Thank you for recognizing my all-time favorite player as the best at his position all-time. I'll never forget the first time I saw him bat. At the time, I had been a Detroit Tigers fan for a couple years (1968-69). Then I saw Johnny bat in the 1969 All-Star game in D.C., a game that I had a ticket to but when the game got rained out and played the next day, for some reason my father had to return the tickets to the person who had given them to us because he couldn't make it. I was 11 years old and watched the game on TV that next day. His first AB, Bench took a Stottlemyre pitch over the wall for a home run, and I instantly became a fan of the Reds. They still are my favorite team to this day. :)
I saw the Cards at the NY Mets on June 23rd, 1975 and it turned out to be Ted Simmons Day. He caught a shutout in the 1st Game (1-0, thanks to Lou Brock's BB, SB, SB in the 1st inning) In the 2nd game, he pinch-hit a GSlam in the 2nd Game (4-0). I loved the National League back then.
Love the preamble on Josh Gibson. One of the great "What Ifs" in sports. You did a fantastic job on offering a brief case for why he was one of the all time greats regardless of era or position!
@@J.B.WhitesideNegro league only played 50 games a season. It’s easier to be good in 50 games than 162. There was more talent in the MLB back then as well, look up he demographics. His records shouldn’t count in the MLB period. Racism was and still is wrong and the leagues should’ve never been separate but we can’t rewrite history.
@@jonnyblayze5149I'd have to agree. Not hating, potentially he might very well be the greatest. However, I don't think people realize HOW RIDICULOUSLY those Stats were kept. Look at off hand examples throughout the years of things along those lines. Just saying....
I don't care how good he was offensively. Mike Piazza needs to be lower on the list of best catchers of all time. He was a below average defensive catcher. And, it's too important of a defensive position to have him amongst the elite. If Piazza played today, he'd be a full-time DH. Mike was a great hitter. But, that alone, at the catcher position, isn't enough. Also, Ivan Rodriguez was clearly a steroid freak. I'd have to drop him down a few spots because of this. But, Ivan was a tremendous all around player. And, like many steroid users, didn't need the help. Honorable mention to Jason Kendall. If he didn't destroy his lower leg while in his prime, I believe he's on this list.
I'd replace Piazza with another Molina. He's a dh at best compared to who he's up against. Sure his bat was ok but defensively he's way below standards
@clintw335 he's at the top of the list cause catchers are really needed to be defenders and ok hitters, why they bat at the bottom of the lineup. But yet he was a really really really good bat and called a good game. Big bats for catchers isn't the norm. Most of the top catchers on that list had something elite. His was his bat
First off, I will never forgive Piazza going into the Hall of Fame as a Met. That being said, he had probably the pitching staff with the slowest delivery to the plate. Hideo Nomo alone should prove that. You can't throw anyone out if they are halfway to second before the ball leaves the pitchers hand. Still 5 might be rating him a little too high.
As much as he might deserve it I don't see it happening. More and more that saw him play are starting to pass away. That is why guys like Ted Simmons are in but Munson is not. Most people who saw Simmons remember him from the 80s.
I would have put Yogi Berra in the number one position because of the job he did, being the catalyst for all the great Yankee teams of that era I've Bench for the reasons stated, and drop Bench to the number two slot on the list of all time greatest catchers.
Look at the '49~53 stretch. Those teams were good mostly because of the pitching . . . and who was the catcher that kept those pitching staffs running so well?
@@yuckyool Yeah. You can't say that about the Cincinnati Reds of that era. True, they won a couple of World Series back in the 70s, but not five in a row like they did back then. That Yankees squad would have kept it going, but they finished in second place to Cleveland in 1954, despite winning 103 games. That's why I don't feel Johnny Bench should be number one on this list.
I can't blame you for not including them in the video, but this is the comment section so I'm going to shout out a couple of 1800s guys (who caught without modern equipment). King Kelly was a career .308 hitter who stole 368 bases and played on 7 pennant winners. He was also one of the game's great characters, very popular with the fans. As a player manager he had himself on the bench one day when someone hit a foul pop up ball toward their bench, and the quick-thinking Kelly yelled, "Kelly, now catching for Boston." and caught the ball. There was no rule at the time against substitutions in the middle of a play, so the umpire had to call the batter out. The best catcher from the era, and the first catcher elected to the Hall of Fame, was Buck Ewing. Ewing was considered the premier defensive catcher of his time, and hit .303 and was consistently among the league leaders in triples, which was actually the main power stat of the time instead of rare home runs. Many considered Ewing to be the best overall player of the 19th century.
Glad to see some early players get some love. Based on numbers, these are the 2 best before the 1920s. There was also Roger Bresnahan who was mostly in the dead ball era and Ray Schalk who split between the dead ball era and the live ball era. Neither of these have as good offensive numbers, particularly Schalk. But they had to handle the spit ball, shine ball, and who knows what else which the others did not. Schalk was considered the best catcher defensively in his day.
Yogi berra came to a tournament we were playing. We were the youngest team. I was a catcher my brother the pitcher. We won I hit 9 home runs in 3 days and two singles. Yogi was our honorary first base coach. Last game, I just hit a single and standing at first base he said boy your one of the best hitters I ever seen. My jaw dropped. He asked me my name then said what's your nickname I said I didn't have one. He thought a minute and said The Corker that's it, your nickname is the Corker. He couldn't have been nicer.i will never forget that day.
Excellent presentation on Josh Gibson, thank you so much for prioritizing him on this list of great players who happened to be catchers. And so much more impactful that it was your starting point, not an afterthought. Very well done.
I used work for an excavation company that did the underground for Mickey Stanley's subdivision developments. Anyways he said Freehand was the best Athlete he ever played with or against
Your ranking videos are my favorite on YT. I don’t always agree, but I feel like you do your research and give it very serious thought. Always well done. Also love the background tune.
My father shared a dorm room with Mickey Cochrane at Boston University, and became good friends before 'the Mick' went on to incredible HOF baseball success. Thanks for these memories 😂.
