23 Responses to “1,000 Games Caught & RBI”

1. Andy Says:
   July 24th, 2010 at 9:25 am

   And of course his career OPS+ will likely fall by several points before he retires.

2. John Autin Says:
   July 24th, 2010 at 9:30 am

   I think "Jorgie" will probably make the Hall, and probably deserves it. Those who oppose him, though, may point to his subpar postseason record, especially his .219 career BA in 7 ALCS and 6 World Series. He has played in 6 WS, but never had a particularly good one at the plate; he has 2 HRs and 11 RBI in 29 WS games, and of all the memorable Yankee WS hits during this era, I don't think a single one belongs to Posada. In the 2 WS that NYY lost (2001 and '03), he went a combined 6 for 42, with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored over 13 games. This is hardly the best measure of the man's career; but since he gains HOF credit for being a part of 4 championships and 6 pennants, he must also be judged by what he did in those tournaments.

3. David in Toledo Says:
   July 24th, 2010 at 9:59 am

   This ought to call our attention to Ted Simmons, who has 3000 more PA's than Jorge Posada.

4. Matt Young Says:
   July 24th, 2010 at 10:16 am

   I'd be a little surprised if Posada plays more than 2, maybe 3 more seasons (he'll be 39 next month), and I think there's a reasonable chance that he maintains a near 125 OPS+. He'll become more of a back-up catcher/DH type (perhaps as soon as next year) and given the good hitter he is I think he could maintain this with less wear and tear from catching. Now whether or not catching hurts his mindset so much his offensive numbers go down remains to be seen--he seems to be a better hitter when he catches. Surely a Hall borderliner, and that defense is tough to look at at times. All said and done he'll have a pretty balanced resume when finished and he likely gets in given a nice peak, nice career numbers, some milestones hit like 300 hrs, 5 championships (although he was only really a part of 4) and number of games caught will be 1600+ (22 catchers in history). Also, I think there's only 4 catchers in history with 1500 hits, 250 Hr's, 350 doubles and 1000 RBI's-- Rodriguez, Bench, Fisk and Posada. He could also become the first catcher ever to reach 1000 walks.

5. Matt Young Says:
   July 24th, 2010 at 10:18 am

   Yes, Simmons should be in!

6. g Says:
   July 24th, 2010 at 10:22 am

   John Autin....I read your comment and I have to say that a big hit Jorge had in the playoffs immediately jumped out at me, so therefore you must be wrong in your contention that he has never had a big hit. I seem to remember him getting the game tying two run double against Pedro in the 8th inning of Game 7 of the ALCS in 2003. I can go on, but I think that on ehit alone spoils your argument.

7. Frank Says:
   July 24th, 2010 at 10:23 am

   I see Posada as a part-time catcher/designated hitter for perhaps four more years, enough time for him to reach 30 home runs; I also see him being a front-runne for induction into the Hall of Fsme in 2020, give or take a year.

8. g Says:
   July 24th, 2010 at 10:23 am

   wow! it looks like Jorge may also soon have the most walks in the history of all catchers. Impressive stat.

9. Steve Lombardi Says:
   July 24th, 2010 at 10:39 am

   Posada's numbers are interesting - esp. when you consider that he didn't become a FT big leaguer until the age of 26. Most HOF types start much younger.

10. Matt Young Says:
    July 24th, 2010 at 10:54 am

    Also add Carter to this list --- 1500 hits, 250 Hr's, 350 doubles and 1000 RBI's-- Rodriguez, Bench, Fisk and Posada.

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    July 24th, 2010 at 11:01 am

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12. John Q Says:
    July 24th, 2010 at 11:37 am

    This list just highlights Ted Simmons omission from the HOF. Seriously, why isn't he in the HOF???

    I think Gary Carter lead the league in RBI's in 1984 and it was one of the few times a catcher ever did it. Usually catchers miss to many games to lead in a stat category.

