Top catchers of the 21st century
Joe Mauer makes a strong case for top honors, followed by Yadier Molina and Buster Posey
Joe Mauer did things that no other catcher has ever done.
The Twins star won three batting titles during his 15-year career, posting the best averages in the American League in 2006, 2008, and 2009. Ernie Lombardi was the only other catcher to claim more than one batting championship, leading the National League back in 1938 and 1942.
Mauer won his third title with a .365 average, which remains the highest mark for any catcher who made more than 500 plate appearances in a season. His .347 in 2006 ranks sixth on the same list.
Mauer’s contemporaries recognized his greatness. He was voted the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 2009, one of only two catchers to be named an MVP in the 21st century so far. (Buster Posey was the other in 2012.) Mauer also won three Gold Gloves, five Silver Sluggers, and six berths on AL All-Star teams.
Add it all together, and you can make a strong case that Joe Mauer was the best catcher to set foot on a big-league diamond since the turn of the century.
That’s certainly what the numbers say. Fifty-seven catchers made at least 2,500 plate appearances between 2000 and 2020. I plugged their records into my 10-part formula, and Mauer emerged as the clear frontrunner. Yadier Molina and Posey finished as the runners-up.
I designed my formula to reward both quality and longevity. (Click here for a detailed explanation of the rating process.) It’s essential for a player to fashion a few peak seasons (such as Mauer’s batting titles) to earn a high overall rating, but it’s equally important to remain successful for a substantial period of time (as Mauer did in batting .305 or better in eight different years).
This category was open to any 21st century player who topped the appearance threshold while playing at least 40% of his games as a catcher. Mauer himself remained behind the plate from 2004 to 2013, then wrapped up his career at first base. (All of his statistics, regardless of position, count toward his rating here.)
The formula ranks the players from top to bottom, then assigns scores of 1,000 points to the leader and 0 points to the tailender at each position. The scores for everybody else are determined by their relative performances between top and bottom.
One last thing: Don’t forget that these rankings are limited to the current century. Hall of Famer Mike Piazza batted .328 with 240 homers between 1992 and 1999, but those gaudy stats don’t count here. We’re interested only in his 2000-2007 record of .285 with 187 HR. Still awfully good, but no match for the excellent first half of his career. That’s why you don’t find Piazza in the top 10.
Below are profiles of the 10 highest-rated catchers, followed by the rest of the rankings (No. 11 to No. 57). Each profile includes a player’s score, his cumulative stats for the century, and a few pertinent notes. (Click here to learn more about the 10 statistical categories.)
1. Joe Mauer (2004-2018)
Score: 1,000 points
WAR: 55.3 total, 4.8 per 162 G, 3.1 defensive
Averages: .306 BA, .439 SLG, .808 BPO
Scoring: 1,798 R generated, 157 per 162 G
Totals: 1,858 G, 2,123 H
Notes: The first thing that sticks out about Mauer’s record is those three batting titles, as well as the American League’s slugging championship in 2009. He leads all 21st century catchers in total WAR, batting average, and scoring per 162 games. But he was more than just an excellent hitter. Don’t forget those Gold Gloves from 2008 to 2010.
2. Yadier Molina (2004-2020)
Score: 853 points
WAR: 40.3 total, 3.2 per 162 G, 25.4 defensive
Averages: .281 BA, .404 SLG, .658 BPO
Scoring: 1,485 R generated, 119 per 162 G
Totals: 2,025 G, 2,001 H
Notes: Molina is still going strong after 17 seasons. He’s a marvel behind the plate, undoubtedly the century’s greatest defensive catcher. His nine Gold Gloves attest to his unparalleled skill, as does his defensive WAR, which is nine points higher than anybody else’s. And he’s one of only four catchers to rap more than 2,000 career hits.
3. Buster Posey (2009-2019)
Score: 844 points
WAR: 41.8 total, 5.4 per 162 G, 10.1 defensive
Averages: .302 BA, .456 SLG, .790 BPO
Scoring: 1,128 R generated, 145 per 162 G
Totals: 1,258 G, 1,380 H
Notes: Posey was the sparkplug for San Francisco’s world championship teams in 2010, 2012, and 2014, being named the National League’s Rookie of the Year in the first of those magical seasons and Most Valuable Player in the second. He hasn’t played nearly as long as the two men ahead of him, but his WAR/162 is the highest for any catcher.
4. Jorge Posada (2000-2011)
Score: 830 points
WAR: 38.4 total, 4.0 per 162 G, 1.3 defensive
Averages: .277 BA, .483 SLG, .867 BPO
Scoring: 1,444 total, 152 per 162 G
Totals: 1,537 G, 1,427 H
Notes: Posada has been retired for nearly a decade, yet he remains fourth on this list. His high rating is based almost totally on his abilities at the plate, not behind it. His BPO is the highest for any catcher, 24 points ahead of runner-up Mike Piazza. And his scoring rate of 152 runs per 162 games is second only to Mauer’s ratio of 157 per 162.
5. Victor Martinez (2002-2018)
Score: 804 points
WAR: 31.9 total, 2.6 per 162 G, -8.4 defensive
Averages: .295 BA, .455 SLG, .763 BPO
Scoring: 1,846 R generated, 152 per 162 G
Totals: 1,973 G, 2,153 H
Notes: Martinez could be a liability with a glove. He’s the only member of the top 10 whose defensive WAR is a negative number. Yet he was fantastic with a bat, leading everybody on this list in total scoring and hits, and ranking third in games played. The Tigers shifted him to DH in 2011 to keep his potent stroke in the lineup.
