Even Hall of Fame Catchers Decline
From Dickey and Cochrane to Bench and Fisk, Age Takes Its Toll
There has been a dramatic decline in the offensive production of backstops after the age of thirty six.
Bill Dickey, Mickey Cochrane, Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, and Gary Carter are Hall of Fame catchers. Forget about comparing them. They are among the best defensive catchers of all time and they could hit, but when they reached their mid-thirties, their offensive production declined dramatically. Defensively, they remained solid, but they no longer were the threats they had been.
Bill Dickey Hit .318 At Age Thirty-Six
Bill Dickey batted .313 and averaged more than 100 RBIs a season. He played two seasons that were separated by a stint in the Navy near the end of WWII. At the age of 36, in 1943, Dickey hit .318, but he appeared in only 85 games, and when he returned from the Navy in 1946, he appeared in 54 games, batting .261. The player who taught Yogi Berra "his experience" hit only 6 home runs those two seasons, after averaging almost 20 a season before thirty-six.
Mickey Cochrane Was a Playing Manager
Mickey Cochrane played for the A’s and Tigers from 1925-1937. He batted .320 lifetime and caught over 100 games in each of his first 11 seasons. In 1934, he became the Tigers’ playing manager, and in 1936, at the age of thirty-three, he became a part time player, batting .270 with 2 home runs and 17 RBIs in 44 games. Cochrane appeared in only 27 games the next season and then retired.
Yogi Once Hit .224
Yogi Berra never caught over 100 games in a season after the age of thirty-four. In 1961, when he was thirty-six,Yogi played 87 games in the outfield and 15 behind the plate. He hit .271 with 22 home runs and 61 RBIs as a part time player. The next season, Yogi hit .224, appearing in only 86 games. He retired at the age of 38, only to resurface for a few games in 1965 with the Mets.
Campanella's Career Was Cut Short
Roy Campanella was Yogi’s contemporary. Campy joined Brooklyn in 1948 when he was twenty-six and played until a horrible automobile accident ended his career after the 1957 season. He suffered a hand injury that hampered his hitting later in his career, but he had some great seasons. In 1955, Roy batted .318 with 32 home runs and 107 RBIs. In 1956, at the age of thirty four, he hit only .219, in part due to his hand injury, and in his final season, he hit .242.
Bench Never Caught 100 Games After He Was Thirty-Four
Johnny Bench was a great defensive catcher, but he never caught 100 games after he was thirty four, when he hit .258 with 13 home runs. The following season was Johnny’s last, when he caught 5 games and hit .255 with 12 home runs. Carlton Fisk, often compared to Bench, caught at least 100 games a season until he was forty three, which is a major reason he is in the Hall of Fame. Carlton broke the pattern when he hit .293 and .285 when he was over forty, catching about two thirds of his team’s games.
Gary Carter Never Caught 100 Games After He Was Thiry-Four
Finally, Gary Carter, like Bench, never caught over 100 games after he was thirty four. That season, his last with the Mets, he hit only .242 with 11 home runs and 46 RBIs. He played his last season with the Expos, his original team, catching 85 games and hitting .218 with 5 home runs.
Should the Yankees Meet Posada's Demands?
This brings us to thirty-six-year-old Jorge Posada, who had an outstanding 2007 season. Jorge wants in the neighborhood of $40 million for three years. The chances that he will catch 100 or more games are not great. Most of the Hall of Fame catchers discussed above played other positions when they got older. Do the Yankees want to spend $40 million for a designated hitter, possible part-time first baseman, and catcher? There is the chance that Posada will be like Fisk. There is a greater chance that he will be like the others when they reached the age of thirty six. The Yankees should sign him.
