2017-66
22. A Moment for Simba
Ted Simmons’ has been reminded several times that he was probably not as good as Johnny Bench. But in the late 1970s, after Bench faded, he was the best catcher in baseball for a couple of years.
Rank
|
YEAR
|
First
|
Last
|
Value
|
1
|
1977
|
Ted
|
Simmons
|
27.51
|
2
|
1977
|
Carlton
|
Fisk
|
27.19
|
3
|
1977
|
Gene
|
Tenace
|
26.01
|
4
|
1977
|
Johnny
|
Bench
|
23.90
|
5
|
1977
|
Gary
|
Carter
|
22.38
|
6
|
1977
|
Thurman
|
Munson
|
22.10
|
7
|
1977
|
Darrell
|
Porter
|
20.09
|
8
|
1977
|
Jim
|
Sundberg
|
19.81
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
1978
|
Ted
|
Simmons
|
27.94
|
2
|
1978
|
Carlton
|
Fisk
|
26.41
|
3
|
1978
|
Gary
|
Carter
|
23.73
|
4
|
1978
|
Johnny
|
Bench
|
23.04
|
5
|
1978
|
Darrell
|
Porter
|
22.70
|
6
|
1978
|
Jim
|
Sundberg
|
21.60
|
7
|
1978
|
Thurman
|
Munson
|
19.04
|
8
|
1978
|
Bob
|
Boone
|
18.28
|
I intended to break each list after 1939 and 1979 to summarize where we were. I had to move the 1939 break back to 1943 because Bill Dickey was in the middle of a run, and here I will move the break up one season to get it in before Gary Carter takes over.
Through 1978 the top 20 catchers in terms of position dominance are in the chart below. The Hall of Famers are highlighted in blue. Fisk, Bench, Simmons and Tenace were still active at this time,and their totals were still going up. Some totals may not match the previous charts because of the changes I made, explained in sections 15-16 of this series.
First
|
Last
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
YOPDI
|
Yogi
|
Berra
|
13
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
131
|
Bill
|
Dickey
|
6
|
5
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
111
|
Johnny
|
Bench
|
8
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
95
|
Gabby
|
Hartnett
|
3
|
7
|
3
|
2
|
0
|
95
|
Mickey
|
Cochrane
|
8
|
0
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
92
|
Joe
|
Torre
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
72
|
Wally
|
Schang
|
4
|
2
|
3
|
0
|
2
|
68
|
Roger
|
Bresnahan
|
4
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
57
|
Bill
|
Freehan
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
57
|
Ted
|
Simmons
|
2
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
56
|
Johnny
|
Kling
|
2
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
53
|
Roy
|
Campanella
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
51
|
Elston
|
Howard
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
47
|
Ray
|
Schalk
|
3
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
44
|
Walker
|
Cooper
|
1
|
3
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
43
|
Chief
|
Meyers
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
42
|
Tom
|
Haller
|
0
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
41
|
Ernie
|
Lombardi
|
2
|
0
|
4
|
1
|
2
|
40
|
Carlton
|
Fisk
|
0
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
38
|
Gene
|
Tenace
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
38
|
While these are the top 20 catchers, 1900 to 1978, in terms of peak value.
YEAR
|
First
|
Last
|
Peak
|
1972
|
Johnny
|
Bench
|
32.91
|
1930
|
Mickey
|
Cochrane
|
31.63
|
1937
|
Bill
|
Dickey
|
31.59
|
1954
|
Yogi
|
Berra
|
31.47
|
1951
|
Roy
|
Campanella
|
30.40
|
1968
|
Bill
|
Freehan
|
29.82
|
1972
|
Carlton
|
Fisk
|
29.79
|
1906
|
Roger
|
Bresnahan
|
28.56
|
1975
|
Gene
|
Tenace
|
28.47
|
1963
|
Elston
|
Howard
|
28.32
|
1978
|
Ted
|
Simmons
|
27.94
|
1935
|
Gabby
|
Hartnett
|
27.13
|
1966
|
Joe
|
Torre
|
26.51
|
1967
|
Tim
|
McCarver
|
25.45
|
1914
|
Art
|
Wilson
|
25.06
|
1970
|
Dick
|
Dietz
|
24.82
|
1968
|
Tom
|
Haller
|
24.63
|
1938
|
Rudy
|
York
|
24.37
|
1978
|
Gary
|
Carter
|
23.73
|
1970
|
Thurman
|
Munson
|
23.29
|
Joe Torre’s peak value was actually not as a catcher; it was in 1971, when he won the National League MVP Award as a third baseman. And Gary Carter’s best years are still ahead of him.
