Yankee catcher Jorge Posada ends his career with some impressive accolades, including five All-Star game appearances and four World Series rings. Where he ranks among catchers all-time though is up for debate.
Here we start that debate by ranking the best catchers. For the purpose of this list, we are excluding those who played a significant part of their career before World War II, due to the difficulties in comparison. So, some great catchers such as Bill Dickey and Mickey Cochrane will not be ranked.
Also, note that Gold Glove Awards didn’t start until 1957, while Silver Sluggers weren’t handed out until 1980. On to the list:
10. Jorge Posada (1995–2011)—MVPs: 0, Gold Gloves: 0, Silver Sluggers: 5, All-Star Selections: 5, Home Runs: 275, RBIs: 1,065, Average/On Base Pct./Slugging: .273/.374/.474; Chosen: Posada’s accolades are just enough to beat out honorable mentions such as Joe Torre and Ted Simmons (among others) if you include his four World Series rings. Simmons actually was an All-Star more times (8) than Posada, but also played in era when few catchers put up decent numbers.
9. Carlton Fisk (1969–1993)—MVPs: 0, Gold Gloves: 1, Silver Sluggers: 3, All-Star Selections: 11, Home Runs: 376, RBIs: 1,330, AVG/OBP/SLG: .269/.341/.457; Chosen: Though Fisk never won an MVP Award, he finished in the top 10 in the voting four times (Posada had two) and was a better defensive catcher than Posada, who was actually removed as Burnett’s catcher in the 2009 playoffs.
8. Gary Carter (1974–1992)—MVPs: 0, Gold Gloves: 3, Silver Sluggers: 5, All-Star Selections: 11, Home Runs: 324, RBIs: 1,225, AVG/OBP/SLG: .262/.335/.439; Chosen: A very close call over Fisk, but while Carter’s statistics are comparable to Fisk’s (four finishes in the top 10 MVP voting) his defense was slightly better, as was his perfectly primped hair.
7. Mike Piazza (1992–2007)—MVPs: 0, Gold Gloves: 0, Silver Sluggers: 10, All-Star Selections: 12, Home Runs: 427, RBIs: 1,335, AVG/OBP/SLG: .308/.377/.545; Chosen: His bat. Piazza was never recognized for his defense, but the former Rookie of the Year’s hitting prowess landed him a pair of runner-up finishes in the MVP voting, including his 1997 season when he hit .362 with 40 home runs and a .638 slugging percentage—numbers almost unheard of for catchers until he came along.
6. Thurman Munson (1969–1979)—MVPs: 1, Gold Gloves: 3, Silver Sluggers: N/A, All-Star Selections: 7, Home Runs: 113, RBIs: 701, AVG/OBP/SLG: .292/.346/.410; Chosen: His MVP Award. As great as Piazza was, he never was complete enough to win an MVP. And though Piazza’s hitting totals are much better, Munson’s career was cut a bit short at age 32. He played in a different hitting era, and was clearly a better defensive catcher.
5. Joe Mauer (2004–2011)—MVPs: 1, Gold Gloves: 3, Silver Sluggers: 4, All-Star Selections: 4, Home Runs: 84, RBIs: 502, AVG/OBP/SLG: .323/.403/.471; Chosen: Through age 27 in the 2010 season, Mauer had already accomplished all of the above accolades, and that doesn’t include his three batting titles—which is three more than Munson or any other catcher on this list.
4. Roy Campanella...
