge (Indians)
Ned Yost (Brewers)
To date there have been 114 ex-catcher
managers in the major leagues [See Complete List].
For these 114 skippers the average number of years managing is 5.2 and 670
games. They won an average of 331 and lost 342 games for a winning percentage of
.492.
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 2007 the ex-catcher with the best performance as a manager is
Joe Torre who has racked up 58.7 more wins than expected.
April 2008
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.
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.
March 2008
There are 93 catchers on the
2008 40-man Spring Training rosters. In addition, there are 27 more with
minor league contracts and an invite to vie for a roster spot this Spring. Plus,
there are a few Free Agents of note looking for a team (Sandy Alomar, Damian
Miller, Mike Piazza, Todd Pratt, and Kelly Stinnett). The following are some of
the catcher competitions vying for an Opening Day slot or key catcher
conditions:
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Kansas City Royals: John Buck and
Miguel Olivo both have power and both are contending for the starting role.
But, Olivo led the majors with 16 passed balls last year for Florida which won't
help the Royals 11th ranked defense..
Los Angeles Angels: Starter Mike Napoli
and backup Jeff Mathis need to improve if they're going to be any help to
Mike Scioscia's Angels.
Minnesota Twins: Joe Mauer must stay
off the disabled list and try to duplicate his 2006 MVP-type season because the
Twins are depending on him to carry the offense.
Seattle Mariners: Jeff Clement will
be competing with Jamie Burke to be the backup to their No. 1 guy,
Kenji Johjima this season. Jeff has power potential but Jamie has the
defensive skills which should give him the edge.
Tampa Bay Rays: Josh Paul was signed
to a minor league contract. He had been the primary backup the last two seasons.
A longtime favorite of manager Joe Maddon, Paul will compete with Shawn
Riggans and Mike Difelice to be the backup to Dioner Navarro.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Chicago Cubs: Geovany Soto was so
impressive last season in his 54 games in the Majors that he's slated to open
the year as the Cub's No. 1 backstop. Henry Blanco will be the backup.
Milwaukee Brewers: Damian Miller, who
played for the Brewers the past three seasons was not offered an invitation for
the 2008 season. He'll probably retire. The Brewers signed free agent Jason
Kendall as their No. 1 catcher. The backup job will be up for grabs among
the trio of Eric Munson, Mike Rivera and Vinny Rottino.
Washington Nationals:
Johnny Estrada signed a one-year deal and will enter spring training as the
No. 1 catcher with Paul Lo Duca
recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. Humberto Cota will most likely
be the backup with Jesus Flores returning to the minors.
February 2008
Several catchers will be striving to
achieve personal, catcher or player career milestones in the 2008 season. Here
are just some of them:
OFFENSE
- Mike Piazza (Free Agent) 400 Homeruns as a catcher (Currently has 376)
- Ivan Rodriguez (DET) 300 Homeruns as a player (Currently has 288)
- Ivan Rodriguez (DET) 4,000 Total Bases as a player (Currently has 3,953)
- Ivan Rodriguez (DET) 2,500 Hits as a player (Currently has 2,495)
- A.J. Pierzynski (CHA) 1,000 Hits as a player (Currently has 950)
DEFENSE
- Ivan Rodriguez (DET) 2,100 & 2,200 Games Caught (Has 2,061)
- Ivan Rodriguez (DET) 13,000 Putouts as a Catcher (Has 12,510)
- Brad Ausmus (HOU) 13,000 Putouts as a Catcher (Has 12,045)
- Jason Kendall (MIL) 11,000 Putouts as a Catcher (Has 10,390)
- Ivan Rodriguez (DET) 600 Runners Caught Stealing (Has 579)
- Brad Ausmus (HOU) 500 Runners Caught Stealing (Has 469)
- Jason Kendall (MIL) 400 Runners Caught Stealing (Has 397)
- Ivan Rodriguez (DET) 17,370 Innings Caught for 3rd Place (Has 17,267)
- Mike Lieberthal (Free Agent) 10,000 Innings Caught (Has 9,828)
- Jason Kendall (MIL) 800 Assists as a Catcher (Has 768)
- Paul LoDuca (WAS) 500 Assists as a Catcher (Has 484)
MISCELLANEOUS
- Jason Kendall (MIL) 225 Hit-By-Pitch (Currently has 218 and ranks 5th
all-time behind #1 Craig Biggio with 285)
January 2008
One measure of a catcher's defensive ability is his
Percentage of Base Stealers Caught (CS%). For the would-be thieves success
means stealing a base more than 75% of the time. For the catcher success at
stopping these thieves would be a CS rate greater than 25% (keeping the thieves
below 75%).