His 03 run with the marlins puts him in the elite category. He had already had a borderline hall of fame career prior. Pudge and David ortiz playoff clutchness is legendary.
@kenw2225 Boderline?Um no,he was and is the best defensive catcher of all time.And oh yea,Pudge still works for the Rangers,he's been discussing and talking about the Rangers in the local media for years.
I'm a former lifelong catcher, and now coach them. I could not agree more with the physical and mental demands of the position being more than any other position in sports. I will die on that hill. Also thank you for including Josh Gibson. Edit: I don't disagree with anyone on this list, but Piazza was a hitter who could catch a little. I'd rank him lower, probably 12-13. And you really need to swap the two Pudges around. Fisk did it without drugs.
Hence the position being called CATCHER, not DH. I repeat, Piazza was a hitter who could catch a little. Plenty of other guys on this list who were certainly no slouches behind the plate. Hey, maybe take another look at Josh Gibson?
I caught in high school, but as a left hander, I had to catch with a first baseman's mitt. I caught most in the web, but when I got it in the palm, it hurt like h**l.
Detroit Tiger Bill Freehan retired in 1976 after 15 seasons as a Tiger, wrapping things up with a .262 career batting average, 11 All-Star appearances and five Gold Gloves. Just 11 All Star appearances...Eleven. Sheesh.
Absolutely great job, and SO glad you're not AI!! It's a pathetic insult to the care and dedication someone like you takes to present great content. Fisk was my hero. Great shot of him with a hunk-of-leather 60's mitt, nothing like what he played with. I used to think he had a custom a made glove b/c of it's weird shape, that i called a Fiskezoid 🙃 I realized it was just (very) extra large, but with his unique habit of folding the toe in, it was almost like a basket, and made for a distinctive target. His catch in game 4, '75 is as good as it gets. It was also cool that he caught Tom Seaver's complete game 300th win, in Yankee stadium. He almost broke Seaver's neck with how hard he was hugging him at the end. He had such a style, a deliberate gracefulness, just one of a kind.
Completely agree with Bench. He pioneered catching with one hand which saved many catchers' careers. Look at the left hand of catchers before him, full of knots and twists from all the broken fingers. I broke three of them just as a high school catcher. Foul balls off bare fingers was insane.
First of all, thank you for the tremendous effort this presentation took. Additional kudos for the mega-respect you showed to Josh Gibson! You certainly stepped into the sh** with putting Mike Piazza up so high because he was only fair in a couple of categories essential to catching. The part of the Yogi Berra story that doesn't get enough credit was Yogi being 5'8" tall and weighing 165 pounds as a player. Yes players were smaller then, on average, but come on! Look at every other top catcher and you'd see he was a small man with a huge heart and bat only outshown by his way with words (my favorite Yogi-ism is, "The future ain't what it used to be."
Yogi Berra is the most underrated player in MLB history...because two generations of fans who remember him as the lovable old clowner have no idea what a great player he really was.
He should have not been the absolute CLOWN he was then. Munson is remembered as a prick because he was. Fisk is remembered as a hard ass because he was Pudge is remembered as a cheater because he was and so on and so on
I luvd your list. At number one, it has to be Bench. I was a kid growing up just outside Cincinnati in the '70s. What a great time to be a kid during the "Hey day" of The Big Red Machine. I watched his last game at Riverfront Stadium and remember his dramatic hr. I was hoping you'd recognize Johnny at #1. But Yogi, and several others were great catchers as well.
Lance Parrish as an honorable mention. Best A.L. catcher of the 80's IMO. I think he still holds the record for throwing out 3 base stealers in the all star game.
You got all the names right. The order of the list can be debatable for some. Top 3 is as solid it can be. 4-6 is tight and be debatable and the names from 7-11 can make a good debate.
Really good list! Fisk is a little high; I'd have him swap spots with Carter I think. Josh Gibson's MLB comp is Jimmie Foxx. Greatest RH power hitters ever. Add in excellent defense and he's no doubt #1. A guy you missed is very hard to evaluate. 19th C. star Buck Ewing was considered to be the GOAT at C until the 1930s. Excellent video!
Great fun vid. I'm a NYY fan, i had it Bench, Pudge,, Yogi, Fisk, Yadi., Dickey, Campanella. Love that grainy old footage. I just watched the final game of the 1953 World Series. RUclips is just a great historical tool.
The late Great Yankee Captain Thurman Munson was the best clutch hitter of his era. A great leader and a real professional who belongs in Baseball's Hall of Fame.
You could say the same thing about Ron Karkovice. Great arm and was a good hitter. Both are never considered for the same reason. Good players but not even very good
CATCHERS IN BASEBALL HAD AMAZING GOOD ARM BUT NOT EASY TO DO AND IT TAKES PRACTICE TO THROW HARDER AS A CATCHER! THANKS HUMM BABY BASEBALL FOR THE UPDATE!! ⚾⚾🔥🔥💥💥
Great video! Ironically, I have just been thinking that since the retirements of Buster Posey and Yadi Molina, we have entered an era when there don't seem to be any elite catchers in the big leagues. None of the current crop are perennial All-Stars or seem destined for the Hall of Fame. Let's hope that changes soon with Ethan Salas and some of the other up-and-coming backstops.
great video as usual. tough at the top , between bench and berra for me i agree with tho. nice work on Gibson too. man, even w a brain tumor led league in HR anyway. . .4 times..sheesh
Good list! They’re all great! I was there, in July 1980, the day Bench passed Yogi for most home runs by a catcher. At the time, Bench was ahead of Fisk. We got the tickets in March and I half joked that it’d be great if he broke the record in that game…. And it happened! I was also there for Johnny Bench night in 1983! When Bench hit his home run, everyone was focused on a fan seated next to the left field foul pole. When that guy motioned it was fair, everyone in the stadium erupted! 55,000+ were there! It was a packed house! I loved watching Bench! He’ll always be #1 as far as I’m concerned but I will say he stopped catching in 1981 because of knee and back issues…. His shortened career probably hurts his ranking a bit in all fairness….
