Phillies history: Top 5 greatest catchers in Phillies franchise history
Who doesn't love a good debate concerning sports lists? In any sport, in any era, for any team, they're always sure to spark debate and get us thinking about how we evaluate athletic accomplishments.
Focusing on the long, and sometimes rich, history of the Philadelphia Phillies, there is a lot of ground to cover. For this piece, we'll shine a spotlight on those who have donned the "tools of ignorance" for the club as we talk about the top catchers the team has ever seen. It has been discussed before, of course, but that doesn't take away the fun of compiling and defending the choices herein.
Honorable Mentions
Before actually counting down the top five catchers in Phillies history, it seems appropriate to acknowledge some of the men who almost made the cut.
Jack Clements is not well known among Phils fans, and with good reason, as he played from 1884-1897. But he made his mark over the course of exactly 1,000 games with the Phillies, batting .289 and knocking in 636 runs. He also caught Charles Ferguson's 1885 no-hitter, the first in team history. Other old-timey guys like Stan Lopata, Spud Davis, Red Dooin, Clay Dalrymple, and Butch Henline also deserve a tip of the cap. Great names, too.
Smoky Burgess was a good hitter for the club, amassing a .316 average over three full seasons with the Phils before being dealt away. And one of the players that he was traded for, Andy Seminick, was making a return visit to Philadelphia after having played with the Whiz Kids years before. In total, Seminick belted 123 home runs over his two stints with the team.
Lastly for this section, a special shout-out to Benito Santiago, who somehow hit 30 home runs in his one year with the club (he never hit more than 18 in any other season) while gunning baserunners down from his knees with regularity. Moving on.
Dishonorable Mentions
You know what's even more fun than making a "best of" list? Making a "worst of" list. And while we'll resist the temptation to actively rank some of the shoddiest backstops that the Phillies have ever paid money to, a few deserve mentioning as being so far away from the best of the bunch that it's almost comical.
Lance Parrish may have had the best overall career of any catcher who ever played for the Phillies, but he was an utter disappointment for the club in 1986 and 1987 after being hailed as the team's savior.
We all love Bob Uecker, but let us not forget his anemic hitting, as he managed a .202 average over 242 at-bats across two seasons with the Phillies. It's also fun to bring up random guys like Tom Prince and Mark Parent because they're always good for a laugh from a certain segment of the fanbase.
Rod Barajas had a decent MLB career, but his time in Philadelphia was marred by one of the worst defensive efforts in team history. But, as I always say, at least Barajas was a real stand-up guy.
Lastly, Andrew Knapp. Nothing else needs to be said. Now, onto the actual list.
No. 5: Mike Lieberthal
Any lingering bitterness that Phillies fans might have about Mike Lieberthal is largely misplaced, as he was legitimately one of the top-five hitting catchers in the game for a period of a few years. The lack of team success at that time is not his fault, but fans of a certain age no doubt consider him the poster child for the era due to his longevity.
Lieberthal had to carry a fairly heavy workload behind the plate because he was always backed up by the likes of Gary Bennett and Mark Parent. And he made the most of it, accruing a pair of All-Star selections and a Gold Glove along the way. Lieby caught over 100 games on seven different occasions, which is not an easy feat and makes my knees hurt just thinking about it. He was also behind the dish for Kevin Millwood's 2003 no-hitter.
Mike Lieberthal
— Random Philly Athletes (@philly_athletes) May 2, 2021
Catcher
Philadelphia Phillies (1994-2006)pic.twitter.com/yqRsq6afZL
Mike Lieberthal appeared in parts of 13 seasons for the Phils, stretching from 1994 to 2006. It's kind of ridiculous how the Phillies made the playoffs the year before he arrived and the year after he left, but not while he played for them. Don't lay the blame at Lieberthal's feet, as he had a productive career for the team, hitting .275 with 150 home runs and 1,137 hits for the Phils. He landed on the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2012, a befitting honor for his fine work in Philadelphia.
No. 4: Carlos Ruiz
The legend of "Chooch" will probably be overblown by the generation who saw him in his prime, but you still have to admire the heck out of what Carlos Ruiz was able to accomplish. One of the Phillies' rare organizational success stories to come out of Latin America, Ruiz signed with the club when he was 19. It took over seven years for him to make it to the bigs, but he became a fixture for the next decade.