In 2007 the Best Performance by a Catcher at stopping
these thieves was by Yadier Molina of the Cardinals. He stopped 54% of
these rascals. Below is a list of the Top 15 Catchers in 2007 for those
backstops who had 50 or more Stolen Base Attempts (SBA)
|
Catcher |
Team |
G |
SB |
CS |
SBA |
CS% |
| Yadier Molina |
STL |
107 |
23 |
27 |
50 |
0.5400 |
| Kenji Johjima |
SEA |
133 |
46 |
40 |
86 |
0.4651 |
| David Ross |
CIN |
108 |
36 |
25 |
61 |
0.4098 |
| Gerald Laird |
TEX |
119 |
59 |
39 |
98 |
0.3980 |
| Chris Snyder |
ARI |
103 |
52 |
29 |
81 |
0.3580 |
| Russ Martin |
LAN |
145 |
82 |
41 |
123 |
0.3333 |
| Miguel Olivo |
FLA |
119 |
51 |
25 |
76 |
0.3289 |
| Victor Martinez |
CLE |
121 |
70 |
33 |
103 |
0.3204 |
| Carlos Ruiz |
PHI |
111 |
57 |
26 |
83 |
0.3133 |
| Brian Schneider |
WAS |
122 |
53 |
24 |
77 |
0.3117 |
| Ivan Rodriguez |
DET |
127 |
47 |
21 |
68 |
0.3088 |
| Bengie Molina |
SFN |
129 |
53 |
23 |
76 |
0.3026 |
| Dioner Navarro |
TBA |
112 |
71 |
30 |
101 |
0.2970 |
| Ronnie Paulino |
PIT |
129 |
74 |
27 |
101 |
0.2673 |
| Brad Ausmus |
HOU |
114 |
47 |
17 |
64 |
0.2656 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Since 1956 there have been many seasons where catchers have
excelled at nabbing base runners intent on stealing. The very best performance
(minimum 50 SBA's) for Catching Base Stealers 1956-2007 was by Gus
Triandos
of the Baltimore Orioles in 1957. He caught 2/3 (66%) of every attempt. The
below list is the Top 25 Seasonal Performances in the last 52 years:
|
Catcher |
Year |
Tm |
SB |
CS |
SBA |
CS% |
| Gus
Triandos |
1957 |
BAL |
21 |
42 |
63 |
0.6667 |
|
Bob O'Farrell |
1922 |
CHN |
41 |
70 |
111 |
0.6306 |
|
Jason LaRue |
2001 |
CIN |
27 |
42 |
69 |
0.6087 |
|
Dick Bertell |
1963 |
CHN |
29 |
44 |
73 |
0.6027 |
|
Larry McLean |
1911 |
CIN |
37 |
55 |
92 |
0.5978 |
|
Thurman Munson |
1971 |
NYA |
23 |
34 |
57 |
0.5965 |
| Earl
Battey |
1960 |
WS1 |
29 |
41 |
70 |
0.5857 |
|
Henry Blanco |
2000 |
MIL |
28 |
39 |
67 |
0.5821 |
| Bob
Boone |
1982 |
CAL |
46 |
64 |
110 |
0.5818 |
|
Ellie Rodriguez |
1971 |
MIL |
30 |
41 |
71 |
0.5775 |
|
Rick Dempsey |
1977 |
BAL |
30 |
41 |
71 |
0.5775 |
|
Clay Dalrymple |
1967 |
PHI |