I had the honor of speaking with Buck O’Neil at the Negro League HOF in 2002 or so. We talked for an hour about the Negro league players that weren’t allowed to play in the majors while in their prime. He felt Josh Gibson was the best hitter left or right he had ever seen. That includes big league players. He was the perfect situational because if the team needed a HR, he’d hit one. If the team just needs to get a run in from 3rd, he would do that. I get a lot of shit for this, but I don’t consider baseball records legitimate until after 1947. Not all the best players were allowed to play MLB before that.
24:40. Johnny Bench said, you have made this day complete. If Yogi Berra had said that, he would have phrased it, you have made this day necessary. 😆😆😆😆😆😆. I've never been a Yankee fan, but you have to admire some of Berra's nutty sayings.
If this one catcher could have hit at least .260 instead of being the worst hitter ever he would be in the HOF. I am talking about Bill Bergan. He was a great catcher. He will never make the HOF.
Even crazier was his brother Marty, who suffered from mental illness and right before the 1900 season straight-up murdered his wife and kids with an axe before slitting his own throat with a razor
I’d take Yadi Molina any day over Posey or Mauer. He was the heart of the team and in control of the pitching staff. The Cards haven’t been to the playoffs since he retired.
Gibson is a what if. They said close to 800 HRs but more than half of them were supposedly against semi pro or barn yard type teams. If that’s the case then add minors leagues records also. And add ichiro hits in japan with his hits in mlb. Also then the most HRs came from Oh from Japan.
Alternately…what if, in fact, the Negro Leagues had better talent than MLB? That would make all of the conventional records “what ifs”. As for me, if Ted Williams says he wants to be honored alongside Josh Gibson when inducted into Cooperstown…I’m going to listen.
Mike Piazza is the only Los Angeles Dodger in MLB history that I liked. As a Yankees fan, he took 10 years off my life, when he came up with two outs in the bottom of the 9th, with the tying run on base, against the great Mariano Rivera. When he swung and connected, I thought he got enough of it to clear the CF wall, and tie the game. When I saw Bernie Williams signal that he had it, I was never more relieved. Three World Series titles in a row, and they came two outs away from four. Piazza was a stud, though, always hitting for power and average.
It is hard to compare. but I think you need to switch Bench and Yogi. Bench was great but having a World Series ring for each finger should tip it for Yogi.
No Randy Hundley (Cubs) on here...are you kidding me? Hundley was the consummate iron man, and was on at least one All-Star team and won at least one Gold Glove (he should have had a lot more Gold Glove awards).
A good list! It’s very hard to evaluate catchers considering the strain they put on their bodies. With ranking Berra..this is hard. For starters we don’t know how much he would have accumulated if not for ww2. The mere fact that he excelled his first official year is excellent and shows how ready he was for baseball. However, his mvps are…questionable. In all three years, Berra WAS NOT the best player statistically. Not by a long shot. MVPs were usually decided with writers believing “player a was on a winning team, he must be the mvp or player A was so nice to me.” Ted Williams should have another mvp and perhaps even 2. Or even Minnie minoso but Berra took the award. Obviously it’s not Berra’s fault the mvps were decided that way back then. But does that make his ranking on this list slightly dip? Also, by 1960, Berra was not primarily a catcher. He was regulated to the outfield or 3rd. It’s a testament to how versatile he was, but wouldn’t that make his ranking as a catcher dip? In comparison, Carlton Fisk up until his final year in 1993, was primarily a catcher. This leads to another question, what makes Johnny bench better than yogi? Yogi was better at getting on base and even if bench is ranked higher defensively, defensive numbers are so hard to evaluate. I try to leave out reputations when evaluating players.
Of course #1 is Johnny Bench Honorable Mention: A great defensive player, but mediocre(at best) hitter, he had a long career, mostly for Philadelphia and the Angels: Bob Boone
Roy Campanella objectively is number ONE...THREE MVPs in his shortened ten year career while languishing in the minors when he could of been having prime years in the pros...see Maury Wills...his handling of pitchers and throwing out runners unparalleled ! Remember Handling Don Newcomb and Joe Black , young guys who he helped make stars etc..
One of the better internet lists I’ve seen. But that being said me personally Ivan @ 3 almost ruins your list he is a cheater Bonds, Clemens and a few others that were Hall of Famers before you could tell they were cheating are treated different than that puke for some reason . So I would remove his sorry ass and replace that turd with Ernie Lombardi probably “the” most underrated catcher of all time .306 lifetime avg. 810 OPS & two NL batting titles
I think I value defense and longevity more than offense when it comes to catchers so I might move Molina up a slot or two. I also think Jorge Posada might be close to the very bottom of the list.
What I remembert about the young Johnny Bench is his running to first base after a ground ball by the batter, to cover in case the 3d or SS had a bad throw. Bench often beat the batter to the base.
This is going to sound crazy, but hear me out: Jeff Mathis should’ve made it in as an honorable mention Why? Sure, his offensive stats were horrible, but defensively? He’s one of, if not, the greatest defensive catcher to ever do it, and his defense was the best in the game for 16 years! If only his offensive stats weren’t bottom of the barrel, he could’ve easily made this list in my opinion!
We have a lot of agreement in our top fifteen catchers. I have Gibson at 5 and Joe Torre at 15. They replace Molina and Simmons who I have at 17 and 20, respectively. The others I have in my top 15 somewhere. I do agree with Bench at #1.
Those old time catchers had nothing more than a glorified couch throw pillow as a mitt and had to catch the ball with both hands. The number of broken fingers and hand/wrist bones was uncountable and many times the guy would continue to catch rather than heal. It was part of the position then. Ivan Rodriguez had to postpone his wedding 'cause he was called up. The day after the call up he was told he was going to start the next day and catch Nolan Ryan. He spent most of the night going over the hitters of the other team and when he got to the ballpark, he sat down next to Ryan and said something like, "I've been going over their hitters and I think..." Nolan cut him off. "Just put down the fingers and I'll throw you the ball."