23. The Gary Carter Years
From 1979 to 1986 the best catcher in baseball was Gary Carter:
Rank
|
YEAR
|
First
|
Last
|
Value
|
1
|
1979
|
Gary
|
Carter
|
27.32
|
2
|
1979
|
Darrell
|
Porter
|
26.34
|
3
|
1979
|
Ted
|
Simmons
|
24.15
|
4
|
1979
|
Gene
|
Tenace
|
22.70
|
5
|
1979
|
Johnny
|
Bench
|
22.65
|
6
|
1979
|
Jim
|
Sundberg
|
20.14
|
7
|
1979
|
Lance
|
Parrish
|
18.70
|
8
|
1979
|
Carlton
|
Fisk
|
17.33
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
1980
|
Gary
|
Carter
|
28.52
|
2
|
1980
|
Ted
|
Simmons
|
21.84
|
3
|
1980
|
Darrell
|
Porter
|
20.37
|
4
|
1980
|
Lance
|
Parrish
|
20.12
|
5
|
1980
|
Jim
|
Sundberg
|
19.30
|
6
|
1980
|
Carlton
|
Fisk
|
19.03
|
7
|
1980
|
Gene
|
Tenace
|
18.01
|
8
|
1980
|
Rick
|
Cerone
|
17.94
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
1981
|
Gary
|
Carter
|
26.29
|
2
|
1981
|
Darrell
|
Porter
|
21.37
|
3
|
1981
|
Lance
|
Parrish
|
19.37
|
4
|
1981
|
Jim
|
Sundberg
|
18.65
|
5
|
1981
|
Carlton
|
Fisk
|
18.09
|
6
|
1981
|
Ted
|
Simmons
|
16.53
|
7
|
1981
|
Terry
|
Kennedy
|
15.77
|
8
|
1981
|
Bruce
|
Benedict
|
13.45
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
1982
|
Gary
|
Carter
|
29.05
|
2
|
1982
|
Lance
|
Parrish
|
23.42
|
3
|
1982
|
Terry
|
Kennedy
|
21.55
|
4
|
1982
|
Carlton
|
Fisk
|
20.96
|
5
|
1982
|
Darrell
|
Porter
|
18.79
|
6
|
1982
|
Bo
|
Diaz
|
18.31
|
7
|
1982
|
Ted
|
Simmons
|
17.78
|
8
|
1982
|
Tony
|
Pena
|
16.96
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank
|
YEAR
|
First
|
Last
|
Value
|
1
|
1983
|
Gary
|
Carter
|
27.83
|
2
|
1983
|
Carlton
|
Fisk
|
23.57
|
3
|
1983
|
Lance
|
Parrish
|
23.12
|
4
|
1983
|
Terry
|
Kennedy
|
20.31
|
5
|
1983
|
Tony
|
Pena
|
19.54
|
6
|
1983
|
Jody
|
Davis
|
19.27
|
7
|
1983
|
Darrell
|
Porter
|
18.21
|
8
|
1983
|
Ted
|
Simmons
|
16.17
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
1984
|
Gary
|
Carter
|
29.92
|
2
|
1984
|
Lance
|
Parrish
|
21.55
|
3
|
1984
|
Tony
|
Pena
|
19.38
|
4
|
1984
|
Rich
|
Gedman
|
19.34
|
5
|
1984
|
Jody
|
Davis
|
19.25
|
6
|
1984
|
Bob
|
Brenly
|
18.34
|
7
|
1984
|
Carlton
|
Fisk
|
17.96
|
8
|
1984
|
Terry
|
Kennedy
|
17.16
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
1985
|
Gary
|
Carter
|
29.90
|
2
|
1985
|
Mike
|
Scioscia
|
22.63
|
3
|
1985
|
Lance
|
Parrish
|
20.48
|
4
|
1985
|
Rich
|
Gedman
|
20.44
|
5
|
1985
|
Carlton
|
Fisk
|
19.82
|
6
|
1985
|
Jody
|
Davis
|
17.81
|
7
|
1985
|
Ernie
|
Whitt
|
17.04
|
8
|
1985
|
Terry
|
Kennedy
|
16.69
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
1986
|
Gary
|
Carter
|
24.63
|
2
|
1986
|
Mike
|
Scioscia
|
18.37
|
3
|
1986
|
Lance
|
Parrish
|
17.75
|
4
|
1986
|
Jody
|
Davis
|
17.34
|
5
|
1986
|
Rich
|
Gedman
|
17.07
|
6
|
1986
|
Ernie
|
Whitt
|
16.98
|
7
|
1986
|
Bob
|
Brenly
|
16.86
|
8
|
1986
|
Ozzie Jr.
|
Virgil
|
15.63
|
24. A Tribute to Carlton
There were a cluster of outstanding catchers born in 1947—Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, Thurman Munson, Bob Boone, Ray Fosse, some others of lesser stature. Gene Tenace was born in late ’46, Most of these catchers were injured, dead or clearly past their prime by 1980, but Boone and Fisk carried on for another ten years. Gary Carter was seven years younger than Fisk, but Fisk outlasted him, and had his run as the best catcher in baseball after Carter’s knees gave out. Pena, Parrish, Gedman, Simmons, Scioscia, Kennedy. .. .they were all younger than Fisk, but Fisk outlasted them all:
Rank
|
YEAR
|
First
|
Last
|
Value
|
1
|
1987
|
Mike
|
Scioscia
|
18.64
|
2
|
1987
|
Matt
|
Nokes
|
18.17
|
3
|
1987
|
Ernie
|
Whitt
|
17.48
|
4
|
1987
|
Carlton
|
Fisk
|
17.43
|
5
|
1987
|
Gary
|
Carter
|
17.15
|
6
|
1987
|
Benito
|
Santiago
|
16.84
|
7
|
1987
|
Ozzie Jr.