22 |
30 |
52 |
0.5769 |
| Mike
Ryan |
1968 |
PHI |
25 |
34 |
59 |
0.5763 |
|
Ivan Rodriguez |
2001 |
TEX |
23 |
31 |
54 |
0.5741 |
|
Johnny Bench |
1969 |
CIN |
30 |
40 |
70 |
0.5714 |
|
Johnny Bench |
1972 |
CIN |
24 |
31 |
55 |
0.5636 |
|
Jerry Grote |
1969 |
NYN |
31 |
40 |
71 |
0.5634 |
|
Ivan Rodriguez |
1998 |
TEX |
38 |
49 |
87 |
0.5632 |
| Jim
Sundberg |
1977 |
TEX |
43 |
55 |
98 |
0.5612 |
|
Clay Dalrymple |
1961 |
PHI |
36 |
45 |
81 |
0.5556 |
| Yogi
Berra |
1957 |
NYA |
29 |
36 |
65 |
0.5538 |
| Tim
McCarver |
1967 |
SLN |
30 |
37 |
67 |
0.5522 |
|
Jimmy Archer |
1911 |
CHN |
49 |
60 |
109 |
0.5505 |
| Ray
Fosse |
1973 |
OAK |
41 |
50 |
91 |
0.5495 |
| Yogi
Berra |
1958 |
NYA |
23 |
28 |
51 |
0.5490 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Career Best CS% by a Catcher is by Roy Campanella
whose astounding 57% is way ahead of every other catcher in the 1956-2007
period. The following list is the Top 25 career totals:
| Catcher |
SB |
CS |
SBA |
CS% |
|
Roy |
Campanella |
181 |
242 |
423 |
0.5721 |
|
Clay |
Dalrymple |
321 |
306 |
627 |
0.4880 |
|
Yogi |
Berra |
154 |
141 |
295 |
0.4780 |
|
Dick |
Bertell |
150 |
137 |
287 |
0.4774 |
|
Ivan |
Rodriguez |
639 |
579 |
1218 |
0.4754 |
|
Gus |
Triandos |
237 |
207 |
444 |
0.4662 |
|
Sherm |
Lollar |
190 |
163 |
353 |
0.4618 |
|
Del |
Crandall |
275 |
229 |
504 |
0.4544 |
|
Steve |
Lake |
185 |
154 |
339 |
0.4543 |
|
Joe |
Azcue |
244 |
201 |
445 |
0.4517 |
|
Thurman |
Munson |
533 |
427 |
960 |
0.4448 |
|
Elston |
Howard |
285 |
221 |
506 |
0.4368 |
|
Mike |
Ryan |
234 |
181 |
415 |
0.4361 |
|
Johnny |
Bench |
610 |
469 |
1079 |
0.4347 |
|
Earl |
Battey |
276 |
212 |
488 |
0.4344 |
|
Buck |
Rodgers |
283 |
215 |
498 |
0.4317 |
|
Henry |
Blanco |
281 |
210 |
491 |
0.4277 |
|
Jerry |
May |
177 |
131 |
308 |
0.4253 |
|
Randy |
Hundley |
399 |
293 |
692 |
0.4234 |
|
Johnny |
Roseboro |
406 |
297 |
703 |
0.4225 |
|
Hal |
Smith |
156 |
112 |
268 |
0.4179 |
|
Bob |
Kearney |
224 |
159 |
383 |
0.4151 |
|
Ellie |
Rodriguez |
334 |
235 |
569 |
0.4130 |
|
Ron |
Karkovice |
401 |
281 |
682 |
0.4120 |
|
Jim |
Sundberg |
1012 |
708 |
1720 |
0.4116 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
