0:00
How about the big dumper? That's right.
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Cal Raleigh has been an absolute
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monster this year. The catcher of the
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Mariners, is on pace for 60 some odd
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home runs. He's the story of the
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baseball season and his nickname is the
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big dumper. Who doesn't get behind that?
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Right now, Cal Raleigh is on pace for
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perhaps the greatest offensive season of
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any catcher ever. Now, we are a little
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bit more than halfway through the
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baseball season, so catchers wear down.
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It's a physically demanding position.
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Who knows where Raleigh ends up? We've
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seen guys like Reggie Jackson look like
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he's on pace for 60 home runs and finish
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with 38 or 40. Who knows what happens
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down the stretch, but I wanted to give
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you my top five offensive seasons ever
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by catchers. Let's do a little rankings
0:53
here, shall we? And of course, a nod to
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the old school. Number five, how about
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Gary Carter's 1982 season. Now, of
1:04
course, Carter has those incredible
1:08
expose threads on, but this was a guy
1:16
which is one of the single greatest
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seasons ever. Wins above replacement for
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any catcher ever. 29 home runs, 101
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RBI's, finished second in the NL MVP,
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Gary Carter's 82, an 86 war. Number
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five. Number four, how about Joe Mau?
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Mau's 09. He had just a home run fewer
1:41
than Gary Carter and five RBI's fewer,
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96 RBI, but he won the American League
1:47
MVP. And how about this? Joe Mau, who
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missed an entire first month of the
1:56
Imagine a catcher hitting 365.
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Mau in his prime was ridiculous. What a
2:03
season that he had with a 78 erra. The
2:07
number three greatest offseason or
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offensive season of all time for a
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catcher, Roy Campanella. Campy's 1953.
2:20
Hold your hats. Campanella, who was
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known as one of the heart and souls of
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the old Brooklyn Dodgers, Dem Bums, the
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team that always ran into the Yankees
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and lost in the World Series, but was a
2:34
bunch of heroes in the Brooklyn in the
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burrow of Brooklyn. In 1953, Roy
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142 RBI's. Think about that. In 154 game
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season, he had 142 ribbies. Hit 312.
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Campy was incredible. Campy is, I think,
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overlooked by history because he doesn't
3:01
have the rings of Yogi Barra because he
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played a long time ago. But Roy
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Campanella's 53 season, and he's a Hall
3:08
of Famer, was absolutely iconic. The
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second greatest offensive season ever by
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a catcher. Mike Piaz's final full season
3:21
I mentioned Gary Carter's 86 war. How
3:25
about an 87 war? Mike Piaza's numbers.
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In 97, he finished second of the MVP.
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40 home runs and 124 RBI's and the
3:37
greatest single season wins above
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replacement in catcher history. He was
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outrageous. And you could really stack
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like three to four prime Piaza seasons
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in here. If you just wanted to give me
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Piaza's five greatest seasons, that
3:54
could make a top five all-time catcher
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offensive season list. But Piaza's 97 is
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his best ever of an incredible slew of
4:04
dominance. The number one season of all
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time by a catcher at the plate, Johnny
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Bench. Big Red Machine, 1970.
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The guy won the MVP because when you
4:17
hear his numbers, you're going to vomit.
4:20
Johnny Bench hit 48 home runs and drove
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in 148 RBI's. And this was him
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scratching the surface the first chapter
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of an entire decade of absolutely
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owning the catcher position. 48 and 148
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48 and 148 and basically played every
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158 games. He missed four games all
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at catcher. No DH back then.
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He played in the field every stinking
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day. 158 games played.
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158 games played. He drove in a 148. My
5:14
goodness. Oh, also won the gold glove.
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So, the best defensive catcher of the
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game as well. Bench is 1970. Is without
5:23
Pier. My goodness. Look at that list.
5:25
Look at how gorgeous that list is right
5:26
there. Look at those uniforms. Look at
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those eras represented. Now that's a
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list, Bench in the 70s,
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Mau in the as Piaza in the '9s,
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Campy in the 50s, and Gary Carter's
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beautiful 1980s Expos light blue, powder
5:45
blue road threads. My god, is that a
5:47
list? My god. My goodness, is that a
5:52
baseball list? Da, you've done it again.
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You dog. You done it again.