|
Virgil
|
14.90
|
8
|
1987
|
Jody
|
Davis
|
14.43
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
1988
|
Carlton
|
Fisk
|
18.62
|
2
|
1988
|
Mike
|
Scioscia
|
17.15
|
3
|
1988
|
Ernie
|
Whitt
|
16.89
|
4
|
1988
|
Bob
|
Boone
|
16.83
|
5
|
1988
|
Matt
|
Nokes
|
15.29
|
6
|
1988
|
Benito
|
Santiago
|
15.26
|
7
|
1988
|
Lance
|
Parrish
|
15.00
|
8
|
1988
|
Tony
|
Pena
|
14.67
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
1989
|
Carlton
|
Fisk
|
20.80
|
2
|
1989
|
Mickey
|
Tettleton
|
19.66
|
3
|
1989
|
Mike
|
Scioscia
|
18.16
|
4
|
1989
|
Bob
|
Boone
|
17.91
|
5
|
1989
|
Craig
|
Biggio
|
16.29
|
6
|
1989
|
Benito
|
Santiago
|
16.24
|
7
|
1989
|
Brian
|
Harper
|
16.21
|
8
|
1989
|
Lance
|
Parrish
|
16.14
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
1990
|
Carlton
|
Fisk
|
20.72
|
2
|
1990
|
Lance
|
Parrish
|
20.66
|
3
|
1990
|
Mickey
|
Tettleton
|
20.62
|
4
|
1990
|
Craig
|
Biggio
|
19.52
|
5
|
1990
|
Brian
|
Harper
|
19.09
|
6
|
1990
|
Mike
|
Scioscia
|
18.71
|
7
|
1990
|
Darren
|
Daulton
|
17.65
|
8
|
1990
|
Sandy Jr.
|
Alomar
|
15.83
|
In 1990 Carlton Fisk was 42 years old, I am sure the oldest man ever to rank at the top of this list, by several years. In reality, of course, Fisk in 1990 was not the player he had been in the mid-1970s; he was 70 or 80% of the player he had been in the mid-1970s. But he finally found room at the top of the list.
In 1991-92 the top catchers in baseball were Mickey Tettleton and Darren Daulton. Tettleton and Daulton were Gene Tenace-type catchers, with low batting averages but with 100 walks and 25, 30 homers a year spiking their value:
Rank
|
YEAR
|
First
|
Last
|
Value
|
1
|
1991
|
Mickey
|
Tettleton
|
24.95
|
2
|
1991
|
Craig
|
Biggio
|
22.83
|
3
|
1991
|
Brian
|
Harper
|
19.76
|
4
|
1991
|
Darren
|
Daulton
|
18.09
|
5
|
1991
|
Matt
|
Nokes
|
16.65
|
6
|
1991
|
Benito
|
Santiago
|
16.42
|
7
|
1991
|
Terry
|
Steinbach
|
16.23
|
8
|
1991
|
Lance
|
Parrish
|
15.89
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
1992
|
Darren
|
Daulton
|
25.32
|
2
|
1992
|
Mickey
|
Tettleton
|
23.95
|
3
|
1992
|
Brian
|
Harper
|
18.99
|
4
|
1992
|
Mike
|
Macfarlane
|
16.88
|
5
|
1992
|
Terry
|
Steinbach
|
16.53
|
6
|
1992
|
Chris
|
Hoiles
|
16.52
|
7
|
1992
|
Matt
|
Nokes
|
14.45
|
8
|
1992
|
Joe
|
Oliver
|
14.32
|
Tettelton and Daulton were not Hall of Famers, but they fill in the gap between Hall of Famers. Daulton was a better defensive player than Tettleton.
25. Piazza, Pudge, Posada
After Gary Carter there wasn’t another great catcher who came along for several years, and then three of them arrived about the same time:
Rank
|
YEAR
|
First
|
Last
|
Value
|
1
|
1993
|
Mike
|
Piazza
|
27.41
|
2
|
1993
|
Darren
|
Daulton
|
24.08
|
3
|
1993
|
Chris
|
Hoiles
|
21.21
|
4
|
1993
|
Rick
|
Wilkins
|
19.57
|
5
|
1993
|
Mike
|
Stanley
|
19.09
|
6
|
1993
|
Mike
|
Macfarlane
|
17.18
|
7
|
1993
|
Brian
|
Harper
|
16.23
|
8
|
1993
|
Ivan
|
Rodriguez
|
16.17
|
9
|
1993
|
Terry
|
Steinbach
|
15.03
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
1994
|
Mike
|
Piazza
|
27.14
|
2
|
1994
|
Mickey
|
Tettleton
|
19.13
|
3
|
1994
|
Ivan
|
Rodriguez
|
18.34
|
4
|
1994
|
Mike
|
Stanley
|
17.84
|
5
|
1994
|
Darren
|
Daulton
|
17.25
|
6
|
1994
|
Chris
|
Hoiles
|
17.16
|
7
|
1994
|
Terry
|
Steinbach
|
15.35
|
8
|
1994
|
Mike
|
Macfarlane
|
15.15
|
9
|
1994
|
Dave
|
Nilsson
|
14.42
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
1995
|
Mike
|
Piazza
|
32.74
|
2
|
1995
|
Ivan
|
Rodriguez
|
19.86
|
3
|
1995
|
Mike
|
Stanley
|
19.26
|
4
|
1995
|
Chris
|
Hoiles
|
16.80
|
5
|
1995
|
Todd
|
Hundley
|
16.19
|
6
|
1995
|
Terry
|
Steinbach
|
16.03
|
7
|
1995
|
Dave
|
Nilsson
|
15.62
|
8
|
1995
|
Mike
|
Macfarlane
|
13.84
|
9
|
1995
|
Darrin
|
Fletcher
|
13.57
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
1996
|
Mike
|
Piazza
|
34.58
|
2
|
1996
|
Ivan
|
Rodriguez
|
23.42
|
3
|
1996
|
Todd
|
Hundley
|
20.40
|
4
|
1996
|
Dave
|
Nilsson
|
19.85
|
5
|
1996
|
Mike
|
Stanley
|
19.14
|
6
|
1996
|
Terry
|
Steinbach
|
17.92
|
7
|
1996
|
Javier
|
Lopez
|
17.50
|
8
|
1996
|
Chris
|
Hoiles
|
16.09
|
9
|
1996
|
Benito
|
Santiago
|
15.96
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank
|
YEAR
|
First
|
Last
|
Value
|
1
|
1997
|
Mike
|
Piazza
|
36.27
|
2
|
1997
|
Ivan
|
Rodriguez
|
26.23
|
3
|
1997
|
Javier
|
Lopez
|
21.09
|
4
|
1997
|
Todd
|
Hundley
|
19.18
|
5
|
1997
|
Dave
|
Nilsson
|
19.01
|
6
|
1997
|
Jason
|
Kendall
|
18.64
|
7
|
1997
|
Sandy Jr.
