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

New York Yankees all-time best catchers – No. 3 Thurman Munson

46.0 WAR

The first and only captain on this list is none other than Thurman Munson. Across 11 years in his career, all with the Yankees, Munson was a two-time World Series Champion, seven-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner, the 1970 Rookie of the Year and the 1976 AL MVP.

Drafted by the Yankees fourth overall in the 1968 MLB draft, Munson made quick work of the minor leagues, getting the call to the big leagues just a year later in 1969. In 1970, Munson became the full-time catcher, a position he held for the next 10 years before his life was tragically cut short due to a plane crash.

Nonetheless, Munson left a lasting legacy during his time with the Yankees, having been captain of the team from 1976 to the time of his death. Munson was a career .292 hitter to go along with 1,558 hits, 113 HR and 701 RBI. In his MVP season, Munson hit .302 with 17 HR and 105 RBI.

Munson was also superb defensively, winning three straight Gold Glove Awards from 1973-1975. Despite his career coming to an abrupt end, Munson still ranks 15th all-time in WAR for catchers.

In regards to his playoff numbers, Munson shined the brightest. In 30 postseason games, Munson hit .357 with three HR, nine doubles and 22 RBI. In 16 World Series games, Munson had a slash line of .373/.417/.493 with five doubles and 12 RBI.