New York Yankees: All-time best catchers in franchise history

Catchers play a vital role for any baseball team. Plenty of men have suited up behind the plate for the New York Yankees, but only a few can be considered among the franchise’s best.

For many franchises, catcher is often a hard position to find a cornerstone for, but for the Yankees, that hasn’t been the case, as they’ve retired five different catchers’ numbers, with two being enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

For this list, I only consider what these players have done during their time as a Yankee only. So, no, Ivan Rodriguez, despite being one of the best catchers ever, does not make this list for hitting .219 in 33 games in the Bronx.

Additionally, I analyze what each player did in the regular season as well as the playoffs, if applicable. Personal accolades play a part as well, but pure statistics play the largest role, both in terms of quantity and quality.

With that being said, let’s get into it!

New York Yankees all-time best catchers – No. 10: Rick Cerone

3.9 WAR

Last on the list is 18-year journeyman Rick Cerone. Of those 18 years, seven were spent in the Bronx over three separate stints.

In just over 2,000 PA, Cerone slashed .249/.297/.351 with 31 HR and 203 RBI. His best season came in 1980 when the New Jersey native had 14 HR, 30 doubles and 85 RBI with a .753 OPS.

Despite winning no World Series championships with the Yankees, Cerone managed to put together decent playoff numbers in his time with the club. In 17 games, Cerone had three HR, three doubles and 10 RBI.