Trivia: Catchers and OBP
 

Name the three players in MLB history with the highest single-season on-base percentage while appearing in at least 50 games as a catcher in that season.

Grandal, Mauer and Piazza?

Good guesses, but 0/3!

Buster Posey, Mickey Cochrane, and... Ernie Lombardi?

1/3, Cliff. Cochrane is correct.

Smokey Burgess

Yogi Berra

Clay Dalrymple

I like this question!

Are either Posada or Ivan Rodriguez on the list?

I’m going to guess Bill Dickey, and then ask if we are including Negro Leaguers or not?

How about Gene Tenace?

Two guesses, Joe Torre and Bill Freehan?

Great guesses, all. The other two remain unidentified.

Hint #1 - One of the two happened before Mickey Cochrane's season, the other happened after.

Surprised Mauer didn’t make the list

Wally Schang?

Mauer and Schang are both in the top 10, but not the top three.

And we aren’t including Negro Leagues?

Include Negro Leagues. (This should give away one of them...)

Campanella

Actually, no - Campanella not on the list.

Hint #2 - For both players, they were on great teams with multiple HOFers as teammates the year they accomplished this.

Great question!

I'm going to guess Chris Hoiles for the one after Cochrane and Josh Gibson for the one before.

Gibson is correct! One more to go...

ETA: Gibson did it after Cochrane. The remaining player did it before.

I think I got my before and after mixed up. Gibson would be after so I'll guess King Kelly as my before.

Roger Bresnahan?

You got it, Rad_Hazard!

Josh Gibson had a .560 OBP in 1943 and appeared in 62 games at catcher for the Homestead Grays.

King Kelly had a .483 OBP in 1886 and appeared in 53 games at catcher for the Chicago White Stockings.

Mickey Cochrane had a .459 OBP in 1933 and appeared in 128 games at catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics.

Woohoo! Great trivia!

Kelly was a beast at the plate so I guessed him over Ewing.

Where was Biz Mackey? - on the list?

I know he's a HOF catcher, but have never looked into his offense.


Josh Gibson:

.560!! What a hitter!

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I looked these up quickly so it's possible I missed someone, but I think these are the next four on the list:

Biz Mackey, 1929 (.449, 50 games at C)
Wally Schang, 1928 (.448, 82 games at C)
Jack Clements, 1895 (.446, 88 games C) <- I never would've guessed this one!
Joe Mauer, 2009 (.444, 109 games at C)

Bill Dickey in 1943 had .445.

Correct, thanks for the addition.