MLB: The Mount Rushmore of Expansion Era Catchers
Since the MLB Expansion Era, the major league has seen plenty of talented catchers with many different skillsets.
For the sake of this list, Yogi Berra is excluded because he played most of his career before 1961. He is arguably the best catcher of all-time, being an 18-time All-Star and winning 10 World Series championships.
There are plenty of candidates that could have their faces carved into the Mount Rushmore of Expansion Era catchers. Narrowing the list down to four was a difficult task.
Looking back, people do not realize how strong of a career Joe Mauer had with the Minnesota Twins. He was a hit machine until his very last game. He recorded, 2,123 hits in 1,858 games, batting .306 for his career. He did not have a lot of power and eventually transitioned to first base, but he will be considered for the Hall of Fame when his time comes. Yadier Molina and Buster Posey are still going, but they are honorable mentions as well.
Carlton Fisk is a Hall of Fame catcher that fell a hair short of making it onto the mountain. He was a Rookie of the Year, an 11-time All-Star, won a Gold Glove, and a three-time Silver Slugger. Fisk played in 24 seasons and hit 376 home runs.
Here are the four catchers that were honored to make the Mount Rushmore of the MLB Expansion Era catchers.
Gary Carter
Gary Carter is one of those faces that were luckily carved into the mountain. The Hall of Famer had a great career and appeared in eleven All-Star games. He was both dominant offensively and behind the plate. He won five Silver Sluggers and three Gold Gloves. Carter was one of the best MLB backstops of his generation.
The two-time All-Star MVP, who won a championship with the New York Mets in 1986, was more than just a player; he was a true leader. He was what a catcher was supposed to be. He was the spirit of his team. He won the Roberto Clemente Award in 1989.
Carter finished his 19-season career with 2,092 hits, 324 home runs, and drove in 1,225. He is known as one of the best power hitting catchers. He had four seasons with at least 100 RBI’s.
Carter spent 12 seasons with the Montreal Expos from 1974-1984, and again in 1992. He was traded to the Mets prior to the 1985 season and spent five seasons in Flushing. He spent 1990 with the San Francisco Giants and 1991 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has played the fourth most games defensively of any MLB catchers, playing in 2,056 games.
Johnny Bench
Johnny Bench played 17 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds is speculated as one of the best catchers of all time. He won a Rookie of the Year in 1968, won two MVP awards, won two World Series, a World Series MVP, and 10 Gold Gloves. He was dominant since he was 20 years old.
Bench had six seasons of at least 100 RBIs and two seasons with at least 40 home runs. He was both a monster behind the plate and at the plate. He is still the only catcher in MLB history to lead the league in home runs. He was a true two-way, elite player. Bench was one of the best players of the 1970s. He is named to Major League Baseball’s All-Century Team and All-Time Team. He was a first ballot Hall of Famer, receiving 96.42% of the votes.
Bench finished his career with 2,048 hits, 389 home runs and drove in 1,376 runs, as well as scoring 1,091 runs. Bench was the leader of the Reds team known as the Big Red Machine that dominated the National League in the mid-1970s, winning six division titles, four National League pennants, and two World Series championships. A true two-way player, Bench was one of the most dominant catchers of all time.
Mike Piazza
As Jonny Bench might be the best catcher of all time, Mike Piazza is by far the best offensive catcher in MLB history.
In his 16 major league seasons, Piazza spent his first seven seasons with the Dodgers before he was traded to the Florida Marlins in 1998. A few days later, he was traded to the New York Mets and played there until 2005. He spent 2006 with the San Diego Padres and 2007 with the Oakland A’s. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016, receiving 83% of the votes.
Piazza was both a power hitter and a contact hitter. He had seven seasons with at least 30 home runs and two seasons with 40 home runs. He was the first catcher to reach 400 home runs and has the most home runs by a catcher in MLB history.
He finished his career with 427 home runs, 2,127 hits, a .308 batting average, and 1,335 runs batted in. It is safe to say no that it will take a true stud to surpass Piazza offensively.
He was a 12-time All-Star, won the NL Rookie of the Year, and was a 10-time Silver Slugger, who was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame and has his #31 retired.
Ivan Rodriguez
Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez is the final face on the Mount Rushmore of MLB Expansion Era catchers.
He played 21 seasons in the majors,13 with the Texas Rangers. He played for the Florida Marlins and won a World Series in 2003. He spent 2004 to 2008 with the Detroit Tigers and then was traded to New York Yankees. He spent 2009 with Rangers and Astros and played for the Washington Nationals in 2010 and 2011. He played 2,543 games. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017, receiving 76% of the votes.
He was a 14-time All-Star, the 1999 AL MVP, the 2005 NLCS MVP, a 13-time Gold Glove Award winner, and won seven Silver Slugger Awards. His number is retired by the Rangers and he is in their Hall of Fame.
He finished his career batting .296, with 311 home runs, 2,844 hits, and 1,332 runs batted in.
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Pudge was one of the best catchers of his generation. He was dominant as a backstop and a force at the plate. Currently, his son is a pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, and he is a Shadow Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Puerto Rico. He is pursuing politics after a more than successful two decades in the majors.