Johnny Bench Named Best Catcher Since 1947 by MLB Network

Widely considered the greatest catcher of all time, Johnny Bench was named No. 1 by MLB Network.

Austin Elmore | Dec 15, 2023

Johnny Bench Named Best Catcher Since 1947 by MLB Network /

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Former Reds manager Sparky Anderson famously said, "I don't want to embarrass any other catcher by comparing him to Johnny Bench."

Well, the comparisons will continue until the end of time. After all, it's the offseason, what else are we gonna do?

MLB Network's Prime 9 ranks the nine best players at each position since 1947. Bench once again ranked number one.

Here's our 9⃣ best catchers since 1947! #Prime9 pic.twitter.com/ix1kPAvZX2
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 14, 2023

Bench has widely been considered the greatest catcher of all time, and although some great catchers have come after him, that sentiment still remains.

He beat out Ivan Rodriguez, Mike Piazza, Yadier Molina, and Jorge Posada among others.

Bench has been retired since 1983, when he played 110 games at various positions for the Reds. You may remember Sept. 17, 1983: Johnny Bench night at Riverfront Stadium.

Bench hit the final home run of his career that night, his 389th, in front of more than 53,000 Reds fans there to honor his 17 seasons in the big leagues.

He has a pretty stacked trophy case, including two National League MVP awards (1970, 1972), two World Series championships (1975, 1976), a World Series MVP (1976), 14 All-Star appearances, Rookie of the Year, 10 Gold Glove Awards, and more.

Bench was drafted by the Reds in the second round of the 1965 MLB Draft out of Binger, Oklahoma and made his MLB debut just two years later at the age of 19.

He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989 and was selected on 431 out of 447 BBWAA ballots.

You can check out the video MLB Network posted about Bench here.

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