|
Alomar
|
17.16
|
8
|
1997
|
Dan
|
Wilson
|
16.15
|
9
|
1997
|
Terry
|
Steinbach
|
15.10
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
1998
|
Mike
|
Piazza
|
33.08
|
2
|
1998
|
Ivan
|
Rodriguez
|
27.85
|
3
|
1998
|
Javier
|
Lopez
|
23.42
|
4
|
1998
|
Jason
|
Kendall
|
21.77
|
5
|
1998
|
Eddie
|
Taubensee
|
15.93
|
6
|
1998
|
Dave
|
Nilsson
|
15.38
|
7
|
1998
|
Jorge
|
Posada
|
15.17
|
8
|
1998
|
Darrin
|
Fletcher
|
14.60
|
9
|
1998
|
Mike
|
Lieberthal
|
14.34
|
10
|
1998
|
Charles
|
Johnson
|
13.87
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
1999
|
Ivan
|
Rodriguez
|
28.09
|
2
|
1999
|
Mike
|
Piazza
|
27.40
|
3
|
1999
|
Jason
|
Kendall
|
19.32
|
4
|
1999
|
Mike
|
Lieberthal
|
18.83
|
5
|
1999
|
Javier
|
Lopez
|
18.06
|
6
|
1999
|
Jorge
|
Posada
|
17.29
|
7
|
1999
|
Charles
|
Johnson
|
15.57
|
8
|
1999
|
Darrin
|
Fletcher
|
15.39
|
9
|
1999
|
Eddie
|
Taubensee
|
15.21
|
10
|
1999
|
Brad
|
Ausmus
|
14.18
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
2000
|
Mike
|
Piazza
|
27.45
|
2
|
2000
|
Jorge
|
Posada
|
25.06
|
3
|
2000
|
Ivan
|
Rodriguez
|
24.06
|
4
|
2000
|
Jason
|
Kendall
|
19.51
|
5
|
2000
|
Charles
|
Johnson
|
18.21
|
6
|
2000
|
Javier
|
Lopez
|
17.42
|
7
|
2000
|
Mike
|
Lieberthal
|
15.24
|
8
|
2000
|
Darrin
|
Fletcher
|
14.01
|
9
|
2000
|
Brad
|
Ausmus
|
13.69
|
10
|
2000
|
Mitch
|
Meluskey
|
12.94
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank
|
YEAR
|
First
|
Last
|
Value
|
1
|
2001
|
Jorge
|
Posada
|
25.07
|
2
|
2001
|
Mike
|
Piazza
|
23.28
|
3
|
2001
|
Ivan
|
Rodriguez
|
21.49
|
4
|
2001
|
Paul
|
Lo Duca
|
17.99
|
5
|
2001
|
Javier
|
Lopez
|
16.61
|
6
|
2001
|
Charles
|
Johnson
|
16.54
|
7
|
2001
|
Jason
|
Kendall
|
16.50
|
8
|
2001
|
A.J.
|
Pierzynski
|
15.50
|
9
|
2001
|
Ramon
|
Hernandez
|
14.11
|
10
|
2001
|
Damian
|
Miller
|
13.03
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
2002
|
Jorge
|
Posada
|
25.32
|
2
|
2002
|
A.J.
|
Pierzynski
|
19.14
|
3
|
2002
|
Ivan
|
Rodriguez
|
18.48
|
4
|
2002
|
Paul
|
Lo Duca
|
17.68
|
5
|
2002
|
Javier
|
Lopez
|
17.58
|
6
|
2002
|
Jason
|
Kendall
|
16.53
|
7
|
2002
|
Mike
|
Lieberthal
|
15.73
|
8
|
2002
|
Eli
|
Marrero
|
14.83
|
9
|
2002
|
Jason
|
Varitek
|
14.47
|
10
|
2002
|
Ramon
|
Hernandez
|
14.32
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
2003
|
Jorge
|
Posada
|
26.50
|
2
|
2003
|
Javier
|
Lopez
|
25.61
|
3
|
2003
|
Ivan
|
Rodriguez
|
21.49
|
4
|
2003
|
A.J.
