Ivan Rodriguez has always been one of my favorite players. He was an exciting, young catcher in the early nineties when I was catching for my little league team. He was a seasoned pro who I respected but rooted against when my Yanks faced him in the '96 Division Series. He was an old vet when his Marlins beat us in the 2003 World Series. And now that he is 36, a 14-time all star, 13-time Gold Glove winner, 1999 AL MVP, and future Hall of Famer, I am finally allowed to root for him. Because today, my friends, Ivan Rodriguez is a Yankee. Finally.
When I was growing up, I-Rod always played second fiddle to Mike Piazza. Piazza slammed homers, had movie star looks, and played in LA and New York. Pudge's specialty was defense, he played in Texas, and he never pined for the cameras. But while Piazza will be remembered as the best offensive catcher of all time, Pudge, I believe is the best overall catcher of all-time. Defensively, there has never been anyone better. He blocks the plate like a wall, is lightning fast, and has a rocket-launcher attached to his shoulder. In his prime, only ADT did more to prevent stealing. But while defense is his strength and should be his legacy, his offensive impact has long been underrated.
Johnny Bench batted .267, Yogi Berra batted .285 and Carlton Fisk batted .269. Pudge has a lifetime average of .302, batted over .300 for ten seasons, and batted over .330 for three seasons. His 2584 hits and 520 doubles are both the most ever by a catcher and his 293 home runs and 114 steals are a testament to his unique combination of power and speed. As American League MVP in 1999, he batted .332 with 35 home runs, 113 RBI, 29 doubles, 25 steals, 199 hits, and 116 runs scored. While Piazza's numbers came at the expense of his defensive, um, deficiences, there was a time when Rodriguez was perhaps the best all around player not just at his position, but in the entire game. Offense, defense, longevity, and leadership make Pudge the best catcher the game has ever seen. No other catcher in history has been able to put every part of the game together as well as Number Seven.
The Yankee line up now has the best catcher of all time, the best third baseman of all time, and arguably the best shortstop of all time. I love Jorge Posada and wouldn't have wanted anyone else behind the plate for the last decade, but with Jorge out I am thrilled to see Pudge in pinstripes. If Jorge agrees to move to first at the end of the year (it'd be a good move considering his age and health), the Yanks might try to hang on to Pudge for the next couple of seasons. But even if his stay in New York is only two or three months long, Ivan Rodriquez, in my opinion the best catcher of all time, is a Yankee. And I will finally have been able to root for him.
Prob an overall good move for the Yanks, but here's the rub: while Posada has 13 seasons on his odometer, I-Rod has 17! So they are actually trading for someone who has more miles on him than Posada. And while its very very arguable that I-Rod is the best catcher of all time, I would be VERY concerned about his long-term health.
Posted by: Cassidy | July 31, 2008 at 06:00 PM
Thanks for posting. I gotta disagree on this though, and here's why: Pudge is still playing fantastic ball and they only got him for two months. They haven't committed to him as their catcher of the future; for now they just need him for this pennant race and the guy's batting .295 this season. You're right about the long-term health concerns of a 36 year old catcher, but as long as he holds up for the next two months, we're straight. Just not looking forward to this off-season, when we'll have two 37- year old catchers to worry about.
Posted by: Dave G | July 31, 2008 at 06:09 PM
Pudge is there for 2 months (hopefully). Every sports person indicates that he will be fired up for 2 months, but is moody, must control the game and dilikes when pitchers call him off & never wants out.
Molina did a fantastic job and cannot be forgotten. I predict that Moose will be pitching to Molina.
As for best catcher of all time, I don't totally agree.
Did you forget Plexico Burress of last years Giants. He made some good catches.
Posted by: Indy | July 31, 2008 at 08:06 PM