13. Hartvig Says:
    July 24th, 2010 at 1:19 pm

    Of the 11 catchers listed, 7 are in the Hall of Fame, Piazza & IRod will get in & Simmons is one of the 5 most glaring omissions. Posada is borderline but certainly wouldn't be the worst catcher in the HOF by far. I'd place him about on par with Dickey or Joe Torre, a little behind Bill Freehan.

14. Hartvig Says:
    July 24th, 2010 at 1:20 pm

    Sorry, that should be: 6 are in the Hall of Fame, not 7

15. Matt Young Says:
    July 24th, 2010 at 1:45 pm

    Assuming he keeps this season up, Posada will have had 3 of his top 5 OPS+ in the past 4 years. Given the better consistency and many more games caught (Torre 900 as catcher), I'd certainly give the nod to Posada over Torre and perhaps even Freehan. I agree though that Feeehan should have had more Hall play than falling off ballot in one year. He was the best defensively off the 3.

16. Matt Young Says:
    July 24th, 2010 at 1:57 pm

    Torre's a little tough to evaluate given he jumped around playing different positions. He would have been likely a lock if he put his numbers up as only a catcher. Simmons should be in and Freehan and perhaps Parrish are borderline, but I don't think Porter is borderline. Parrish is hurt alot b/c he jumped around sooo much. From this era people will always see the big three of Piazza, Rodriquez, and Posada.

17. groundball Says:
    July 24th, 2010 at 9:34 pm

    I like Posada, and think he has been a very good player. But, I would have to rate him just below HOF caliber. However, I do think he has been hurt a bit because the Yankees have had such good players that at times he has batted in the bottom 3rd of the order. Piazza and Rodriguez didnt do that to often, none of the catchers on that list did that too often (except for maybe the extreme beginning or ending of their careers). Been a fan of his since I watched him play a handful of times in the minors.

18. Mr. Dave Says:
    July 24th, 2010 at 9:46 pm

    Ted Simmons not being in is one thing, but he never got off the first ballot! That is the real travesty. I hope that somehow, the Veteran's Commitee realizes how good he truly was, and lets him in.

19. steven Says:
    July 25th, 2010 at 3:43 am

    This must be about the fifth or sixth time I've said it on this blog: Ted Simmons should be in the Hall of Fame. At the risk of repeating myself, I'll probably repeat myself in another month or two.

20. rico petrocelli Says:
    July 25th, 2010 at 2:00 pm

    Simmons wasn't thought of as overpoweringly great in his time..why is that? Who were the stanouts, who is in the Hall, that we played against?

21. StephenH Says:
    July 25th, 2010 at 8:01 pm

    I figure Torre in his 900+ games as a catcher had no more than 630 RBI's. That's just by scanning his player record and "guessing" on a percentage and adding some numbers in my head. It would be interesting to know his actual totals.

    Nice to see someone (#'s 12 and 14) give some credit to Freehan, who really should have received some HOF consideration. But a lot of those 1960's guys got screwed.

    As for Posada, I would vote for him in the Hall, and I think a bunch of the Yankees of his era deserve credit, but I think the voters are getting tougher and tougher to impress and I wouldn't be surprised to see him fall off the ballot.

    As for Catchers that Ted Simmons played against Munson, Fisk, Fosse, Freehan from the AL. Simmons made 8 all star teams in a 12 year period. Bench had a spot locked up, that didn't leave many open spots for other NL catchers on the team. Grote, Stearns and Sanguillan all were NL all stars during that time period.

22. Joe Garrison Says:
    July 25th, 2010 at 11:37 pm

    I am (only) 41 and I can say I saw eight of those eleven guys play. Historically good hitting catchers sure did come along after expansion didn't they?

23. Jeff James Says:
    July 26th, 2010 at 6:23 am

    Hartvig Says:

    "Posada is borderline but certainly wouldn't be the worst catcher in the HOF by far. I'd place him about on par with Dickey or Joe Torre, a little behind Bill Freehan.?

    You're saying that Dickey was worse than Freehan?