List of Major League Baseball career putouts as a catcher leaders explained

In baseball statistics, a putout (denoted by PO) is given to a defensive player who records an out by tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base (a tagout), catching a batted or thrown ball and tagging a base to put out a batter or runner (a force out), catching a thrown ball and tagging a base to record an out on an appeal play, catching a third strike (a strikeout), catching a batted ball on the fly (a flyout), or being positioned closest to a batter or runner called out for interference. The catcher is a defensive position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his/her turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to these primary duties, the catcher is also called upon to master many other skills in order to field the position well. The role of the catcher is similar to that of the wicket-keeper in cricket. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the catcher is assigned the number 2.

The great majority of putouts recorded by catchers result from strikeouts, with almost all of the rest resulting from catching pop-ups and retiring runners tagged out or forced out at home plate, including attempts to steal home. On rare occasions, a catcher can record two putouts on a single play, usually by tagging out a runner trying to steal home immediately after the batter has struck out; on August 2, 1985, Carlton Fisk of the Chicago White Sox tagged out two New York Yankees moments apart at home plate when both tried to score on a double. The feat was duplicated by Paul Lo Duca of the New York Mets in Game 1 of the 2006 National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Putout totals are often not regarded as a strong indicator of a catcher's defensive skill because of the high number resulting from strikeouts. As trends in baseball have changed, with an increasing number of strikeouts per game, the proportion of catchers' putouts from strikeouts has risen steadily. In 1901, about 73% of catchers' putouts in the major leagues resulted from strikeouts (the figure is imprecise due to the occasional uncaught third strike either resulting in no putout or a putout being awarded to a different player); that figure rose to 78% in 1930, 84% in 1950 and 92% in 1980. In the 2021 season, 99% of catchers' putouts resulted from strikeouts; remarkably, the Atlanta Braves pitching staff recorded 1,417 strikeouts, but the team's catchers only recorded 1,394 putouts. Accordingly, putout totals for catchers have also risen steadily; through 2021, the top six major league catchers in career putouts, and 11 of the top 16, all made their major league debuts after 1990, with all 16 debuting in 1969 or later. Through 2021, 12 of the top 13 single-season totals were recorded in 2016 or later, and 90 of the top 100 were recorded since 1993.

Yadier Molina holds the record for the most putouts by a catcher with 15,122.[1] Molina surpassed the previous holder, Hall of Famer Iván Rodríguez, on June 14, 2022, in the first game of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates.[2] [3] [4] [5] Rodríguez (14,864) remains the only other catcher to record 14,000 career putouts.

Key

Rank Among leaders in career putouts. A blank field indicates a tie.
Player (2024 POs) Recorded putouts in 2024
MLB Career putouts as a catcher in Major League Baseball
Denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame
BoldActive player[6]

