Top five catchers in Philadelphia Phillies franchise history

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 10: Former Phillies catcher and Wall of Fame inductee, Mike Leiberthal addresses the crowd as he is watched by (L-R) Larry Bowa, Tony Taylor, his four year old son Merek and Greg Luzinski during ceremonies before the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park on August 10, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /

As spring training approaches, we take a look back at Phillies history. Here are the top catchers in Phillies franchise history.

With pitchers and catchers getting ready to report to spring training this week, we take a look back at the top catchers in the history of the Phillies.

Honorable mentions:

These men were behind the plate for most of the first 31 seasons in franchise history. While likely not household names except to the most prominent Phillies historians, their accomplishments are worth mentioning.

Jack Clements (1884 – 1897)

Clements had his best season in 1893 when he hit .285 with 17 home runs and 80 RBI. He ranks first among catchers in franchise history in runs and RBI, second in hits and third in stolen bases. Clements played his final three seasons with St. Louis, Cleveland and Boston, retiring in 1900 with a career batting average of .287.

Red Dooin (1902 – 1914)

Dooin never reached 20 doubles, 50 RBI or more than 6 home runs in a season. His Phillies career batting average was only .241, but Dooin makes this list for his longevity alone. He is the all-time franchise leader in games behind the plate and ranks first among catchers with 132 stolen bases.

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T5 (Stan Lopata 1948 – 1958 and Andy Seminick 1943 – 1951, 1955 – 1957)

Lopata and Seminick are put together because their careers partially overlapped and their statistics are very similar. Both played on the 1950 “Whiz Kids” NL Championship team.

Lopata was a two-time All-Star was ranks 4th among Phillies catchers with 116 home runs, hitting a career high 32 in 1956.

Seminick was an All-Star in 1949 belting 24 home runs and knocking in 68. He had identical numbers in 1950 and ranks 3rd in home runs among Phillies catchers.

PHILADELPHIA – OCTOBER 06: Roy Halladay #34 and Carlos Ruiz #51 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrate Halladay’s no-hitter and the win in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park on October 6, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) /

4 – Carlos Ruiz (2006 – 2016)

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Ruiz is one of the most beloved players of this generation. Known simply as “Chooch”, Ruiz handled the pitching staff brilliantly during the 2008 World Championship team. An All-Star in 2012, Ruiz hit .325 with 16 home runs and 68 RBI. He is second among Phillies catchers in doubles, third in RBI and fifth in hits and games played.

Ruiz will always be known for being behind the plate for both of Roy Halladay’s no-hitters in 2010, including his perfect game. He also caught Cole Hamels’ no-hitter in the last game Hamels pitched as a Phillie.

Ruiz also caught the September 2014 combined no-hitter of Hamels, Jake Diekman, Ken Giles, and Jonathan Papelbon, tying him for a record of four no-hitters caught.

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3 – Darren Daulton (1983 – 1997)

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Daulton would likely rank higher, but injuries sapped much of the early part of his career. He was a three-time All-Star, leading the league in RBI in 1992 with 109. Daulton had a great three-year stretch from 1992 – 1994 with an OPS near or above .900 each of those seasons. He ranks first among catchers in team history in walks, second in home runs, third in RBI and fourth in games and doubles.

Daulton was behind the plate for Philadelphia’s improbable 1993 World Series run. He was an integral part, delivering during the regular season and the National League Championship Series. Daulton was able to win a World Series in 1997 with the Marlins before retiring.

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2 – Bob Boone (1972 – 1981)

While Boone certainly was not a hitting catcher, he was a three-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove award winner and 1980 World Series champion. Boone was above the league average throwing out base stealers in seven of his ten seasons with the Phillies. Boone hit .285 over his best three year stretch from 1977 – 1979 and ranks third in hits, third in games, fourth in RBI and fifth in doubles among catchers in franchise history.

CLEARWATER, FL – MARCH 3: Outfielder Marcus Thames #33 of the Detroit Tigers slides through home plate against catcher Mike Lieberthal #24 of the Philadelphia Phillies during MLB Spring Training action at the Bright House Networks Field on March 3, 2005 in Clearwater, Florida. The Detroit Tigers defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 9-1. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /

1 – Mike Lieberthal (1994 – 2006)

Lieberthal’s accomplishments may be somewhat forgotten considering most of his career was during a down period in franchise history. However, the two-time All-Star had seven seasons with ten or more home runs and four with 30 or more doubles. He set career highs in doubles (33), home runs (31) and RBI (96) in 1999 while also winning his only Gold Glove Award. Lieberthal ranks first among Phillies catchers in hits, doubles and home runs and second in games, RBI and runs.

Next: Phillies season preview: Jorge Alfaro

Lieberthal left in free agency for the Dodgers in 2007 and retired after that season.

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As spring training approaches, we take a look back at Phillies history. Here are the top catchers in Phillies franchise history.

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