Where Buster Posey Ranks Among Greatest Catchers in MLB History
San Francisco Giants star Buster Posey unexpectedly called it quits earlier this week, walking away from a $22 million club option and hanging up his spikes after a terrific 12-year career.
The 34-year-old has quite the resume, from NL Rookie of the Year honors to 2012 NL MVP to numerous other accolades including All-Star selections, Silver Slugger Awards and a Gold Glove. He also won three World Series titles as the leader of some great Giants pitching staffs.
So where does all of that put him in the context of baseball's best catchers?
That's the question we set out to answer, looking at career body of work, peak performance, postseason success and individual accolades to decide where Posey slots among the greatest catchers in MLB history.
Let's start with some honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
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These catchers didn't quite crack our top 10 but still deserve a mention:
- Roger Bresnahan
- Buck Ewing
- Rick Ferrell
- Bill Freehan
- Gabby Hartnett
- Jason Kendall
- Ernie Lombardi
- Javy Lopez
- Joe Mauer
- Brian McCann
- Yadier Molina
- Thurman Munson
- Lance Parrish
- Salvador Perez
- Jorge Posada
- Ray Schalk
- Ted Simmons
- Gene Tenace
- Jason Varitek
Since we're just looking at MLB history, Negro League stars were not included on this list, but these Hall of Famers deserve a nod as well:
- Josh Gibson
- Biz Mackey
- Louis Santop
10. Gary Carter
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Stats: 2,296 G, 115 OPS+, 2,092 H, 324 HR, 1,225 RBI, 70.1 WAR
Accolades: 11x All-Star, 3x Gold Glove, 5x Silver Slugger, 1x WS winner
Gary Carter did not have quite the same peak as some of the other players on this list, but in terms of his full body of work, he belongs on a list of the 10 greatest catchers in MLB history.
His 70.1 WAR ranks second all-time at the position behind only Johnny Bench's (75.1), and he is one of just six catchers with multiple Gold Glove and Silver Slugger wins on his resume.
He was an All-Star for 10 straight seasons from 1979 to 1988, and he finished in the top 10 in NL MVP voting four times during that span.
While he is best remembered for his time with the Montreal Expos, Carter was one of the stars of the 1986 New York Mets team that won a World Series title. He finished third in NL MVP voting during the regular season that year and went 8-for-29 with two doubles, two home runs and nine RBI in the World Series.
9. Bill Dickey
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Stats: 1,789 G, 127 OPS+, 1,969 H, 202 HR, 1,209 RBI, 56.5 WAR
Accolades: 11x All-Star, 7x WS winner
One of the best players of the 1930s, Bill Dickey was a staple behind the plate for the New York Yankees, winning eight AL pennants and seven World Series titles during his 17-year career in pinstripes.
Among all catchers with at least 1,000 career games, Dickey ranks second with a .313 career batting average, and while his peak was relatively short, it stacks up to any catcher's in the history of the game.
During the four-year stretch from 1936 through 1939, he hit .326/.415/.565 for a 144 OPS+ while averaging 28 doubles, 26 home runs, 115 RBI and 5.7 WAR. He finished in the top 10 in AL MVP voting every year during that stretch, including a runner-up finish in 1938.
He struck out just 289 times in 7,065 career plate appearances.
8. Buster Posey
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Stats: 1,371 G, 129 OPS+, 1,500 H, 158 HR, 729 RBI, 44.9 WAR
Accolades: 1x MVP, 7x All-Star, 1x Gold Glove, 4x Silver Slugger, NL ROY, 3x WS winner
There is not much Buster Posey failed to accomplish during his baseball career, starting with a stellar run at Florida State that won him Golden Spikes honors before he was selected No. 5 overall in the 2008 draft.
He won NL Rookie of the Year and helped lead the San Francisco Giants to a World Series title in 2010, he won NL MVP and a second ring two years later, and he added a third ring for good measure in 2014.
After the worst season of his career in 2019, he opted out of the 2020 season, but he returned strong in 2021 with a .304/.390/.499 line and 23 doubles, 18 home runs and 56 RBI in 113 games.
If not for a gruesome collision at home plate in 2011 that resulted in a broken fibula and torn ligaments in his ankle, Posey's career numbers would look even better. The play resulted in an MLB rule change, informally known as the "Buster Posey Rule" that discourages home plate collisions.
His success, consistency and impressive peak performance more than make up for his lack of counting numbers compared to some of the other all-time greats at the position, and he should coast into the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot.
7. Mickey Cochrane
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Stats: 1,482 G, 129 OPS+, 1,652 H, 119 HR, 830 RBI, 49.9 WAR
Accolades: 2x MVP, 2x All-Star, 3x WS winner
Mickey Cochrane won back-to-back World Series as the Philadelphia Athletics catcher in 1929 and 1930, playing alongside fellow future Hall of Famers Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Lefty Grove.
He hit over .330 five different times during his nine seasons in Philadelphia, posting a .321/.412/.490 line and 129 OPS+ overall during his time with the team before he was traded to the Detroit Tigers prior to the 1934 season.
At 31 years old, he became player/manager for Detroit in 1934 and won AL MVP honors for the second time in his career while quite literally leading the team to the AL pennant. The following year, the Tigers won the World Series title.
He wrapped up his career with a .320/.419/.478 line in 6,211 plate appearances, and few players have meant more to the success of his team than he did throughout his career as both a player and then a player/manager.