6. Ivan Rodriguez (2000-2011)
Score: 777 points
WAR: 31.1 total, 3.7 per 162 G, 11.3 defensive
Averages: .293 BA, .463 SLG, .716 BPO
Scoring: 1,249 R generated, 147 per 162 G
Totals: 1,374 G, 1,511 H
Notes: This Hall of Famer played nine seasons prior to the turn of the century and 12 after. The first period (1991-1999) was definitely better, marked by a career .300 batting average and an MVP trophy in 1999. Rodriguez never finished higher than 10th in MVP balloting thereafter. Yet his batting and slugging averages for the 21st century still rank fourth among catchers.
7. Brian McCann (2005-2019)
Score: 741 points
WAR: 31.9 total, 2.9 per 162 G, 7.7 defensive
Averages: .262 BA, .452 SLG, .749 BPO
Scoring: 1,478 R generated, 136 per 162 G
Totals: 1,755 G, 1,590 H
Notes: McCann was remarkably durable, catching at least 108 games in nine of the 10 seasons from 2006 through 2015. His counting stats, as a result, look particularly good. He ranks fifth among the century’s catchers in both games and scoring — and sixth in both hits and total WAR.
8. Russell Martin (2006-2019)
Score: 728 points
WAR: 38.7 total, 3.7 per 162 G, 16.4 defensive
Averages: .248 BA, .397 SLG, .724 BPO
Scoring: 1,383 R generated, 132 per 162 G
Totals: 1,693 G, 1,416 H
Notes: Martin earned just a single Gold Glove, yet defensive WAR puts him second only to the great Yadier Molina over the course of his entire career. His ability behind the plate was coupled with a few solid seasons at bat, leaving him seventh among the century’s catchers in total scoring and ninth in hits.
9. A.J. Pierzynski (2000-2016)
Score: 692 points
WAR: 23.6 total, 1.9 per 162 G, 8.5 defensive
Averages: .280 BA, .420 SLG, .643 BPO
Scoring: 1,520 R generated, 121 per 162 G
Totals: 2,043 G, 2,034 H
Notes: Dependability was the quality that landed Pierzynski in the top 10. He stepped behind the plate for at least 110 games every year from 2001 through 2013. That’s 13 seasons in a row. No catcher this century has played more games than Pierzynski, though Molina could pass him in 2021.
10. Jason Kendall (2000-2010)
Score: 620 points
WAR: 26.2 total, 2.7 per 162 G, 11.6 defensive
Averages: .281 BA, .357 SLG, .664 BPO
Scoring: 1,242 R generated, 127 per 162 G
Totals: 1,584 G, 1,660 H
Notes: Kendall rang up a solid .302 batting average during the first five years of the 21st century. Then he turned 30, and the joyride came to a sudden end. He batted just .260 in his final six seasons as a big leaguer. Yet his batting average for the century still ranks eighth among all catchers, and his hit total is fifth.
Everybody else
11. Mike Piazza (2000-2007): 599 points
12. Salvador Perez (2011-2020): 575 points
13. Jason Varitek (2000-2011): 571 points
14. Javy Lopez (2000-2006): 565 points
15. Ramon Hernandez (2000-2013): 563 points
16. J.T. Realmuto (2014-2020): 541 points
17. Paul Lo Duca (2000-2008): 521 points
18. Kurt Suzuki (2007-2020): 519 points
19. Jonathan Lucroy (2010-2020): 492 points
20. Carlos Ruiz (2006-2017): 474 points
21. Bengie Molina (2000-2010): 472 points
22. Wilson Ramos (2010-2020): 459 points
23. Matt Wieters (2009-2020): 453 points
24. Yasmani Grandal (2012-2020): 444 points
25. Miguel Montero (2006-2018): 427 points
26. Mike Lieberthal (2000-2007): 398 points
27. Chris Iannetta (2006-2019): 372 points
28. Yan Gomes (2012-2020): 368 points
29. Gregg Zaun (2000-2010): 353 points
30. Francisco Cervelli (2008-2020): 345 points
30. Geovany Soto (2005-2017): 345 points
32. Alex Avila (2009-2020): 337 points
33. Welington Castillo (2010-2019): 331 points
34. Ryan Doumit (2005-2014): 323 points
35. Miguel Olivo (2002-2014): 315 points
36. Damian Miller (2000-2007): 305 points
37. John Jaso (2008-2017): 282 points
38. Rod Barajas (2000-2012): 263 points
39. Jason Castro (2010-2020): 259 points
40. Jason LaRue (2000-2010): 257 points
40. David Ross (2002-2016): 257 points
42. Michael Barrett (2000-2009): 253 points
42. John Buck (2004-2014): 253 points
44. Nick Hundley (2008-2019): 250 points
45. Jarrod Saltalamacchia (2007-2018): 242 points
46. Brian Schneider (2000-2012): 236 points
47. Yorvit Torrealba (2001-2013): 234 points
48. Dioner Navarro (2004-2016): 226 points
49. Brad Ausmus (2000-2010): 220 points
50. Tyler Flowers (2009-2020): 205 points
51. Toby Hall (2000-2008): 182 points
52. Gerald Laird (2003-2015): 181 points
53. Mike Matheny (2000-2006): 127 points
54. Martin Maldonado (2011-2020): 122 points
55. Henry Blanco (2000-2013): 62 points
56. Jose Molina (2001-2014): 52 points
57. Jeff Mathis (2005-2020): 0 points