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Texas Rangers top five catchers of all time

By Stephen Francis

Current Texas Rangers catcher Jonathan Lucroy is something special, but he's not on this list. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
Current Texas Rangers catcher Jonathan Lucroy is something special, but he's not on this list. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports /
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With Spring Training 2017 less than a month away, it’s time to start looking forward to some Texas Rangers baseball. What’s a better way to do it than look back at some of the best players in team history? So, here’s a glance at the top five backstops in Rangers history.

Compared to other MLB teams, the Texas Rangers haven’t existed very long. They started out as the second coming of the Washington Senators and then moved to Arlington for the 1972 season.

In 45 seasons of baseball in Arlington, over 100 players have donned the gear and squatted behind the plate. Yet, only 21 have actually held the designation of full-time catcher during that time. In fact, 22 of those seasons belong to just two guys.

In 45 seasons of baseball in Arlington, over 100 players have donned the gear and squatted behind the plate.

Now before getting to the rankings, there are some criteria that have to be used to rank the players. Catcher is arguably the game’s most physically-demanding position and defensive skill takes precedence over the other skills. Although, being handy with the stick isn’t a bad thing, either.

However, contact and the ability to get on base weighs slightly more heavily than power. It also doesn’t hurt if the player is charitable or an all-around “good guy.”

Eligible players must have started at least 200 games at catcher as a Ranger. Players that started 200+ with the Senators, but didn’t with Texas, don’t count. So, you won’t see names like Paul Casanova or Jim French.

You also won’t see Jonathan Lucroy on here, either. While he is talent-wise a great ballplayer, he hasn’t been a Ranger long enough to determine something like this. But give him at least one more season here and it could all change.

One-hit wonders don’t really qualify either, since this is a lifetime ranking. These rankings are for guys that played significant time in Arlington and played mostly catcher during their tenure. So without further adieux, here are the best catchers in Rangers history in reverse order.

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