6. Mike Piazza
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Stats: 1,912 G, 143 OPS+, 2,127 H, 427 HR, 1,335 RBI, 59.5 WAR
Accolades: 12x All-Star, 10x Silver Slugger, NL ROY
Mike Piazza is the greatest offensive catcher in MLB history, but his middling defense keeps him from ranking any higher on a list of all-time greats at a position where defense is extremely important.
That said, he was really, really good offensively.
His 143 OPS+ leads all catchers with at least 1,000 career games played and is tied for 53rd on the all-time list with fellow Hall of Famers and 500 HR Club members Harmon Killebrew and Eddie Mathews.
He was a perennial .300-BA, 30-HR, 100-RBI guy throughout the 1990s, starting with one of the best rookie seasons in MLB history in 1993 when he hit .318/.370/.561 with 35 home runs and 112 RBI.
All things considered, not a bad career for a 62nd-round pick.
5. Carlton Fisk
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Stats: 2,499 G, 117 OPS+, 2,356 H, 376 HR, 1,330 RBI, 68.4 WAR
Accolades: 11x All-Star, 1x Gold Glove, 3x Silver Slugger, AL ROY
The original "Pudge" held the record for games played at the catcher position (2,226) before Ivan Rodriguez came along, and he split a fantastic 24-year career between the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox.
He was already a seven-time All-Star when he departed Boston prior to his age-33 season, yet he went on to play 13 more years and earn four more All-Star selections during his time on the South Side.
As it stands, he sits third all-time among catchers in hits (2,356) and home runs (376), and his 68.4 WAR trails only those of Johnny Bench, Gary Carter and Ivan Rodriguez at the position.
The fact that he never won a ring makes it tough to rank him any higher, though he did provide one of the most iconic moments in MLB history with his walk-off home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series.
4. Ivan Rodriguez
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Stats: 2,543 G, 106 OPS+, 2,844 H, 311 HR, 1,332 RBI, 68.7 WAR
Accolades: 1x MVP, 14x All-Star, 13x Gold Glove, 7x Silver Slugger, 1x WS winner
Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez is the all-time leader in games played at the catcher position with 2,427 over the course of his 21-year career.
He won 10 straight Gold Gloves during his prime with the Texas Rangers, and six straight Silver Slugger Awards during that same stretch, building a strong case as the best two-way catcher since Johnny Bench in the process.
His 13 total Gold Gloves are the most ever by a catcher, surpassing the 10 that Bench won, and he also added an AL MVP award to his trophy case in 1999 when he hit .332/.356/.558 with 35 home runs, 113 RBI and 25 steals.
After 12 seasons with the Rangers, he signed a one-year deal with the Florida Marlins and helped lead them to a World Series title before joining the Detroit Tigers where he made four more All-Star appearances and won three more Gold Gloves.
3. Roy Campanella
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Stats: 1,215 G, 123 OPS+, 1,161 H, 242 HR, 856 RBI, 35.6 WAR
Accolades: 3x MVP, 8x All-Star, 1x WS winner
A year after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, catcher Roy Campanella joined him on the Brooklyn Dodgers roster.
Already 26 years old when he made his MLB debut, he was named to the NL All-Star team in his second season with the Dodgers as he quickly established himself as a superstar.
He won NL MVP in 1951 (159 OPS+, 33 HR, 108 RBI), 1953 (154 OPS+, 41 HR, 142 RBI) and 1955 (152 OPS+, 32 HR, 107 RBI), and those still stand as three of the best offensive seasons in MLB history by a catcher.
His MLB career was tragically cut short when he was paralyzed in a car accident during the offseason following his age-35 campaign in 1957.
2. Yogi Berra
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Stats: 2,120 G, 125 OPS+, 2,150 H, 358 HR, 1,430 RBI, 59.6 WAR
Accolades: 3x MVP, 18x All-Star, 10x WS winner
No player in MLB history has won more World Series titles than the 10 claimed by Yogi Berra during his legendary career with the New York Yankees.
The diminutive 5'7" slugger tallied at least 20 home runs and 80 RBI for 10 straight seasons from 1949 through 1958, averaging 4.6 WAR during that decade span. He also took home three AL MVP awards during his peak, despite sharing the spotlight in New York with Mickey Mantle.
His 1,430 RBI remain the all-time record for a player who played primarily catcher during his career, and he also ranks in the top five at the position in hits (2,150, fifth) and home runs (358, fourth).
1. Johnny Bench
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Stats: 2,158 G, 126 OPS+, 2,048 H, 389 HR, 1,376 RBI, 75.1 WAR
Accolades: 2x MVP, 14x All-Star, 10x Gold Glove, NL ROY, 2x WS winner
The face of the Cincinnati Reds during the "Big Red Machine" era, Johnny Bench remains the gold standard at the catcher position.
He debuted at the age of 19, became an everyday catcher at 20 and won his first NL MVP award in his age-22 season when he paced MLB in home runs (45) and RBI (148) in a 7.4-WAR season while leading Cincinnati to the NL pennant.
The best season of his career came two years later in 1972. He logged a 166 OPS+ with 40 home runs and 125 RBI with a career-high 8.6 WAR, taking home his second NL MVP award for another NL pennant-winning Reds team.
Aside from his stellar offensive production, he also nailed 43 percent of would-be base stealers over the course of a 17-year career spent entirely in a Reds uniform.
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference.
