Ivan 'Pudge' Rodriguez to Retire: 10 Most-Feared Catching Arms of All Time

With Pudge Rodriguez set to retire as a member of the Texas Rangers next week, everyone is thinking back on the stellar career that he had. Pudge wanted to play forever, and almost did.  

Pudge was a star at the plate as well as behind it. The 13-time Gold Glover had a career .991 fielding percentage. His arm was the real wonder.  

Finding the most feared arms of all-time can't be nailed down to one statistic. Caught stealing would be a good indicator, but some of the top catchers don't lead the league in that column. Once a catcher has a proven gun, runners won't even try.  

The best arms are marked by a number of statistics and reputation.

Here is a list of the 10 best arms to squat behind the plate in the majors.

Joe Mauer

Joe Mauer is one of the best catchers in the league. The club is moving him around more to keep his career relevant for as long as possible, but he's still best utilized behind the plate.  

A three-time Gold Glove winner, Mauer is always better than the league average when it comes to caught stealing percentage. He rarely gets a chance to throw out runners, though. In his MVP year, only 73 runners reached their destination when attempting to steal.  

Joe may be better known for his bat, but that isn't for his lack of arm. He's currently compared to the all-time great catchers. It's yet to be seen where he'll be ranked, but at the rate he's going, it should be high.

Gold Gloves: Three

Caught Stealing: 155

Stolen Bases Allowed: 292

Caught Stealing Percentage: 35 percent

Bob Boone

Bob Boone is the model of consistency. In his career, he threw out 731 would-be base stealers. As a member of the Phillies, Angels and Royals, Bob was a tool behind the plate.  

The seven-time Gold Glove winner was above the league average for caught stealing in 16 of the 19 years he played. As his career went on, the attempts to steal grew smaller and smaller.

His long career and efficient motion put him at No. 9 on this list.  

Gold Gloves: Seven

Caught Stealing: 731

Stolen Bases Allowed: 1,108

Caught Stealing Percentage: 40 percent

Yogi Berra

Insert your favorite quote here. Yogi Berra was one of the most transcendent athletes of all-time. He'll be relevant forever as far as most are concerned.  

Yogi Berra is one of the best catchers of all-time. His arm wasn't the most feared, but people knew about it. He threw out almost half of the base runners that attempted to steal against him—404 would-be base runners to be exact.

Perhaps his best quote about baseball in general was "90 percent of the game is half mental."

To force it in, Yogi's presence behind the plate was in the minds of the men on the bases.

Gold Gloves: Zero

Caught Stealing: 404

Stolen Bases Allowed: 427

Caught Stealing Percentage: 49 percent

Thurman Munson

Thurman Munson was a great all-around catcher. His bat garnered him fame, and his leadership earned him the right to be called the Yankee captain. He was the first captain named to the team since Lou Gehrig.  

Munson threw out 44.48 percent of would be base-stealers and would probably be higher on this list had he not died in a plane accident at the age of 32.  

While his biggest accomplishments weren't necessarily related to his handling of the plate duties, he still had a strong arm and kept base-runners from advancing.

Gold Gloves: Three

Caught Stealing: 427

Stolen Bases Allowed: 533

Caught Stealing Percentage: 44 percent

Jim Sundberg

Six-time Gold Glove winner Jim Sundberg was a wall behind the plate with a quick release. His strong arm and stellar defense were the two things that Sunny was known for.  

Most of his seasons were with the Texas Rangers, but he won a World Series with the Kansas City Royals.  

Of the 1,720 players who tried to steal, he caught 708 of them. He also recorded an astonishing 62 pickoffs.  

Sundberg was one of the first relevant Ranger players, and he continues to work for them today. He's one of the best overall defensive catchers of all-time for his ability to block pitches, throw and his handling of the pitching staff.

Gold Gloves: Six

Caught Stealing: 708

Stolen Bases Allowed: 1,012

Caught Stealing Percentage: 41 percent

Mike Matheny

Mike Matheny had one of the best arms in baseball in the late 90s. His only problem is that the guy who is No. 1 on this list played around the same time as him.  