|
Pierzynski
|
20.22
|
5
|
2003
|
Mike
|
Lieberthal
|
18.12
|
6
|
2003
|
Jason
|
Varitek
|
18.07
|
7
|
2003
|
Jason
|
Kendall
|
18.02
|
8
|
2003
|
Ramon
|
Hernandez
|
16.96
|
9
|
2003
|
Paul
|
Lo Duca
|
16.76
|
10
|
2003
|
Mike
|
Piazza
|
16.12
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
2004
|
Jorge
|
Posada
|
23.94
|
2
|
2004
|
Ivan
|
Rodriguez
|
21.50
|
3
|
2004
|
Javier
|
Lopez
|
19.89
|
4
|
2004
|
Victor
|
Martinez
|
19.55
|
5
|
2004
|
Jason
|
Varitek
|
18.32
|
6
|
2004
|
Jason
|
Kendall
|
17.58
|
7
|
2004
|
Mike
|
Lieberthal
|
16.81
|
8
|
2004
|
Paul
|
Lo Duca
|
16.81
|
9
|
2004
|
Ramon
|
Hernandez
|
16.68
|
10
|
2004
|
Michael
|
Barrett
|
16.36
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
2005
|
Jorge
|
Posada
|
22.88
|
2
|
2005
|
Joe
|
Mauer
|
22.36
|
3
|
2005
|
Victor
|
Martinez
|
22.32
|
4
|
2005
|
Jason
|
Varitek
|
17.84
|
5
|
2005
|
Ivan
|
Rodriguez
|
17.33
|
6
|
2005
|
Michael
|
Barrett
|
16.66
|
7
|
2005
|
Ramon
|
Hernandez
|
16.16
|
8
|
2005
|
Paul
|
Lo Duca
|
15.38
|
9
|
2005
|
Jason
|
Kendall
|
15.28
|
10
|
2005
|
Bengie
|
Molina
|
15.26
|
Piazza was probably the greatest hitting catcher of all time.
Jorge Posada dropped off the Hall of Fame the ballot after one round of voting. But as I see it, Posada was the #1 catcher in baseball for five straight years (2001-2005), and only seven men have done that—Cochrane, Dickey, Berra, Bench, Carter, Piazza and Posada. He didn’t do that over weak competition; he did that over Rodriguez, Pierzynski, Javier Lopez, Varitek, a young Joe Mauer and a fading Piazza.
26. The Joe Mauer Years
It has been almost a decade now since Joe Mauer lost his magic; it is almost 2018 and his last great year was 2010. My sense is that not that many fans remember anymore how formidable a player he was. We think of Joe Mauer now as the Joe Mauer we have had for the last seven years. At his best he was a sort of combination of George Brett and Jim Sundberg. Any game against Minnesota revolved around trying to keep Joe Mauer from beating you with his bat.
Rank
|
YEAR
|
First
|
Last
|
Value
|
1
|
2006
|
Joe
|
Mauer
|
28.88
|
2
|
2006
|
Jorge
|
Posada
|
23.48
|
3
|
2006
|
Victor
|
Martinez
|
23.17
|
4
|
2006
|
Ivan
|
Rodriguez
|
20.54
|
5
|
2006
|
Brian
|
McCann
|
18.55
|
6
|
2006
|
Ramon
|
Hernandez
|
17.63
|
7
|
2006
|
Bengie
|
Molina
|
15.55
|
8
|
2006
|
Paul
|
Lo Duca
|
15.45
|
9
|
2006
|
Russell
|
Martin
|
15.24
|
10
|
2006
|
Michael
|
Barrett
|
14.92
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
2007
|
Joe
|
Mauer
|
28.75
|
2
|
2007
|
Victor
|
Martinez
|
25.01
|
3
|
2007
|
Jorge
|
Posada
|
22.92
|
4
|
2007
|
Russell
|
Martin
|
19.81
|
5
|
2007
|
Brian
|
McCann
|
19.06
|
6
|
2007
|
Bengie
|
Molina
|
16.13
|
7
|
2007
|
Yadier
|
Molina
|
14.99
|
8
|
2007
|
Ivan
|
Rodriguez
|
14.91
|
9
|
2007
|
Ramon
|
Hernandez
|
14.44
|
10
|
2007
|
Kenji
|
Johjima
|
13.72
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
2008
|
Joe
|
Mauer
|
31.16
|
2
|
2008
|
Brian
|
McCann
|
19.85
|
3
|
2008
|
Russell
|
Martin
|
19.33
|
4
|
2008
|
Geovany
|
Soto
|
18.55
|
5
|
2008
|
Victor
|
Martinez
|
17.82
|
6
|
2008
|
Yadier
|
Molina
|
17.15
|
7
|
2008
|
Bengie
|
Molina
|
16.79
|
8
|
2008
|
Ryan
|
Doumit
|
16.13
|
9
|
2008
|
Kurt
|
Suzuki
|
15.54
|
10
|
2008
|
Jorge
|
Posada
|
15.28
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