List

RankPlayer (2024 POs)Putouts as a catcherOther leagues, notes
MLB American LeagueNational League
1Yadier Molina15,122015,122
2Iván Rodríguez*14,86412,3772,487Held major league record, 2007-2022
3Jason Kendall13,0193,1169,903
4Brad Ausmus12,8392,10410,735
5A. J. Pierzynski12,60010,5622,038
6Brian McCann12,0484,0867,962
7Gary Carter*11,785011,785Held major league record, 1988-1989, 1991-2007; held NL record, 1987-2018
8Russell Martin11,6124,8156,797
9Carlton Fisk*11,36911,3690Held American League record, 1990-2007
10Bob Boone11,2605,5835,677Held major league record, 1989-1991
11Tony Peña11,2124,4086,804
12Kurt Suzuki10,8697,7553,114
13Mike Piazza*10,844010,844
14Benito Santiago10,8168949,922
15Jason Varitek10,16610,1660
16Jorge Posada10,01610,0160
17Bill Freehan9,9419,9410Held major league record, 1975-1988; held AL record, 1973-1990; held AL single-season record, 1967-1997
18Jim Sundberg9,7679,406361
19Lance Parrish9,6478,0591,588
20John Roseboro9,2911,3967,895Held major league record, 1969-1975; held NL record, 1966-1972; held single-season record, 1959-1963
21Salvador Pérez (572)9,2619,2610
22Johnny Bench*9,24909,249Held National League record, 1980-1987
23J. T. Realmuto (659)9,16209,162
24Ramón Hernández9,0125,7403,272
25Javy López8,9901,5707,420
26Yasmani Grandal (424)8,9712,2356,736Holds the single-season record of 1,169 (set in 2019)
27Johnny Edwards8,92508,925Held National League record, 1972-1980; held the single-season record, 1963-2019
28Ted Simmons*8,9061,3307,576
29Martín Maldonado (378)8,8836,7702,113
30Yogi Berra*8,7388,72315Held major league record, 1959-1969; held AL record, 1959-1973
31Yan Gomes (245)8,3785,2033,175Held AL single-season record, 2014-2019
32Buster Posey8,35908,359
33Mike Scioscia8,33508,335
34Tim McCarver8,206558,151
35Bengie Molina8,1224,9893,133
36Dan Wilson8,1097,921188Held AL single-season record, 1997-2014
37Jerry Grote8,081877,994
38Jonathan Lucroy8,0412,1835,858
39Bill Dickey*7,9657,9650Held major league record, 1942-1959; held AL record, 1942-1959
40Mike Lieberthal7,82907,829
41Matt Wieters7,6975,5972,100
42Carlos Ruiz7,6682827,386
43Sandy Alomar Jr.7,6677,335332
44Joe Girardi7,6192,6264,993
45Chris Iannetta7,6133,3104,303
46Miguel Montero7,5161927,324
47Jim Hegan7,5067,170336
48Terry Steinbach7,5057,5050
49Rick Dempsey7,3676,556811
50Del Crandall7,3523047,048
51Roy Campanella*7,29506,520Includes 775 in Negro National League (incomplete); held single-season record, 1953-1959
52Gabby Hartnett*7,29207,292Held major league record, 1941-1942; held NL record, 1936-1966
53Wilson Ramos7,2561,3115,945
54Rick Ferrell*7,2487,2480
55Charles Johnson7,2181,5825,636
56Ray Schalk*7,1687,1617Held major league record, 1925-1941; held AL record 1920-1942
57Mike Matheny7,1171,8605,257
58Alan Ashby7,0861,9915,095
59Sherm Lollar7,0597,0590
60Christian Vázquez (589)7,0507,0500
61Tom Haller7,0122206,792
62Deacon McGuire6,8561,6614,041Includes 1,154 in American Association; held major league record, 1901-1925
63Mike Zunino6,8326,8320
64Rod Barajas6,7683,4163,352
65Darrell Porter6,7564,4972,259
66John Buck6,7334,2642,469
67Damian Miller6,6967865,910
68Darrin Fletcher6,6782,9923,686
69Miguel Olivo6,6753,9502,725
70Alex Avila6,6585,3731,285
71Al López*6,6441446,500
72Travis d'Arnaud (559)6,5636595,904
73Terry Kennedy6,5551,0825,473
74Rick Cerone6,5485,634914
75Todd Hundley6,53506,535
76James McCann (418)6,5185,1001,418
77Elston Howard6,4476,4470Held AL single-season record, 1964-1967
78Mickey Cochrane*6,4146,4140
79Tucker Barnhart (214)6,3546535,701
80Jason Castro6,3235,2641,059
81Paul Lo Duca6,31106,311
82Jeff Mathis6,2943,8432,451
83Butch Wynegar6,2816,2810
84Thurman Munson6,2536,2530
85Brent Mayne6,1863,7062,480
86Earl Battey6,1766,1760Held AL single-season record, 1961-1964
87Don Slaught6,1583,9112,247
88Gregg Zaun6,1344,4651,669
89Dioner Navarro6,1134,6511,462
89Steve Yeager6,1102345,876
91Ernie Whitt6,0915,795296
92Joe Oliver6,0591,3294,730
93Nick Hundley6,0455295,516
94José Molina6,0335,98944
95Michael Barrett6,020345,986
96Manny Sanguillén5,9963415,655
97Brian Schneider5,98705,987
98Steve O'Neill5,9675,9670
99Rollie Hemsley5,8684,2511,617
100Joe Mauer*5,8315,8310

Other Hall of Famers

PlayerPutouts as catcherOther leagues, notes
MLB American LeagueNational League
Ernie Lombardi5,69405,694
Wilbert Robinson*5,1744972,503Includes 2,174 in American Association
Joe Torre*4,85004,850
Roger Bresnahan*4,3092664,043
Buck Ewing*3,30102,929Includes 372 in Players' League
Connie Mack*2,70102,252Includes 449 in Players' League
Craig Biggio*2,45602,456
Josh Gibson*2,30600Includes 2,306 in Negro National League (second) (incomplete)
King Kelly*2,19801,766Includes 233 in American Association, 199 in Players' League
Biz Mackey*2,19600Includes 847 in Negro National League (second), 635 in Eastern Colored League,
493 in Negro National League (first), 221 in American Negro League (incomplete)
Deacon White*2,18201,150Includes 1,032 in National Association
Jim O'Rourke*9180855Includes 63 in National Association
Jimmie Foxx*4204119
Louis Santop*14500Includes 145 in Eastern Colored League (incomplete)

References

  1. Web site: Yadier Molina Career Stats . June 28, 2021 . Baseball Reference.
  2. Web site: With 14,865th putout, Yadi sets MLB record. Major League Baseball. June 14, 2022.
  3. Web site: Iván Rodríguez Career Stats. Baseball Reference. June 28, 2021.
  4. Web site: Ivan Rodriguez Bio. West. Steve. Society For American Baseball Research. June 28, 2021.
  5. Web site: Iván Rodríguez Hall of Fame Profile. National Baseball Hall of Fame. August 1, 2021.
  6. A player is considered inactive if he has announced his retirement or has not played for a full season.

External links

Web site: Career Leaders & Records for Putouts as C. Baseball-Reference.com.

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