You, know back in the day when Josh Gibson played, the MLB league was half a joke. If the whole team wasn't their they'd take people from the stands to fill in..... So, for those people that oh he didn't play in the MLB..... yeah their was some great players, but what % of games had only professionals playing???? So to me it goes both way. If the Negro League was a balogna league, than what was the MLB back in those 20s 30s n 40s????
@@TeddyGant-f7i, facing 1998 EXPANSION ERA pitching from two new teams and expansion(4 teams in 6 years 1993 and ‘98)watered down rotations and overrated bullpens from mid-market clubs, PIAZZA looked much better as a hitter than he really was.. One name not on the list is ERNIE LOMBARDI, and where the hell is JOE MAUER? By the way, BENCH was not considered by former YANKEE WAITE HOYT, a longtime 1940’s, 50’s&60’s REDS broadcaster..as NY YANKS backstop, BILL DICKEY’s equal or even better. I saw BENCH in his prime. I do not know how he could’ve been any better defensively and as a power bat at that position. BENCH is the best overall catcher that I’ve seen.. Sal Perez in his prime had an accurate cannon behind that plate. Check out PEREZ’s stats throwing runners out back then. Also underrated was MANNY SANGUILLEN. Finally, BILL FREEHAN was defensively, a tremendous receiver. My dos centavos..
My top 10 before I see this video, with the disclaimer that Josh Gibson is obviously the GOAT but just because the record-keeping is not as reliable as the others, I did not rank him with the same methodology I employed for the others. 10. Russell Martin 9. Yadier Molina 8. Ivan Rodriguez 7. Carlton Fisk 6. Yogi Berra 5. Roy Campanella 4. Buster Posey 3. Gary Carter 2. Mike Piazza 1. Johnny Bench
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Thank you for recognizing my all-time favorite player as the best at his position all-time. I'll never forget the first time I saw him bat. At the time, I had been a Detroit Tigers fan for a couple years (1968-69). Then I saw Johnny bat in the 1969 All-Star game in D.C., a game that I had a ticket to but when the game got rained out and played the next day, for some reason my father had to return the tickets to the person who had given them to us because he couldn't make it. I was 11 years old and watched the game on TV that next day. His first AB, Bench took a Stottlemyre pitch over the wall for a home run, and I instantly became a fan of the Reds. They still are my favorite team to this day. :)
I saw the Cards at the NY Mets on June 23rd, 1975 and it turned out to be Ted Simmons Day.
He caught a shutout in the 1st Game (1-0, thanks to Lou Brock's BB, SB, SB in the 1st inning)
In the 2nd game, he pinch-hit a GSlam in the 2nd Game (4-0).
I loved the National League back then.
Love the preamble on Josh Gibson. One of the great "What Ifs" in sports. You did a fantastic job on offering a brief case for why he was one of the all time greats regardless of era or position!
Dude was mid.
It's a shame that so many people were upset about his greatness rightfully being acknowledged but we alll know wha they were really angry at
@@J.B.Whitesidenah that's you projecting. He gots no MLB stats he shouldn't be on no MLB record lists period.
@@J.B.WhitesideNegro league only played 50 games a season. It’s easier to be good in 50 games than 162. There was more talent in the MLB back then as well, look up he demographics.
His records shouldn’t count in the MLB period.
Racism was and still is wrong and the leagues should’ve never been separate but we can’t rewrite history.
@@jonnyblayze5149I'd have to agree. Not hating, potentially he might very well be the greatest. However, I don't think people realize HOW RIDICULOUSLY those Stats were kept. Look at off hand examples throughout the years of things along those lines. Just saying....
I don't care how good he was offensively. Mike Piazza needs to be lower on the list of best catchers of all time. He was a below average defensive catcher. And, it's too important of a defensive position to have him amongst the elite. If Piazza played today, he'd be a full-time DH. Mike was a great hitter. But, that alone, at the catcher position, isn't enough. Also, Ivan Rodriguez was clearly a steroid freak. I'd have to drop him down a few spots because of this. But, Ivan was a tremendous all around player. And, like many steroid users, didn't need the help. Honorable mention to Jason Kendall. If he didn't destroy his lower leg while in his prime, I believe he's on this list.
I'd replace Piazza with another Molina. He's a dh at best compared to who he's up against. Sure his bat was ok but defensively he's way below standards
Yet his pitching staffs were mostly top 5.
@clintw335 he's at the top of the list cause catchers are really needed to be defenders and ok hitters, why they bat at the bottom of the lineup. But yet he was a really really really good bat and called a good game. Big bats for catchers isn't the norm. Most of the top catchers on that list had something elite. His was his bat
First off, I will never forgive Piazza going into the Hall of Fame as a Met. That being said, he had probably the pitching staff with the slowest delivery to the plate. Hideo Nomo alone should prove that. You can't throw anyone out if they are halfway to second before the ball leaves the pitchers hand. Still 5 might be rating him a little too high.
@@Dodgerblue7381-ey3ql I'm a Mets fan. He couldn't throw the ball to second without a hop from 2002 on. It wasn't just the pitching staff.
I would love to see Thurman Munson get in the hall someday, especially while his widow Diana is still with us.
As much as he might deserve it I don't see it happening. More and more that saw him play are starting to pass away. That is why guys like Ted Simmons are in but Munson is not. Most people who saw Simmons remember him from the 80s.
Sympathy don't count.
I would have put Yogi Berra in the number one position because of the job he did, being the catalyst for all the great Yankee teams of that era I've Bench for the reasons stated, and drop Bench to the number two slot on the list of all time greatest catchers.
I think Berra is a bit overrated because of the great teams around him. He likely should be closer to 5 as opposed to 1.
Look at the '49~53 stretch. Those teams were good mostly because of the pitching . . . and who was the catcher that kept those pitching staffs running so well?