2009
|
Joe
|
Mauer
|
31.26
|
2
|
2009
|
Brian
|
McCann
|
21.10
|
3
|
2009
|
Victor
|
Martinez
|
20.79
|
4
|
2009
|
Yadier
|
Molina
|
19.68
|
5
|
2009
|
Russell
|
Martin
|
17.27
|
6
|
2009
|
Jorge
|
Posada
|
16.95
|
7
|
2009
|
Carlos
|
Ruiz
|
15.58
|
8
|
2009
|
Kurt
|
Suzuki
|
15.56
|
9
|
2009
|
Miguel
|
Olivo
|
15.21
|
10
|
2009
|
Bengie
|
Molina
|
14.96
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
2010
|
Joe
|
Mauer
|
28.22
|
2
|
2010
|
Brian
|
McCann
|
20.83
|
3
|
2010
|
Yadier
|
Molina
|
20.24
|
4
|
2010
|
Carlos
|
Ruiz
|
20.04
|
5
|
2010
|
Buster
|
Posey
|
18.70
|
6
|
2010
|
Miguel
|
Montero
|
16.67
|
7
|
2010
|
Geovany
|
Soto
|
16.29
|
8
|
2010
|
Matt
|
Wieters
|
15.53
|
9
|
2010
|
John
|
Buck
|
15.29
|
10
|
2010
|
Miguel
|
Olivo
|
15.23
|
27. Buster
Since Mauer faded the best catchers in baseball have been Buster Posey and Yadier Molina, and I say that out of respect for Yadi, but it is really just Buster:
Rank
|
YEAR
|
First
|
Last
|
Value
|
1
|
2011
|
Miguel
|
Montero
|
25.21
|
2
|
2011
|
Alex
|
Avila
|
23.68
|
3
|
2011
|
Yadier
|
Molina
|
22.54
|
4
|
2011
|
Brian
|
McCann
|
22.47
|
5
|
2011
|
Joe
|
Mauer
|
21.59
|
6
|
2011
|
Matt
|
Wieters
|
21.59
|
7
|
2011
|
Carlos
|
Ruiz
|
20.96
|
8
|
2011
|
Mike
|
Napoli
|
20.64
|
9
|
2011
|
Buster
|
Posey
|
20.31
|
10
|
2011
|
Russell
|
Martin
|
15.23
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
2012
|
Buster
|
Posey
|
32.56
|
2
|
2012
|
Yadier
|
Molina
|
27.83
|
3
|
2012
|
Joe
|
Mauer
|
24.32
|
4
|
2012
|
Miguel
|
Montero
|
23.98
|
5
|
2012
|
Carlos
|
Ruiz
|
22.74
|
6
|
2012
|
Matt
|
Wieters
|
22.10
|
7
|
2012
|
Brian
|
McCann
|
18.59
|
8
|
2012
|
Jonathan
|
Lucroy
|
18.41
|
9
|
2012
|
A.J.
|
Ellis
|
17.93
|
10
|
2012
|
A.J.
|
Pierzynski
|
17.56
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
2013
|
Buster
|
Posey
|
28.65
|
2
|
2013
|
Yadier
|
Molina
|
28.18
|
3
|
2013
|
Joe
|
Mauer
|
23.69
|
4
|
2013
|
Brian
|
McCann
|
20.90
|
5
|
2013
|
Jonathan
|
Lucroy
|
20.27
|
6
|
2013
|
Matt
|
Wieters
|
19.44
|
7
|
2013
|
Salvador
|
Perez
|
18.63
|
8
|
2013
|
Russell
|
Martin
|
18.63
|
9
|
2013
|
Wilin
|
Rosario
|
18.47
|
10
|
2013
|
Miguel
|
Montero
|
17.49
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank
|
YEAR
|
First
|
Last
|
Value
|
1
|
2014
|
Buster
|
Posey
|
30.41
|
2
|
2014
|
Yadier
|
Molina
|
24.40
|
3
|
2014
|
Devin
|
Mesoraco
|
24.06
|
4
|
2014
|
Jonathan
|
Lucroy
|
22.74
|
5
|
2014
|
Russell
|
Martin
|
21.86
|
6
|
2014
|
Salvador
|
Perez
|
21.07
|
7
|
2014
|
Brian
|
McCann
|
20.18
|
8
|
2014
|
Joe
|
Mauer
|
19.30
|
9
|
2014
|
Miguel
|
Montero
|
16.74
|
10
|
2014
|
Derek
|
Norris
|
16.14
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
2015
|
Buster
|
Posey
|
28.64
|
2
|
2015
|
Yadier
|
Molina
|
20.66
|
3
|
2015
|
Brian
|
McCann
|
20.01
|
4
|
2015
|
Salvador
|
Perez
|
19.58
|
5
|
2015
|
Russell
|
Martin
|
19.12
|
6
|
2015
|
Joe
|
Mauer
|
18.25
|
7
|
2015
|
Jonathan
|
Lucroy
|
17.94
|
8
|
2015
|
Yasmani
|
Grandal
|
16.48
|
9
|
2015
|
Derek
|
Norris
|
16.14
|
10
|
2015
|
Stephen
|
Vogt
|
15.81
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
2016
|
Buster
|
Posey
|
25.45
|
2
|
2016
|
Wilson
|
Ramos
|
21.43
|
3
|
2016
|
Yadier
|
Molina
|
20.30
|
4
|
2016
|
Jonathan
|
Lucroy
|
19.41
|
5
|
2016
|
Salvador
|
Perez
|
19.04
|
6
|
2016
|
Yasmani
|
Grandal
|
17.62
|
7
|
2016
|
J.T.
