Johnny Lee Bench is an American former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career,which lasted from 1967 to 1983,with the Cincinnati Reds,primarily as a catcher. 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.
Leo Ernest Whitt is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB),including twelve for the Toronto Blue Jays,and was the last player from the franchise's inaugural season of 1977 to remain through 1989. Whitt was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.
William Ashley Freehan was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire 15-year career with the Detroit Tigers. The premier catcher in the American League for several years from the 1960s into the early 1970s,he was named an All-Star in 11 seasons,the most All-Star seasons for a player to not be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was the MVP runner-up for Tigers' 1968 World Series winning team,handling a pitching staff which included World Series MVP Mickey Lolich and regular season MVP Denny McLain,who that year became the first 30-game winner in the majors since 1934.
Iván Rodríguez Torres,nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod",is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball catcher. A member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum,Rodríguez is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in MLB history. He played for the Texas Rangers,Florida Marlins,Detroit Tigers,New York Yankees,Houston Astros and Washington Nationals.
Henry Ramón Blanco is a Venezuelan professional baseball coach and former player. He is currently the catching and strategy coach for the Washington Nationals. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2013,appearing for the Los Angeles Dodgers,Colorado Rockies,Milwaukee Brewers,Atlanta Braves,Minnesota Twins,Chicago Cubs,San Diego Padres,New York Mets,Arizona Diamondbacks,Toronto Blue Jays,and Seattle Mariners. He later served as quality assurance coach for the Cubs. Although a light-hitting player,he was regarded as one of the best defensive catchers of his era.
Dwight Michael "Dewey" Evans is an American former professional baseball right fielder and right-handed batter who played with the Boston Red Sox (1972–1990) and Baltimore Orioles (1991) in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was a three-time All-Star,won eight Gold Glove Awards,and won two Silver Slugger Awards. Evans played the second-most career games for the Red Sox of any player,surpassed only by Carl Yastrzemski.
Andrés JoséPadovani Galarraga is a Venezuelan former professional baseball first baseman,who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Montreal Expos,St. Louis Cardinals (1992),Colorado Rockies (1993–1997),Atlanta Braves (1998–2000),Texas Rangers (2001),San Francisco Giants and Anaheim Angels (2004). He batted and threw right-handed. During his playing days,Galarraga stood 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall,weighing 235 pounds (107 kg).
Jorge Rafael Posada Villeta is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Posada recorded a .273 batting average,275 home runs,and 1,065 runs batted in (RBIs) during his career. A switch hitter,Posada was a five-time All-Star,won five Silver Slugger Awards,and was on the roster for four World Series championship teams.
Joseph Patrick Mauer is an American former professional baseball catcher and first baseman,who spent his entire 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Minnesota Twins. Widely regarded as the greatest contact hitter of all time at the catcher position in his prime,Mauer is the only catcher in MLB history to win three batting titles,and the only catcher to ever win a batting title in the American League (AL).
Todd Lynn Helton is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played his entire 17-year career for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). A five-time All-Star,four-time Silver Slugger,and three-time Gold Glove Award winner,Helton holds the Rockies' club records for hits (2,519),home runs (369),doubles (592),walks (1,335),runs scored (1,401),runs batted in,games played (2,247),and total bases (4,292),among others.
Charles Edward Johnson Jr. is an American former professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball with the Florida Marlins,the Los Angeles Dodgers (1998),the Baltimore Orioles (1999–2000),the Chicago White Sox (2000),the Colorado Rockies (2003–2004),and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2005).
Darrin Glen Fletcher is an American former professional baseball catcher and sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1989 to 2002 for the Los Angeles Dodgers,Philadelphia Phillies,Montreal Expos,and Toronto Blue Jays.
Jody Richard Davis is an American former professional baseball player and minor league manager. He was a catcher in Major League Baseball with the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves from 1981 to 1990. A two-time National League All-Star,Davis won the 1986 National League Gold Glove Award.
Ted Lyle Simmons is an American former professional baseball player and coach. A switch-hitter,Simmons was a catcher for most of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the St. Louis Cardinals (1968–1980),the Milwaukee Brewers (1981–1985) and the Atlanta Braves (1986–1988). Although he was often overshadowed by his contemporary,Johnny Bench,Simmons is considered one of the best hitting catchers in MLB history. While his power numbers paled in comparison to Bench,Simmons still managed to hit for a higher batting average despite playing home games in a notoriously tough hitter's park.
Benjamin JoséMolina,nicknamed "Big Money",is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) catcher. He played for the Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (1998–2005),Toronto Blue Jays (2006),San Francisco Giants (2007–2010),and Texas Rangers (2010). He is the older brother of major league catchers JoséMolina and Yadier Molina.
Daniel Allen Wilson is an American former professional baseball player and current manager of the Seattle Mariners. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1992 through 2005,most notably as a member of the Seattle Mariners where he played 12 of his 14 seasons. The 1996 All-Star selection began his career with the Cincinnati Reds before being traded to the Mariners,where he was regarded as one of the game's best defensive catchers. At the time of his retirement in 2005,Wilson held the American League record for career fielding percentage by a catcher. In 2012,Wilson was inducted into the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame alongside his battery-mate,Randy Johnson. Wilson was promoted from special assignment coordinator to manager of the Seattle Mariners after the team fired Scott Servais on August 22,2024.
Luis RenéAlicea de Jesús is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball second baseman and coach.
Walter Henry Schang was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1913 to 1931 for the Philadelphia Athletics,Boston Red Sox,New York Yankees,St. Louis Browns and the Detroit Tigers. Schang was considered one of the best major league catchers of his era--offensively and defensively.
Joshua Lee Phelps is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays,Cleveland Indians,Tampa Bay Devil Rays,New York Yankees,Pittsburgh Pirates,and St. Louis Cardinals. Phelps was also a member of the independent Bridgeport Bluefish,as well as the Telemarket Rimini of the Italian Baseball League.
Alan Dean Ashby is an American former professional baseball catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) and former radio and television sports commentator. A switch hitter,he played for the Cleveland Indians,Toronto Blue Jays,and Houston Astros between 1973 and 1989.