@@yuckyool Yeah. You can't say that about the Cincinnati Reds of that era. True, they won a couple of World Series back in the 70s, but not five in a row like they did back then. That Yankees squad would have kept it going, but they finished in second place to Cleveland in 1954, despite winning 103 games. That's why I don't feel Johnny Bench should be number one on this list.
No. Bench redesigned the position
@@KevinMiller-xn5vuBench! Bench! Bench!!
Detroiter here. If Molina and Posey get in, then so should Freehan and Parrish. Very comparable stats and reputations for sure.
I can't blame you for not including them in the video, but this is the comment section so I'm going to shout out a couple of 1800s guys (who caught without modern equipment).
King Kelly was a career .308 hitter who stole 368 bases and played on 7 pennant winners. He was also one of the game's great characters, very popular with the fans. As a player manager he had himself on the bench one day when someone hit a foul pop up ball toward their bench, and the quick-thinking Kelly yelled, "Kelly, now catching for Boston." and caught the ball. There was no rule at the time against substitutions in the middle of a play, so the umpire had to call the batter out.
The best catcher from the era, and the first catcher elected to the Hall of Fame, was Buck Ewing. Ewing was considered the premier defensive catcher of his time, and hit .303 and was consistently among the league leaders in triples, which was actually the main power stat of the time instead of rare home runs. Many considered Ewing to be the best overall player of the 19th century.
Glad to see some early players get some love. Based on numbers, these are the 2 best before the 1920s. There was also Roger Bresnahan who was mostly in the dead ball era and Ray Schalk who split between the dead ball era and the live ball era. Neither of these have as good offensive numbers, particularly Schalk. But they had to handle the spit ball, shine ball, and who knows what else which the others did not. Schalk was considered the best catcher defensively in his day.
Came here to say the same thing about Buck Ewing and Mike Kelly. Glad you beat me to it.
@@big8dog887 Roger Bresnahan. Wally Schang.
Yogi berra came to a tournament we were playing. We were the youngest team. I was a catcher my brother the pitcher. We won I hit 9 home runs in 3 days and two singles. Yogi was our honorary first base coach. Last game, I just hit a single and standing at first base he said boy your one of the best hitters I ever seen. My jaw dropped. He asked me my name then said what's your nickname I said I didn't have one. He thought a minute and said The Corker that's it, your nickname is the Corker. He couldn't have been nicer.i will never forget that day.
Gibson,in HOF? What's next, little league?
@@warrenrosen132Oh please! You’re a dope!
It's good to be you that day! Thanks for sharing!
Excellent presentation on Josh Gibson, thank you so much for prioritizing him on this list of great players who happened to be catchers. And so much more impactful that it was your starting point, not an afterthought. Very well done.
This video would have been a crime if Gibson hadn’t been mentioned. Great video and best wishes!
Shout out to Jorge Posada, Benito Santiago, and Sandy Alomar Jr.
Benito Santiago.... now there is a name that hasn't crossed my mind in quite some time.
My man rocking the 00. My best friend is a lifelong Padres fan and he loves to randomly bring up Benito, Jim Leyritz and Ben Davis.
Now you are reaching
Tigers' great, Bill Freehan, just misses out. I hope he'll be inducted to the Hall of Fame one day.
I used work for an excavation company that did the underground for Mickey Stanley's subdivision developments. Anyways he said Freehand was the best Athlete he ever played with or against
Sounds like Stanley didn't use a hardhat
Agree 100%. The best catcher of his era.
Honorable mention - Tony Pena
Your ranking videos are my favorite on YT. I don’t always agree, but I feel like you do your research and give it very serious thought. Always well done. Also love the background tune.
I'm not saying he should have been on this list, but Bob Boone made catching look effortless.
Boone was a catcher for longer than many of the players on this list.
My father shared a dorm room with Mickey Cochrane at Boston University, and became good friends before 'the Mick' went on to incredible HOF baseball success. Thanks for these memories 😂.
Texas Ranger fan here.Pudge Rodriguez was a phenom.He was scouted and then drafted by the Texas Rangers when he was 16.
His 03 run with the marlins puts him in the elite category. He had already had a borderline hall of fame career prior. Pudge and David ortiz playoff clutchness is legendary.
@kenw2225 Boderline?Um no,he was and is the best defensive catcher of all time.And oh yea,Pudge still works for the Rangers,he's been discussing and talking about the Rangers in the local media for years.
He was a steroid freak through and through. And, that's a shame. He was a remarkable talent. But, also a big time cheater!
During a 9 year period (49-57), Yogi averaged 140 games per season with a .289 average, had 929 RBIs, hit 235 homers…..and struck out 215 times.
I'm a former lifelong catcher, and now coach them. I could not agree more with the physical and mental demands of the position being more than any other position in sports. I will die on that hill. Also thank you for including Josh Gibson.
Edit: I don't disagree with anyone on this list, but Piazza was a hitter who could catch a little. I'd rank him lower, probably 12-13. And you really need to swap the two Pudges around. Fisk did it without drugs.
Piazza is the only one to make catcher a offensive position.
Hence the position being called CATCHER, not DH. I repeat, Piazza was a hitter who could catch a little. Plenty of other guys on this list who were certainly no slouches behind the plate. Hey, maybe take another look at Josh Gibson?
I caught in high school, but as a left hander, I had to catch with a first baseman's mitt. I caught most in the web, but when I got it in the palm, it hurt like h**l.
Yeah, you don't see too many leftie catchers. Power to ya, brother.
Ain't no way Piaza is ahead of Campanella
He had a much better bat, but not defensively. Probably also because the longevity, i.e. Aaron/Ruth HR's.
Campy should be ahead of a few more.
Piazza was a juicer. Shouldn't be in there at all.
@@boog91174 They put him and Ivan Rodriguez in the HOF but left Barry Bonds out.
Piazza era un buen bateador q podia hacer de Catcher.
Detroit Tiger Bill Freehan retired in 1976 after 15 seasons as a Tiger, wrapping things up with a .262 career batting average, 11 All-Star appearances and five Gold Gloves. Just 11 All Star appearances...Eleven. Sheesh.