|
Realmuto
|
16.95
|
8
|
2016
|
Russell
|
Martin
|
15.66
|
9
|
2016
|
Miguel
|
Montero
|
15.31
|
10
|
2016
|
Cameron
|
Rupp
|
14.92
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
2017
|
Buster
|
Posey
|
20.68
|
2
|
2017
|
Yadier
|
Molina
|
17.09
|
3
|
2017
|
J.T.
|
Realmuto
|
16.95
|
4
|
2017
|
Salvador
|
Perez
|
16.21
|
5
|
2017
|
Willson
|
Contreras
|
15.66
|
6
|
2017
|
Gary
|
Sanchez
|
14.62
|
7
|
2017
|
Welington
|
Castillo
|
13.26
|
8
|
2017
|
Tucker
|
Barnhart
|
12.81
|
9
|
2017
|
Mike
|
Zunino
|
12.76
|
10
|
2017
|
Yasmani
|
Grandal
|
12.57
|
28. Summarizing the Data
YOPDI stands for "Years of Position Dominance Index". . .a count of the number of years that this catcher ranks as one of the top catchers in baseball. This chart lists the Top 40 catchers in history, not including 19th century players and not including credit for 19th century seasons by 20th century players. Hall of Famers marked in blue; the chart indicates that Yogi Berra had 13 years as the #1 catcher in baseball, one year as #5, while Bill Dickey had six years as #1, five years as #2, and four years as #3. The asterisk on certain players indicates that this total includes some years as a top player at a different position, usually first base.
Rank
|
First
|
Last
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
YOPDI
|
Y1
|
Last
|
1
|
Yogi
|
Berra
|
13
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
131
|
1946
|
1965
|
2
|
Bill
|
Dickey
|
6
|
5
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
111
|
1928
|
1946
|
3
|
Carlton
|
Fisk
|
3
|
4
|
1
|
3
|
2
|
100
|
1969
|
1993
|
4
|
Johnny
|
Bench
|
8
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
99
|
1967
|
1983
|
5
|
Ivan
|
Rodriguez
|
1
|
5
|
5
|
1
|
1
|
98
|
1991
|
2011
|
6
|
Gabby
|
Hartnett
|
3
|
7
|
3
|
2
|
0
|
95
|
1922
|
1941
|
7
|
Gary
|
Carter
|
8
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
94
|
1974
|
1992
|
8
|
Mickey
|
Cochrane
|
8
|
0
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
92
|
1925
|
1937
|
9
|
Mike
|
Piazza
|
7
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
88
|
1992
|
2007
|
10
|
Jorge
|
Posada
|
5
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
84
|
1995
|
2011
|
11
|
Joe
|
Mauer
|
5
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
82
|
2004
|
2017
|
12
|
Ted
|
Simmons*
|
2
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
76
|
1968
|
1988
|
13
|
Yadier
|
Molina
|
0
|
5
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
73
|
2004
|
2017
|
14
|
Joe
|
Torre*
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
72
|
1960
|
1977
|
15
|
Victor
|
Martinez*
|
2
|
2
|
4
|
2
|
2
|
69
|
2002
|
2017
|
16
|
Wally
|
Schang
|
4
|
2
|
3
|
0
|
2
|
68
|
1913
|
1931
|
17
|
Buster
|
Posey
|
6
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
66
|
2009
|
2017
|
18
|
Lance
|
Parrish
|
0
|
3
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
59
|
1977
|
1995
|
19
|
Roger
|
Bresnahan*
|
4
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
57
|
1897
|
1915
|
19
|
Bill
|
Freehan
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
57
|
1961
|
1976
|
19
|
Brian
|
McCann
|
0
|
3
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
57
|
2005
|
2017
|
22
|
Johnny
|
Kling
|
2
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
53
|
1900
|
1913
|
23
|
Roy
|
Campanella
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
51
|
1948
|
1957
|
24
|
Javier
|
Lopez
|
0
|
1
|
3
|
0
|
3
|
50
|
1992
|
2006
|
25
|
Elston
|
Howard
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
47
|
1955
|
1968
|
26
|
Gene
|
Tenace*
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
45
|
1969
|
1983
|
27
|
Ray
|
Schalk
|
3
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
44
|
1912
|
1929
|
28
|
Walker
|
Cooper
|
1
|
3
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
43
|
1940
|
1957
|
28
|
Mike
|
Scioscia
|
1
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
43
|
1980
|
1992
|
28
|
Mickey
|
Tettleton*
|
1
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
43
|
1984
|
1997
|
31
|
Chief
|
Meyers
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
42
|
1909
|
1917
|
32
|
Tom
|
Haller
|
0
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
41
|
1961
|
1972
|
33
|
Ernie
|
Lombardi
|
2
|
0
|
4
|
1
|
2
|
40
|
1931
|
1947
|
34
|
Darrell
|
Porter
|
0
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
36
|
1971
|
1987
|
35
|
Thurman
|
Munson
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
4
|
0
|
35
|
1969
|
1979
|
35
|
Jason
|
Kendall
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
35
|
1996
|
2010
|
37
|
Bob
|
O'Farrell
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
33
|
1915
|
1935
|
38
|
Russell
|
Martin
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
32
|
2006
|
2017
|
39
|
Sherm
|
Lollar
|
0
|
3
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
31
|
1946
|
1963
|
40
|
Mike
|
Grady
|
3
|
4
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
29
|
1894
|
1906
|
40
|
Phil
|
Masi
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
29
|
1939
|
1952
|
40
|
Darren
|
Daulton
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
29
|
1983
|
1997
|
We can see, then, that there is a very high degree of agreement between the YOPDI scores and Hall of Fame selections, although there are a few anomalies. I said earlier that the Hall of Fame breaks at about 65 points, but the change in methodology that I made since I wrote that tends to screen out the short-term wonders, and concentrates more of the highest rankings on longer-term stars, thus moves the Hall of Fame line up from 60-65 to more like 80-85. Below 50 points, not likely, although there are three Hall of Fame catchers there—Schalk (44), Lombardi (40) and Rick Ferrell (9).