The six-time Gold Glove winner kept runners at bay behind the plate. As mentioned earlier, when players get a reputation, they are seldom allowed a real chance to catch someone stealing.  

Matheny's rookie year, he threw out 53 percent of would-be base stealers. The league average that year was 32 percent. Needless to say, base-runners gave him less opportunities after that.

Matheny played nine seasons and was forced into retirement by concussion symptoms.  

Gold Gloves: Four

Caught Stealing: 298

Stolen Bases Allowed: 552

Caught Stealing Percentage: 35 percent

Roy Campanella

Roy Campanella was one of the pioneers that broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. The three-time MVP and eight-time All-Star is considered one of the greatest of all-time.  

The Dodger catcher's caught stealing percentage is 57 percent. That is still the best career percentage of all-time. Campanella revolutionized the game as a catcher. He was one of the first to be feared as a defensive catcher and a ballplayer who could mash the baseball.

In 1958, an automobile accident paralyzed him from the shoulders down and cut his playing career short. He was later able to regain movement in his arms and hands.

During his post-playing career, he was still very active with the Dodger organization and served as a mentor to young catchers.

Caught Stealing: 252

Stolen Bases Allowed: 187

Caught Stealing Percentage: 57 percent

Yadier Molina

"Don't ever try to run on Yadier Molina."  

That has to be the short command on the basepaths when anyone plays the Cardinals.  

The two-time World Series champ just signed a six-year, $82 million dollar extension. Molina's bat is less than exceptional, but his arm is a commodity that doesn't come around often and honestly may never come around again.

His snap throw the first has caught too many runners leaning the wrong way.  

He has a way to go, but he may go down as the greatest arm in the history of the game when it's all said and done.

Gold Gloves: Four

Caught Stealing: 184

Stolen Bases Allowed: 231

Caught Stealing Percentage: 44 percent

Johnny Bench

The heart of the Big Red Machine, Johnny Bench was one of the most feared arms in the games. His monstrous hands (often pictured holding seven baseballs at once) could stop any ball and throw anyone out. He led the National League three times in caught stealing percentage.

Sparky Anderson's quote was most fitting for the time it was said:

“But don’t ever compare nobody to Johnny Bench; don’t never embarrass nobody by comparing them to Johnny Bench.”

Bench was the innovator of the hinged catcher's mitt. The piece of equipment is standard for catchers now. The glove allowed Bench to keep his throwing hand out of harm's way.

The 10-time Gold Glover and 14-time All-Star is widely considered one of the best to ever play the game.

Gold Gloves: 10

Caught Stealing: 469

Stolen Bases Allowed: 610

Caught Stealing Percentage: 43 percent

Pudge Rodriguez

Pudge is the standard for a defensive catcher. He filled up highlight reels by making quick base-stealers look like Cecil Fielder on the basepaths.  

He threw out people who were stealing as well as people who were thinking about maybe taking a lead. His release and arm strength are second to none as it stands.  

Texas fans stayed glued to the screen anytime he was on. After every throw, whether it was back to the pitcher or gunning down a runner, he'd adjust his chest protector and get back to business. His career has been one of the most impressive careers of all-time.  

Six-hundred-and-sixty-one career base-runners caught stealing. Eighty-eight pickoffs. Pudge's arm was simply a weapon. Even in his later years, coaches and players were aware of his skills.

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"We got Pudge [behind the plate], you see opposing players aren’t trying to run on us very much,” First Base Coach Dan Radison explained. “Their steal attempts, I’m sure, are way down against the Nationals because of his abilities and his reputation. A catcher that people know can really throw, basically they don’t run as much. So while he might not be leading the League in throwing guys out, there ain’t nobody going."

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It can be argued who was the best two-way catcher of all-time. Johnny Bench and Pudge are neck-and-neck.  

When it comes to arms, Pudge is the best.

Gold Gloves: 13

Caught Stealing: 661

Stolen Bases Allowed: 786

Caught Stealing Percentage: 46 percent