You want no-hitters? Chooch has you covered. Roy Halladay twice, Cole Hamels, and the mostly forgotten Hamels/Diekman/Giles/Papelbon combo no-no of 2014 — Ruiz caught them all, and he's tied for the MLB record in this area.
Overall, Ruiz caught over 100 games seven times in his career, and he collected 898 hits and 401 RBI with the Phillies. He also hit .353 over 34 career World Series at-bats, including the dribbliest game-winning hit you've ever seen in a big spot. Hey, it still counted.
Across 1,069 regular season games and 46 playoff contests for the Phillies, Carlos Ruiz was a model of consistency and professionalism, a cool character who got every bit out of his talent. Rightfully, he'll always be a champion in this town, and everyone will know who you're talking about when they hear the cries of CHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCH.
No. 3: Bob Boone
It took nearly a century for a Phillies catcher to secure the final out of a World Series victory, and Boone was the man to accomplish it in 1980 when he received the strike three pitch from Tug McGraw.
In addition to achieving immortality as part of the franchise's first-ever championship club, Boone also made his mark over the course of a decade with the Phillies by making three All-Star teams and winning two Gold Gloves (which would have been more if not for the presence of Johnny Bench).
Boone wasn't much with the stick, but few catchers were in his day. Still, he managed to pile up almost 1,000 hits with the Phils as part of a .259 average. When it mattered most, however, Boone hit .412 in the 1980 World Series.
Boone eventually retired as the all-time MLB leader in games caught (2,225), although he now sits in third place after being passed by Iván Rodríguez and Carlton Fisk. Thanks to his father Ray and his sons Bret and Aaron, Bob Boone’s family has been present in MLB for 75 years. It wouldn’t have played out that way if not for his solid career that was spent mostly with the Phillies.
No. 2: J.T. Realmuto
J.T. Realmuto resides in the No. 2 slot for now, but with one or two more productive seasons, he will be atop this list. We're just going by what is already in the books instead of projecting, even though it stands as highly probable. Realmuto has collected two Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers as a Phil, and he has caught the most games in the National League three years running, which should count for something.
The Phillies have been very fortunate to have a stalwart like Realmuto at the catcher position for the last few years, and it's safe to say that their trade for him in 2019 has really paid off. A rare breed behind the dish, he has delivered above-average plate production and outstanding speed on the basepaths. He's just a great athlete. And he even managed to hit for the Phillies' first cycle in almost 20 years.
JT REALMUTO HAS BECOME THE FIRST PHILLIE TO HIT FOR THE CYCLE SINCE 2004
— Philly Sports Sufferer (@mccrystal_alex) June 13, 2023
HE FINALLY BROKE THE DAVID BELL CURSE
WHAT A HISTORIC MOMENT!
pic.twitter.com/BZQz8TU2p7
As he enters his age-33 season, Realmuto is surely on the downturn of his career. But there should still be some more gas left in the tank, validating why some erudite individuals have written about how indispensable he has been to this Phillies team over the past few years. He still has a chance to play himself into the Hall of Fame discussion if he can stave off Father Time a little while longer.
No. 1: Darren Daulton
With the caveat that he's keeping the seat warm for Realmuto, Darren Daulton still stands as the greatest catcher in team history through the 2023 season. It's truly a shame that Daulton didn't become the team's regular catcher until he was 27 years old, because he could have really put up some numbers.
As it stands, 'Dutch' still managed to hit 20 home runs and drove in 100 runs a pair of times, even leading the NL in RBI (109) in 1992, when he finished sixth in MVP voting. Daulton also earned three All-Star selections and a Silver Slugger.
His legendary leadership of the 1993 club that came tantalizingly close to a World Series title endeared him to the fanbase in perpetuity. Here was a true Phillie who got down in the dirt and gave his blood and sweat to help the team win. People around here will never forget it.
Daulton actually served as the first designated hitter in team history, as well, when interleague play arrived in 1997. He would be traded to the Marlins that year, of course, and Phillies fans were overjoyed to see him win the World Series with them to cap off his career.
Darren Daulton stands atop this list for the time being but, no matter if and when he is passed by J.T. Realmuto or some other player down the road, Phillies fans will always remember the player and the man. There will never be anyone quite like Dutch.
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