The other relevant measurement which emerges from this is the Peak Value, but warning you that Peak Value can be misleading if a player has a couple of outstanding years in an otherwise undistinguished career. Art Wilson, Stan Lopata, Devin Mesoraco, Carlos Ruiz, Dick Dietz and John Romano did that, among others. These are the top 50 catchers in peak value, including 19th century catchers. Joe Torre was not actually catching in 1971, when he won the Most Valuable Player Award and established his peak value:
Rank
|
YEAR
|
First
|
Last
|
Peak
|
1
|
1997
|
Mike
|
Piazza
|
36.27
|
2
|
1972
|
Johnny
|
Bench
|
32.91
|
3
|
2012
|
Buster
|
Posey
|
32.56
|
4
|
1971
|
Joe
|
Torre
|
31.65
|
5
|
1930
|
Mickey
|
Cochrane
|
31.63
|
6
|
1937
|
Bill
|
Dickey
|
31.59
|
7
|
1954
|
Yogi
|
Berra
|
31.47
|
8
|
2009
|
Joe
|
Mauer
|
31.26
|
9
|
1951
|
Roy
|
Campanella
|
30.40
|
10
|
1984
|
Gary
|
Carter
|
29.92
|
11
|
1968
|
Bill
|
Freehan
|
29.82
|
12
|
1972
|
Carlton
|
Fisk
|
29.79
|
13
|
1906
|
Roger
|
Bresnahan
|
28.56
|
14
|
1975
|
Gene
|
Tenace
|
28.47
|
15
|
1963
|
Elston
|
Howard
|
28.32
|
16
|
2013
|
Yadier
|
Molina
|
28.18
|
17
|
1999
|
Ivan
|
Rodriguez
|
28.09
|
18
|
1978
|
Ted
|
Simmons
|
27.94
|
19
|
1935
|
Gabby
|
Hartnett
|
27.13
|
20
|
1888
|
Buck
|
Ewing
|
26.99
|
21
|
2003
|
Jorge
|
Posada
|
26.50
|
22
|
1979
|
Darrell
|
Porter
|
26.34
|
23
|
2003
|
Javier
|
Lopez
|
25.61
|
24
|
1889
|
Fred
|
Carroll
|
25.51
|
25
|
1967
|
Tim
|
McCarver
|
25.45
|
26
|
1992
|
Darren
|
Daulton
|
25.32
|
27
|
2011
|
Miguel
|
Montero
|
25.21
|
28
|
1914
|
Art
|
Wilson
|
25.06
|
29
|
2007
|
Victor
|
Martinez
|
25.01
|
30
|
1991
|
Mickey
|
Tettleton
|
24.95
|
31
|
1970
|
Dick
|
Dietz
|
24.82
|
32
|
1968
|
Tom
|
Haller
|
24.63
|
33
|
2014
|
Devin
|
Mesoraco
|
24.06
|
34
|
1891
|
Duke
|
Farrell
|
23.98
|
35
|
2011
|
Alex
|
Avila
|
23.68
|
36
|
1982
|
Lance
|
Parrish
|
23.42
|
37
|
1970
|
Thurman
|
Munson
|
23.29
|
38
|
1972
|
Earl
|
Williams
|
23.12
|
39
|
1922
|
Bob
|
O'Farrell
|
23.03
|
40
|
1956
|
Stan
|
Lopata
|
22.84
|
41
|
1912
|
Chief
|
Meyers
|
22.77
|
42
|
2012
|
Carlos
|
Ruiz
|
22.74
|
43
|
2014
|
Jonathan
|
Lucroy
|
22.74
|
44
|
1985
|
Mike
|
Scioscia
|
22.63
|
45
|
1971
|
Manny
|
Sanguillen
|
22.54
|
46
|
2011
|
Brian
|
McCann
|
22.47
|
47
|
1914
|
Ted
|
Easterly
|
22.35
|
48
|
1963
|
Earl
|
Battey
|
22.15
|
49
|
2012
|
Matt
|
Wieters
|
22.10
|
50
|
1938
|
Ernie
|
Lombardi
|
22.10
|
A Peak Value of 27 appears to be more or less the minimum standard for Hall of Fame selection, again with the same limitations. A Win Shares total of 30 indicates an MVP-candidate season. A peak value of 27 indicates that the player played consistently at a near-MVP level for a period of several years.