The 100 Greatest in 100 Days: #94 Pudge Rodriguez

Entering the list at #94 is Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez. It would be hard to argue that Pudge isn’t the greatest defensive catcher of all time.  His 13 gold gloves are the most by a catcher in MLB history. He’s first all-time in defensive games played at catcher with 2, 427 which is over 200 games ahead of second place. He’s the all-time leader in defensive WAR among catchers and 8th overall regardless of position. Pudge led the league in caught stealing % a remarkable nine times. No other catcher has done it even 7 times and nobody has done it more than four times in more than 70 years. As great as Pudge was defensively, a combination of defensive and offensive brilliance won him the American League MVP in 1999 as he became the first catcher in either league to take home the award in 23 years. While Pudge’s calling card was his defense, he was no slouch with the bat. He is the all-time hits leader among catchers with 350 more than the next highest mark. He’s also the all-time leader at catcher in doubles and runs, and his 127 career stolen bases are the 3rd highest total by a catcher in more than 90 years. In 2004, Pudge led the Marlins to one of the biggest upsets in World Series history over the heavily favored New York Yankees. He also helped revitalize a dormant Tigers franchise, leading Detroit to its first World Series appearance in 22 years.

Leave a Reply

Hi (hopefully) awesome reader! I welcome your comments. However, please be aware that I make all of my arguments using facts, statistics, and logic. Unfortunately, the average comment on a top-100 list goes something like this:

"UR StooPid. (Insert player) is trash. I've watched (pick a sport) for (pick a number of years) and (pick a player) is better than everyone. UR DUMB. HAHA6969."

–Some Jabroni

As cognitively stimulating as this species of comment is, it ends up being a missed opportunity to share a nuanced perspective. I reply to all comments that show even the most basic levels of thought and humility. The people who make the comments like the example above are under the assumption that the three seconds of thought that popped into their brains after reading the list is more than the 1000s of hours that I put into creating and maintaining the lists. I would be happy to defend any placement, or make an adjustment if one is warranted. If you are a jabroni, like the one above, then your comment will die in the lonely void of the unpublished comments section.

For everyone else, I look forward to your comments!

P.S. The theme of this site and the top-100 lists is that athletes from previous generations have historically been grossly overrated by sports publications in a way that is statistically improbable. Click on the "About" dropdown menu to see just how badly the average top-100 list disproportionately favors athletes from older generations when leagues were smaller, race quotas existed, and globalization wasn't a thing. Also, please consider reading "The History" section of the sport you are commenting on.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *