Wow it has been a while since I did the first one. Looks like I need to keep up more. Alright, the 1st one wasn't huge success by any stretch of the name. However, I feel it should be discussed about position players, starting with good old number 2 on the chart, the catcher. Now there is one thing I'd like to ask of you from here on out, and that is to not say "The Deadball Era was so different, which is why I won't choose anyone from that era". I doubt I'll have to worry about that, but it would be nice to not see it.
For me, it comes down to four names that can be considered the greatest. I'll make my choice who I think is the greatest once people start posting, but I'll name them and list their attributes.
1) Yogi Berra - Arguably one of if not the favorite for this thread. A defensive wizard himself, and could swing the stick quite well. In his career, a 15 time All-Star, and 13 time World Series champion (ten as a player and three as a coach/manager). He was the exact opposite of a Ryan Howard, and someone that Placido Polanco probably models himself after, striking out few times throughout the season. In 7,555 at bats, he only struck out 414 times. Can you say dirty?
2) Johnny Bench - One of the cornerstones of The Big Red Machine and likely another favorite looked at. The man was a 14 time All-Star, 2 time World Series champion, plus World Series MVP in 1976. He himself had a .990 fielding percentage in 10,196, with only 97 errors as a catcher. Offensively he had a career .267 average, 389 home runs. Not too damn shabby.
3) Carlton Fisk - The man with the famous home run wave. The original Pudge was an iron man in his own right. He commanded the field while on it, especially for 2,226 games which was surpassed by Ivan Rodriguez last year. Not the easiest of tasks for a catcher to squat back behind the plate for over 2,200 games. He would amass a .988 fielding percentage in 12,572 chances, committing only 155 errors. Holy hell that is impressive. He was also solid with the stick, hitting 376 home runs for his career.
4) Mike Piazza - The man I like to call Pizza. He is arguably the greatest hitting catcher of all time, hitting .308, with 407 home runs. His offensive statistics are likely what you think of when it comes to him, but he was also pretty good behind the plate. A .989 fielding percentage in 11,701 chances, with only 124 errors. The man had a hell of a career both offensively and defensively.
Those are my four choices, but I'll choose who I think is the greatest once some others choose. Please if you choose any of the ones I wrote about, expand upon them. I shouldn't have to tell you, but you never know. So let's hear who you think is the Greatest Catcher of All Time.
For me, it comes down to four names that can be considered the greatest. I'll make my choice who I think is the greatest once people start posting, but I'll name them and list their attributes.
1) Yogi Berra - Arguably one of if not the favorite for this thread. A defensive wizard himself, and could swing the stick quite well. In his career, a 15 time All-Star, and 13 time World Series champion (ten as a player and three as a coach/manager). He was the exact opposite of a Ryan Howard, and someone that Placido Polanco probably models himself after, striking out few times throughout the season. In 7,555 at bats, he only struck out 414 times. Can you say dirty?
2) Johnny Bench - One of the cornerstones of The Big Red Machine and likely another favorite looked at. The man was a 14 time All-Star, 2 time World Series champion, plus World Series MVP in 1976. He himself had a .990 fielding percentage in 10,196, with only 97 errors as a catcher. Offensively he had a career .267 average, 389 home runs. Not too damn shabby.
3) Carlton Fisk - The man with the famous home run wave. The original Pudge was an iron man in his own right. He commanded the field while on it, especially for 2,226 games which was surpassed by Ivan Rodriguez last year. Not the easiest of tasks for a catcher to squat back behind the plate for over 2,200 games. He would amass a .988 fielding percentage in 12,572 chances, committing only 155 errors. Holy hell that is impressive. He was also solid with the stick, hitting 376 home runs for his career.
4) Mike Piazza - The man I like to call Pizza. He is arguably the greatest hitting catcher of all time, hitting .308, with 407 home runs. His offensive statistics are likely what you think of when it comes to him, but he was also pretty good behind the plate. A .989 fielding percentage in 11,701 chances, with only 124 errors. The man had a hell of a career both offensively and defensively.
Those are my four choices, but I'll choose who I think is the greatest once some others choose. Please if you choose any of the ones I wrote about, expand upon them. I shouldn't have to tell you, but you never know. So let's hear who you think is the Greatest Catcher of All Time.
