To become one of the greatest MLB catchers a player needs a specialized skill set. A skill set different from every other field position. It’s why catchers are the second most unique position in baseball, behind only pitchers.
As of 2018, there are just 18 catchers in the MLB Hall of Fame. This top-10 makes that number even more exclusive by picking out the best of the best.
10. Thurman Munson, New York Yankees
Munson’s knees were shot when he tragically died in a plane crash in the middle of the 1979 season at the age of 32. Any further play would likely have been elsewhere on the diamond, but by that point, Munson had put together an outstanding career as a catcher.
The 1976 MVP award winner was a seven-time All-Star and a two-time World Series Champion.
9. Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
The only active (despite injuries) player on this list, Posey is well on his way to cementing himself as one of the top five catchers of all time. Posey debuted in the league in 2009, and is already a six-time All-Star and a three-time World Series Champion. He also picked up the NL MVP award in 2012.
If Posey can play into the mid-2020s then he will tick off the only box left to be considered a great. Longevity.
8. Gary Carter, Montreal Expos, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers
Carter played with an infectious energy that earned him his nickname of “The Kid”. He was an outstanding catcher, with the ability to hit for power and a tremendous throwing arm that kept base runners honest whenever he was behind the plate.
Carter was never the most fashionable player, but his career featured nine seasons of at least 20 home runs, and four seasons with more than 100 RBI.
7. Mickey Cochrane, Philadelphia A’s & Detroit Tigers
Cochrane won three World Series titles with the A’s when they dominated the game during the depression era. He was a .320 career hitter – albeit in a time when high averages were common – but he had to retire at the age of 34 after he was almost killed when he was hit in the head by a pitch in 1937.
A two-time MVP and two-time All-Star, Cochrane was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1947.
6. Carlton Fisk, Boston Red Sox & Chicago White Sox
Fisk played his career with the Sox teams, spending a stunning 24 years behind the plate. An 11-time All-Star and the Rookie of the Year in 1972, Fisk’s longevity at a position that wears on the knees and the mind is something to be marveled at, just like the food served up at some baseball grounds.
It is hard to point to a career peak; Fisk was just consistently very good for almost a quarter of a century.
5. Mike Piazza, L.A. Dodgers, Florida Marlins, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Oakland A’s
It is hard to argue against Piazza as the best hitting catcher of all time. His 62nd-round pick to Hall of Famer story is tainted by allegations of steroid use, but that says as much about the era that he played in as anything else.
Piazza was a 12-time All-Star who somehow didn’t win the MVP award in 1997 when he hit .362/.431/.638. He wasn’t the best defensive catcher, but his power numbers made up for any holes in his game.
4. Roy Campanella, Brooklyn Dodgers
Campanella’s nine-year career is the shortest on this list. This is because he had his Dodgers career cut short after a tragic car crash in 1957.
His period in the majors, while brief, was nothing short of spectacular. Campanella was an eight-time All-Star and a three-time MVP and he terrorized the league in the seasons before the Dodgers moved to the West Coast.
3. Ivan Rodriguez, Texas Rangers, Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Washington Nationals
It is easy to assume any catcher that played for six teams was nothing more than a journeyman. That is simply not the case with Rodriguez.
The 14-time All-Star and 13-time Gold Glove winner is only let down statistically by his solitary World Series Championship in 2003. He had power behind the plate, but he was known for his monster arm which threw out more than 50% of base stealers nine times during his career.
2. Yogi Berra, New York Yankees & New York Mets
One of the most quotable players in the history of the game, Berra won games (and championships) at an astonishing rate with the Yankees. Berra won 10 rings in 14 World Series appearances between 1947 and 1962, and he was named to the All-Star team 18 times.
Berra is also one of only two players – along with Joe DiMaggio – to hit at least 300 home runs and strike out less than 500 times.
1. Johnny Bench, Cincinnati Reds
The discussion over the best catcher in the history of baseball begins and ends with Bench. A rookie of the Year Award, two MVPs, and 10 straight Gold Gloves tell you everything you need to know about his ability behind the plate.
Bench was the master of calling a game and directing his pitcher to humiliate an opponent’s hitting lineup. He was the major factor for the “Big Red Machine” era in Cincinnati and owns World Series rings from 1975 and 1976.
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