Future Hall of Fame Catchers

Future Hall of Fame Baseball Player Series:

1. First Basemen
2. Second Basemen
3. Shortstops
4. Third Basemen
5. Outfielders – American League
6. Outfielders – National League
7. Catchers
8. Starting Pitchers
9. Closers

There aren’t a lot of catchers in the Hall of Fame right now (only 13), and there are only two active catchers who are considered locks to eventually get there – Mike Piazza and Ivan Rodriguez. Other than those two, there are three young catchers – Joe Mauer, Victor Martinez, and Brian McCann – that have had good starts to their careers, but are not far enough along to be considered at this point.

No Doubters

• Mike Piazza

When compared to the 13 catchers that are currently in the hall of fame, Piazza’s numbers are extremely impressive. Here are some of his stats with where he ranks among all Hall of Fame catchers in parentheses:

• Hits – 2,088 (4th)
• Home Runs – 422 (1st)
• RBI – 1,311 (4th)
• Runs – 1,033 (6th)
• Batting Average – .309 (3rd)
• Slugging Percentage – .548 (1st)

Piazza is a 12 time All-Star, and was also National League Rookie of the Year in 1993. He was never a great defensive catcher, but his offensive statistics clearly put him among the top catchers of all time.

• Ivan Rodriguez

Rodriguez’s offensive numbers also compare very favorably to those catchers currently in the Hall of Fame. Here are some of his key stats with his rank among Hall of Fame catchers in parentheses:

• Hits – 2,454 (1st)
• Home Runs – 286 (5th)
• RBI – 1,168 (7th)
• Runs – 1,195 (2nd)
• Batting Average – .303 (4th)
• Slugging Percentage – .481 (5th)
• Doubles – 494 (1st)

His offensive numbers are definitely good enough to get him into the Hall, and on top of that, he’s one of the best defensive catchers ever, having been awarded 12 Gold Glove awards. He’s also been an All-Star 14 times, and was voted American League MVP in 1999.

Close but no Cigar

• Jason Kendall

Kendall is a guy who has a lot of hits (1,809), and a pretty good batting average (.297), but his almost complete lack of power numbers should prevent him from ever really being considered for the Hall of Fame. 70 career home runs and 599 RBI’s are really way too low for him to be put up there with the other great catchers in baseball history.