Baseball's Top 10 Catchers of All Time

1. Johnny Bench - In Johnny Bench's 17 years of service, he put up some of the best numbers as a catcher. He was also one of the best defensively. He hit 381 home runs in his 17 years with the Cincinnati Reds and also had over 2,000 hits. Not very many catchers can do that, but he did.

2. Yogi Berra - In Berra's 20 years as a Yankee, he had better statistics than Johnny Bench did. He hit 321 home runs, which is less, but he also had a career batting average of .285. He also drove in 1430 runs. Not only was he famous for his baseball skills, but as you all know he was famous for his nutty sayings that he had.

3. Roy Campanella - Though he did not play very long in his major league career, Roy Campanella was a major contributor to the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1950's. For the amount of time that he spent in the league, his numbers would have compared to some of the greats if he enjoyed a full career. He hit 242 home runs, 856 RBI's and finished his career off with a .276 career batting average.

4. Josh Gibson - You won't find any statistics about this baseball player playing in the major leagues. He played baseball in the Negro League. He was one of the best hitters in this league and was called by many as the "Black Babe Ruth." Josh Gibson is probably the best player ever that you have never heard about.

5. Mike Piazza - Though he suffered through much of his career changing teams a lot, Piazza has without a doubt put up the best statistics of any catcher to ever play. He finished his career with a .308 batting average, hit 427 home runs, and recorded 1,335 RBI's. These numbers would be impressive to even a player that played in the field. Mike Piazza was easily the best offensive catcher to ever play the game.

6. Ivan Rodriguez - Ivan Rodriguez was easily the second best hitter to ever play catcher. He has posted just slightly less numbers than Mike Piazza did, but Ivan Rodriguez was a better catcher in the field.

7. Mickey Cochrane - Mickey Cochrane played in a different era than most of these catchers did. That alone should tell you that he deserves to be on this list. He was one of the best catchers of the 1920's and '30's. He finished his career off with a career .320 batting average.

8. Gary Carter - Gary carter was one of the better catchers in the league before Ivan Rodriguez and Mike Piazza became the best catchers in the 1990's. Gary Carter was one of the best at his position from 1974-1992. He spent most of his career playing for the Montreal Expos and the New York Mets, and enjoyed a fine career with both teams.

9. Bill Dickey - Here is the one of the oldest catchers to play that is also on this list. He spent his entire career with the New York Yankees and hit over 200 home runs in his career. He also hit for a .313 average throughout his entire career.

10. Elston Howard - Also spending most of his career with the New York Yankees, Elston Howard did not enjoy a great offensive career, but he was one of the better defensive players of his time. He definitely deserves the #10 spot on this list.