Gordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane, nicknamed "Black Mike", was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers. Cochrane was considered one of the best catchers in baseball history and is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. In his first season as manager, he led the Tigers to 101 wins, which was the most for a rookie manager for 27 years.
Robert Raymond Boone is an American former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who was a four-time All-Star.
Charles Leo "Gabby" Hartnett, also nicknamed "Old Tomato Face", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played almost his entire career in Major League Baseball as a catcher with the Chicago Cubs, from 1922 to 1940. He spent the final season of his career as a player-coach with the New York Giants in 1941. After his playing career, Hartnett continued his involvement in baseball as a coach and as a minor league manager.
John Rikard Dempsey is an American former professional baseball player. He played for 24 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1992, most prominently for the Baltimore Orioles where he played for 10 years and was a member of the 1983 World Series winning team. Dempsey was known for being one of the best defensive catchers of his era. In 1997, he was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.
Paul Rapier Richards was an American professional baseball player, manager, scout and executive in Major League Baseball. During his playing career, he was a catcher and right-handed batter with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1932), New York Giants (1933–1935), Philadelphia Athletics (1935) and Detroit Tigers (1943–1946). After retiring, he became the manager of the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles (1955–1961). He also served as the general manager for the Orioles, the Houston Colt .45s / Astros and the Atlanta Braves.
James Luther "Luke" Sewell was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators (1933–1934), Chicago White Sox (1935–1938) and the St. Louis Browns (1942). Sewell batted and threw right-handed. He was regarded as one of the best defensive catchers of his era.
Wesley Noreen Westrum was an American professional baseball player, coach, manager, and scout. He played for 11 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the New York Giants from 1947 to 1957 and was known as a superb defensive catcher. He served as the second manager in the history of the New York Mets, replacing Casey Stengel in 1965 after the latter fractured his hip and was forced to retire.
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.
John Lester Moss was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the St. Louis Browns for the most significant portion of his career, and was a backup catcher almost all his career.
John David Wathan is an American former professional baseball catcher, manager, and coach. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals from 1976 to 1985. Wathan was a member of the world champion 1985 Kansas City Royals team.
William Lavier Killefer, nicknamed "Reindeer Bill", was an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1909 to 1921 for the St. Louis Browns, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago Cubs. Killefer, who was nicknamed "Reindeer Bill" due to his speed afoot, is notable for being the favorite catcher of Hall of Fame pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander and, for being one of the top defensive catchers of his era. After his playing career, he continued to work as a coach and a manager for a Major League Baseball career that spanned a total of 48 years.
Malachi Jeddidiah Kittridge was an American professional baseball catcher. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1890 and 1906, for six different teams, predominantly the Chicago Colts of the National League. He batted and threw right-handed.
Harry Thomas Smith, was an English professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1901 to 1910.
James Sarkis Essian, Jr. is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and Cleveland Indians.
Barry Clifton Foote is an American former professional baseball player, scout, coach, and minor league manager. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Montreal Expos (1973–1977), Philadelphia Phillies (1977–1978), Chicago Cubs (1979–1981), and New York Yankees (1981–1982). Although he was highly regarded as a younger player, he suffered numerous injuries and played most of his baseball career as a reserve player.
Timothy P. Blackwell is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and minor league manager. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1983 for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and Montreal Expos. He was a switch-hitter who threw right-handed. Blackwell was known as a light-hitting, defensive specialist with good pitch-calling skills and possessed a strong, accurate throwing arm.
Philip Anthony Roof is an American former professional baseball player, coach and minor league manager. He played for 15 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball in 1961 and from 1964 to 1977, most notably for the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics and the Minnesota Twins. Although Roof did not produce impressive offensive statistics, he excelled defensively as a catcher which enabled him to sustain a lengthy career in the major leagues due to his valuable defensive abilities. He was the first player acquired by the expansion Toronto Blue Jays.
John J. Clements was an American professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for 17 seasons. Despite being left-handed, Clements caught 1,076 games, almost four times as many as any other left-handed player in major league history and was the last left-hander to catch on a regular basis. He is credited with being the first catcher to wear a chest protector.
Frank Elton Snyder, was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1912 to 1927 for the New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals. Nicknamed Pancho, Snyder was of Mexican descent on his mother's side.
Eugene Abraham "Red" Desautels was an American professional baseball player. He played most of his Major League Baseball career as a backup catcher with four teams between 1930 and 1946. Desautels was a light-hitting player, but was known for his superior defensive ability as a catcher, and for his handling pitching staffs. After his playing career, he served as a manager in minor league baseball.