Absolutely great job, and SO glad you're not AI!! It's a pathetic insult to the care and dedication someone like you takes to present great content. Fisk was my hero. Great shot of him with a hunk-of-leather 60's mitt, nothing like what he played with. I used to think he had a custom a made glove b/c of it's weird shape, that i called a Fiskezoid 🙃 I realized it was just (very) extra large, but with his unique habit of folding the toe in, it was almost like a basket, and made for a distinctive target. His catch in game 4, '75 is as good as it gets. It was also cool that he caught Tom Seaver's complete game 300th win, in Yankee stadium. He almost broke Seaver's neck with how hard he was hugging him at the end. He had such a style, a deliberate gracefulness, just one of a kind.
Completely agree with Bench. He pioneered catching with one hand which saved many catchers' careers. Look at the left hand of catchers before him, full of knots and twists from all the broken fingers. I broke three of them just as a high school catcher. Foul balls off bare fingers was insane.
Saw Bench play in the minors as a teenager. I was instantly amazed at his throws down to second.
First of all, thank you for the tremendous effort this presentation took. Additional kudos for the mega-respect you showed to Josh Gibson! You certainly stepped into the sh** with putting Mike Piazza up so high because he was only fair in a couple of categories essential to catching. The part of the Yogi Berra story that doesn't get enough credit was Yogi being 5'8" tall and weighing 165 pounds as a player. Yes players were smaller then, on average, but come on! Look at every other top catcher and you'd see he was a small man with a huge heart and bat only outshown by his way with words (my favorite Yogi-ism is, "The future ain't what it used to be."
Best baseball RUclipsr.
Baseball Doesn't Exist has some good vids.
Yogi Berra is the most underrated player in MLB history...because two generations of fans who remember him as the lovable old clowner have no idea what a great player he really was.
He should have not been the absolute CLOWN he was then. Munson is remembered as a prick because he was. Fisk is remembered as a hard ass because he was Pudge is remembered as a cheater because he was and so on and so on
I luvd your list. At number one, it has to be Bench. I was a kid growing up just outside Cincinnati in the '70s. What a great time to be a kid during the "Hey day" of The Big Red Machine. I watched his last game at Riverfront Stadium and remember his dramatic hr. I was hoping you'd recognize Johnny at #1. But Yogi, and several others were great catchers as well.
Lance Parrish as an honorable mention. Best A.L. catcher of the 80's IMO. I think he still holds the record for throwing out 3 base stealers in the all star game.
You got all the names right. The order of the list can be debatable for some. Top 3 is as solid it can be. 4-6 is tight and be debatable and the names from 7-11 can make a good debate.
Really good list! Fisk is a little high; I'd have him swap spots with Carter I think.
Josh Gibson's MLB comp is Jimmie Foxx. Greatest RH power hitters ever. Add in excellent defense and he's no doubt #1.
A guy you missed is very hard to evaluate. 19th C. star Buck Ewing was considered to be the GOAT at C until the 1930s.
Excellent video!
Great fun vid. I'm a NYY fan, i had it Bench, Pudge,, Yogi, Fisk, Yadi., Dickey, Campanella. Love that grainy old footage. I just watched the final game of the 1953 World Series. RUclips is just a great historical tool.
Yadi # 11? Nah , he's a top 7 or 8 at worst
The late Great Yankee Captain Thurman Munson was the best clutch hitter of his era. A great leader and a real professional who belongs in Baseball's Hall of Fame.
SAL PEREZ is underappreciated, but years from now, he will be rightfully held as one of the best in his era.
Benito Santiago. He had the most amazing arm I ever saw in a catcher. He would throw people out from his knees. Good hitter too.
You could say the same thing about Ron Karkovice. Great arm and was a good hitter. Both are never considered for the same reason. Good players but not even very good
With tongue firmly planted in cheek, I gotta ask, “Where’s Uecker?”
In a great number of people's hearts. For us non-professional players that is the Hall of Fame!
CATCHERS IN BASEBALL HAD AMAZING GOOD ARM BUT NOT EASY TO DO AND IT TAKES PRACTICE TO THROW HARDER AS A CATCHER!
THANKS HUMM BABY BASEBALL FOR THE UPDATE!!
⚾⚾🔥🔥💥💥
I was a closer in summer ball, but I loved my tools of ignorance
Great video! Ironically, I have just been thinking that since the retirements of Buster Posey and Yadi Molina, we have entered an era when there don't seem to be any elite catchers in the big leagues. None of the current crop are perennial All-Stars or seem destined for the Hall of Fame. Let's hope that changes soon with Ethan Salas and some of the other up-and-coming backstops.
After my dad, Bench was my hero growing up. I saw him play at old Crosley Field in 1969 and many years after that!
This channel is fantastic. ⚾
I think yogi should be number 1 and bench number 2.
You have a low baseball iq
No
Ha ha. Ha ha
I think Berra should be around 5, not number 1.
Yogi had that intangible "it" that made him a winner. His total package makes him number 1.
A great list and I totally agree with you on it
great video as usual. tough at the top , between bench and berra for me i agree with tho. nice work on Gibson too. man, even w a brain tumor led league in HR anyway. . .4 times..sheesh
A Tony Gwynn stat that just blew my mind into mush!
Good list! They’re all great!
I was there, in July 1980, the day Bench passed Yogi for most home runs by a catcher. At the time, Bench was ahead of Fisk. We got the tickets in March and I half joked that it’d be great if he broke the record in that game…. And it happened!
I was also there for Johnny Bench night in 1983!
When Bench hit his home run, everyone was focused on a fan seated next to the left field foul pole. When that guy motioned it was fair, everyone in the stadium erupted! 55,000+ were there! It was a packed house!
I loved watching Bench! He’ll always be #1 as far as I’m concerned but I will say he stopped catching in 1981 because of knee and back issues…. His shortened career probably hurts his ranking a bit in all fairness….
