Texas Rangers Legend Named Franchise's Top Player at Position Since 2000

Bleacher Report is in the process of revealing the best player for every team at each position since the calendar turned to the 21st century, and on Saturday, the site released its list of catchers.

It should come as no surprise that the man they call Pudge, Iván Rodriguez, topped the list for theTexas Rangers, who have some strong contenders, but none that measure up to one of the all-time greats at the position.

Rodriguez's run as a Rangers was so impressive that he still received this distinction despite only playing the first three years of the century in red, white and blue.

In the years preceding 2000, Rodriguez won eight Gold Gloves, six Silver Sluggers and won the American League Most Valuable Player award in 1999. He followed that up with two more Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers in 2000 and 2001 while hitting 71 home runs and driving in another 210 runs before leaving the Rangers ahead of the 2003 season.

Rodriguez finished his career with one of the most decorated resumés in the history of his position, and he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017 in his first year of eligibility. All told, he was a 14-time All-Star and 13-time Gold Glove winner with 2,844 career hits, the most in Major League Baseball history by a catcher by a wide margin.

While the Rangers missed the postseason in each of Pudge's last three seasons with the organization, he came back to catch the ceremonial first pitch before the first game of the 2023 World Series, which saw Texas take down the Arizona Diamondbacks for their first World Series win in franchise history. He is also a special assistant for the organization.

Rodriguez's legacy in the league is so rich that the Rangers were not the only team he made the list for, as he unsurprisingly received the honor for the Detroit Tigers as well. He was also named as an honorable mention for the Miami Marlins, despite only playing one season in South Beach.

The obvious nature of Rodriguez's selection for Texas does not take away from the organization's other contenders, as Robinson Chirinos and current backstop Jonah Heim were listed as the honorable mentions for the Rangers.

Heim, a prolific switch-hitter, is a key component of the team's current lineup, and his ability to bounce back from a difficult 2024 campaign could be a major factor in whether or not the Rangers as a whole reverse their fortunes from last season.

Recommended Articles