Did you ever count it up?  How many GREAT catchers were associated with GREAT clubs?  Just off the top of our heads here, just kinda thinking out loud … we remember who the Two Best are in baseball history:

1. Bench … ok, Big Red Machine
2. Berra … what was it, 13 rings?

So the two best C’s are associated with, what could be accused of, the two most spectacular dynasties in history.  That should perk up our ears. Bill James lists the next three greatest catchers of all time as

1. Roy Campanella (#3)
2. Mickey Cochrane (#4)
3. Mike Piazza (#5)

Did these guys’ teams play .500, or worse, or better?  :- )   Two of them played for epic dynasties, and the other (Piazza) is a world champion, too. Campanella’s 1949-57 Dodgers routinely won 92-99 games.  In nine years they won 5 pennants and a World Series.  One of the best ten-year runs in NL history. Cochrane’s A’s had a 3-year stretch of winning 102-107 games, with all three pennants and two World Series … He moved to Detroit in 1934, whereupon the Tigers then won the next two pennants.  What is very amusing for our "take-charge catcher" thesis is that Cochrane caught and managed the Tigers’ two pennants. Mike Piazza, the #5 all time catcher, is the first one on the list who didn’t lead a historically-great dynasty.  …Piazza made the playoffs 4 times in his first 10 years, with one World Series, which is a little better than Scrapiron Stinson.  Still, you could argue that (1) Piazza is not a take-charge catcher, that he has no real leadership skills, or you could argue that (2) Piazza is a counterexample to what we’re talking about. I certainly would lean to (1).  I don’t think that Piazza’s teammates were at all thrilled to have him around, putting it mildly, but that’s just my opinion.  I don’t think he fit into MLB clubhouses well at all. ====================== It’s not like the list ends there.  #6 is Carlton Fisk, who led the Red Sox to the epic 1975 AL Pennant (with the Foul Pole HR in the WS against the Reds) and led the White Sox to the ‘83 playoffs.  Fisk’s teams did not win a handful of rings, but the 1970’s Red Sox were always contenders and the 1981-1985 White Sox were well over .500. #7 Bill Dickey played for 8 pennantwinners in 12 years. The pattern is amazing.  Does the same kind of pattern exist for the top players at any other position? ======================= Ivan Rodriguez  played for the Marlins for one year, and during that year the Marlins won the World Series.  …The Rangers, who are sun-cursed, made the playoffs three times when Pudge was there, and Gomez noted his transformative influence on the Tigers.  We were all amazed at the 2004 Tigers — you remember that the 2003 Tigers lost 119 games?!  … Pudge got there and they played roughly .500 ball until the home stretch. Who else … Jason Varitek was probably considered the impact catcher of 2004-08.    … In 2004, the Sox broke their curse, and have been one of the AL’s elite since Varitek became Varitek. The Red Sox invested a surprisingly big, surprisingly long-term deal in Varitek, last time around.  Catchers have short shelf lives and Varitek isn't going to play forever. But they've got a big problem if it's the end of his run.  The Red Sox catcher position deserves serious attention. Cheers, Dr D