I had the honor of speaking with Buck O’Neil at the Negro League HOF in 2002 or so. We talked for an hour about the Negro league players that weren’t allowed to play in the majors while in their prime. He felt Josh Gibson was the best hitter left or right he had ever seen. That includes big league players. He was the perfect situational because if the team needed a HR, he’d hit one. If the team just needs to get a run in from 3rd, he would do that. I get a lot of shit for this, but I don’t consider baseball records legitimate until after 1947. Not all the best players were allowed to play MLB before that.
I saw what you did there... that Stan Lopata photo bomb!
Very nice list, I would have put Dickey and Cochrane much higher, but the list is good.
Johnny Bench, my favorite player growing up.
24:40. Johnny Bench said, you have made this day complete. If Yogi Berra had said that, he would have phrased it, you have made this day necessary. 😆😆😆😆😆😆. I've never been a Yankee fan, but you have to admire some of Berra's nutty sayings.
I'm not absolutely positive, but I think Yogi actually DID say that!
Incredible ball players one and all!
Yogi’s stats were amazing, but my money would also be on Bench! 😉
Great list! Catchers are my favorite position, they are so tough.
If this one catcher could have hit at least .260 instead of being the worst hitter ever he would be in the HOF. I am talking about Bill Bergan. He was a great catcher. He will never make the HOF.
Even crazier was his brother Marty, who suffered from mental illness and right before the 1900 season straight-up murdered his wife and kids with an axe before slitting his own throat with a razor
Biz Mackey is considered one of the greats. Would definitely break into top 10. NLB & South American pro from 1920 to 1947
Honorable mention- 11× all star, 5 × gold glove Bill Freehan
@tommylabors Yeah, criminally overlooked.
I’d take Yadi Molina any day over Posey or Mauer. He was the heart of the team and in control of the pitching staff. The Cards haven’t been to the playoffs since he retired.
Johnny bench hands down best ever so happy to see this great list
Great video!
Cool list.
Extremely well done!
Thanks!!
Gibson is a what if. They said close to 800 HRs but more than half of them were supposedly against semi pro or barn yard type teams. If that’s the case then add minors leagues records also. And add ichiro hits in japan with his hits in mlb.
Also then the most HRs came from Oh from Japan.
Alternately…what if, in fact, the Negro Leagues had better talent than MLB? That would make all of the conventional records “what ifs”.
As for me, if Ted Williams says he wants to be honored alongside Josh Gibson when inducted into Cooperstown…I’m going to listen.
Yadi Molina is a goat. He is one of the best defensive players, ever.
Mike Piazza is the only Los Angeles Dodger in MLB history that I liked. As a Yankees fan, he took 10 years off my life, when he came up with two outs in the bottom of the 9th, with the tying run on base, against the great Mariano Rivera. When he swung and connected, I thought he got enough of it to clear the CF wall, and tie the game. When I saw Bernie Williams signal that he had it, I was never more relieved. Three World Series titles in a row, and they came two outs away from four. Piazza was a stud, though, always hitting for power and average.
It is hard to compare. but I think you need to switch Bench and Yogi. Bench was great but having a World Series ring for each finger should tip it for Yogi.
No Randy Hundley (Cubs) on here...are you kidding me? Hundley was the consummate iron man, and was on at least one All-Star team and won at least one Gold Glove (he should have had a lot more Gold Glove awards).
Agreed !
Excellent List. I personally would bump Piazza to seventh or eighth due to catcher being a defensive premium position, even moreso than shortstop.
A good list! It’s very hard to evaluate catchers considering the strain they put on their bodies. With ranking Berra..this is hard. For starters we don’t know how much he would have accumulated if not for ww2. The mere fact that he excelled his first official year is excellent and shows how ready he was for baseball. However, his mvps are…questionable. In all three years, Berra WAS NOT the best player statistically. Not by a long shot. MVPs were usually decided with writers believing “player a was on a winning team, he must be the mvp or player A was so nice to me.” Ted Williams should have another mvp and perhaps even 2. Or even Minnie minoso but Berra took the award. Obviously it’s not Berra’s fault the mvps were decided that way back then. But does that make his ranking on this list slightly dip? Also, by 1960, Berra was not primarily a catcher. He was regulated to the outfield or 3rd. It’s a testament to how versatile he was, but wouldn’t that make his ranking as a catcher dip? In comparison, Carlton Fisk up until his final year in 1993, was primarily a catcher.
This leads to another question, what makes Johnny bench better than yogi? Yogi was better at getting on base and even if bench is ranked higher defensively, defensive numbers are so hard to evaluate. I try to leave out reputations when evaluating players.
Saw Munson play in many games during the 70’s as a kid. To me he was the best.
My Mt. Rushmore, #1 Bench #2 Rodriguez #3 Piazza #4 Berra
You cannot place Yadier Molina as #12, he's top 10 if not top 5!
Not sure any player was more important to his team
For me; 1) Berra, 2) Bench, 3) Campanella, 4) Dickey, 5) Cochrane; 6) Piazza; 7) Hartnett; 8) Carter ; 9) Fisk; 10) Rodriguez; 11) Posey; 12) Posada; 13) Mauer; 14) Yadier; 15) Parrish
Posada ahead of Posey
I'm a Yankee fan and no way Posada is even in the top 25 All-Time.
Overvalued offense over defense
My favorite catcher is Jason Varitek
Jorge Posada was pretty good too!
Of course #1 is Johnny Bench
Honorable Mention:
A great defensive player, but mediocre(at best) hitter, he had a long career, mostly for Philadelphia and the Angels:
Bob Boone
Roy Campanella objectively is number ONE...THREE MVPs in his shortened ten year career while languishing in the minors when he could of been having prime years in the pros...see Maury Wills...his handling of pitchers and throwing out runners unparalleled ! Remember Handling Don Newcomb and Joe Black , young guys who he helped make stars etc..
One of the better internet lists I’ve seen. But that being said me personally Ivan @ 3 almost ruins your list he is a cheater Bonds, Clemens and a few others that were Hall of Famers before you could tell they were cheating are treated different than that puke for some reason . So I would remove his sorry ass and replace that turd with Ernie Lombardi probably “the” most underrated catcher of all time .306 lifetime avg. 810 OPS & two NL batting titles
430 ft. good lawd thats insane 6:25
Good video
Molina should be higher on the list.
Great list. I would have personally put Berra at 1 and Bench at 2, but it is way too close to split hairs.
I hope Jason Varitek was an Honorable Mention, because he still holds the record of catching 3 no hitters
Yogi was the absolute best I’ve ever seen at the tender age of 83. And where is Easton Howard?!
Yogi Berra is number 1 just count the 10 WS rings is all you have to do. Bench had 2.
If Bench played on those Yankees teams, he’d have 10 also.
I would have mentioned Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Manny Sanguillén. I don't know who he would replace on your list.
I loved Manny
I think I value defense and longevity more than offense when it comes to catchers so I might move Molina up a slot or two. I also think Jorge Posada might be close to the very bottom of the list.
What I remembert about the young Johnny Bench is his running to first base after a ground ball by the batter, to cover in case the 3d or SS had a bad throw. Bench often beat the batter to the base.
This is going to sound crazy, but hear me out: Jeff Mathis should’ve made it in as an honorable mention
Why? Sure, his offensive stats were horrible, but defensively? He’s one of, if not, the greatest defensive catcher to ever do it, and his defense was the best in the game for 16 years! If only his offensive stats weren’t bottom of the barrel, he could’ve easily made this list in my opinion!
Yadi’s snap-throws to first were unluck any other.
We have a lot of agreement in our top fifteen catchers. I have Gibson at 5 and Joe Torre at 15. They replace Molina and Simmons who I have at 17 and 20, respectively. The others I have in my top 15 somewhere. I do agree with Bench at #1.
Those old time catchers had nothing more than a glorified couch throw pillow as a mitt and had to catch the ball with both hands. The number of broken fingers and hand/wrist bones was uncountable and many times the guy would continue to catch rather than heal. It was part of the position then.
Ivan Rodriguez had to postpone his wedding 'cause he was called up. The day after the call up he was told he was going to start the next day and catch Nolan Ryan. He spent most of the night going over the hitters of the other team and when he got to the ballpark, he sat down next to Ryan and said something like, "I've been going over their hitters and I think..." Nolan cut him off. "Just put down the fingers and I'll throw you the ball."
You, know back in the day when Josh Gibson played, the MLB league was half a joke. If the whole team wasn't their they'd take people from the stands to fill in..... So, for those people that oh he didn't play in the MLB..... yeah their was some great players, but what % of games had only professionals playing???? So to me it goes both way. If the Negro League was a balogna league, than what was the MLB back in those 20s 30s n 40s????
1 Mike Piazza
2 Johnny Bench
3 Ivan Rodriguez
4 Gary Carter
5 Carlton Fisk
6 Yogi Berra
7 Bill Dickey
8 Mickey Cochrane
9 Ted Simmons
10 Gabby Hartnett
11 Joe Mauer
12 Buster Posey
13 Gene Tenace
14 Yadier Molina
15 Roy Campanella
Definitely as far as hitting is concerned,Piazza was easily the best hitter.
@@TeddyGant-f7i The steroids didn't hurt :)
@@TeddyGant-f7i, facing 1998 EXPANSION ERA pitching from two new teams and expansion(4 teams in 6 years 1993 and ‘98)watered down rotations and overrated bullpens from mid-market clubs, PIAZZA looked much better as a hitter than he really was..
One name not on the list is ERNIE LOMBARDI, and where the hell is JOE MAUER?
By the way, BENCH was not considered by former YANKEE WAITE HOYT, a longtime 1940’s, 50’s&60’s REDS broadcaster..as NY YANKS backstop, BILL DICKEY’s equal or even better.
I saw BENCH in his prime. I do not know how he could’ve been any better defensively and as a power bat at that position.
BENCH is the best overall catcher that I’ve seen..
Sal Perez in his prime had an accurate cannon behind that plate.
Check out PEREZ’s stats throwing runners out back then.
Also underrated was MANNY SANGUILLEN.
Finally, BILL FREEHAN was defensively, a tremendous receiver.
My dos centavos..
On the offense’s side, add as a top 100 guy=JORGE POSADA..
@ Top 25
My top 10 before I see this video, with the disclaimer that Josh Gibson is obviously the GOAT but just because the record-keeping is not as reliable as the others, I did not rank him with the same methodology I employed for the others.
10. Russell Martin
9. Yadier Molina
8. Ivan Rodriguez
7. Carlton Fisk
6. Yogi Berra
5. Roy Campanella
4. Buster Posey
3. Gary Carter
2. Mike Piazza
1. Johnny Bench
This is a very good list. A few other catchers deserve mention such as Ernie Lombardy and Joe Mauer.
For those who don't want to watch tho whole 25+ minute video, here's his list:
HONORABLE MENTION: Josh Gibson (Grays - Negro League) 1:00
15: Ted Simmons (Cardinals) 3:31
14: Gabby Hartnett (Cubs) 4:22
13: Thurman Munson (Yankees) 5:28
12: Bill Dickey (Yankees) 6:39
11: Yadier Molina (Cardinals) 7:35
10: Mickey Cochrane (Philadelphia Athletics) 8:40
9: Buster Posey (SF Giants) 9:33
8: Joe Mauer (Twins) 11:21
7: Gary Carter (Expos & Mets) 12:46
6: Roy Campanella (Brooklyn Dodgers) 14:27
5: Mike Piazza (LA Dodgers & Mets) 16:12
4: Carlton Fisk (Red Sox & White Sox) 17:49
3: Ivan Rodriguez (Rangers & Giants) 19:18
2: Yogi Berra (Yankees) 22:05
1: Johnny Bench (Reds) 22:58
You're welcome.
I grew up wanting to be Johnny Bench in the 70's playing little league.... Always #1 in my book.
Where is salvy on this list
I agree
@walterhay7665 based opinion
Johnny Bench GOAT at that position. Big Red Machine!!