Chicago Cubs: Top five catchers in club history

The Chicago Cubs have a long, storied history encompassing many faces of the franchise. Catchers, in particular, have played an integral part over the decades. Let us dive into the top five catchers in the club’s history.

Positional debates across the game of baseball are fun. Not only does it stir excitement for fans arguing in favor of “their guy,” it helps create a culture of conversation, especially during our present days.

One of the fascinating positions in baseball is that of the catcher. The backstop is referred to in jest. Catchers play one of the most critical roles in the game. Similar to a center in football, catchers have a significant responsibility in calling games and making sure everyone is on the same page.

The Cubs have had many great catchers in franchise history. Narrowing it down to the top five can be a challenge, but that is part of the fun. It is time to reveal the top five catchers in club history and create that opportunity for banter amongst fans at the same time.

Chicago Cubs: Gabby Hartnett, 1922-1940

There cannot be an all-time catchers list for the Cubs without the addition of Gabby Hartnett. It would be unfathomable. Hartnett played with Chicago for 18 years of his 19-year career, amassing six straight All-Star appearances from 1933-1938.

In 1935, Hartnett earned the National League MVP after slashing .344/.404/.545 with a .949 OPS, 13 home runs, and 91 RBI. He beat out Dizzy Dean, Arky Vaughn, and teammate Billy Vaughn receiving 75 voting points.

From 1933-1938 throughout the six straight all-star experiences, Hartnett slashed .308/.373/.485 with a 131 OPS+ over 705 games. Two seasons after winning the MVP, Hartnett finished second in the voting, in 1937, hitting .354 with 43 walks and only 19 strikeouts.

At the age of 24, Hartnett set the record with 24 home runs. It was the second-most home runs behind Rogers Hornsby. He was also considered one of the best defensive catchers. In 1926, 1928, and 1932 Hartnett led the league in caught stealing percentage and caught 56 percent of attempted base stealers over his 20-year career. Hartnett will remain one of the best catchers in Cubs history.

Chicago Cubs: Bob O’Farrell, 1915-1925, 1934

As far as catchers go, and Cubs players in general, Bob O’Farrell is probably not a name brought up in many conversations. O’Farrell began his professional baseball career with the Cubs in 1915, at the age of 18.

Throughout O’Farrell’s first three seasons in the big leagues, he saw only six games of action, amassing 12 plate appearances. He did slash .364/.417/.545 with a .962 OPS. The 1918 season was his coming-out party of sorts if that was even a thing in 1918, where O’Farrell played in 52 games for Chicago. O’Farrell hit .283 that season along with his first professional home run.

From 1919-1924, which encompassed the meat of his career with the Cubs, O’Farrell carried a .282/.371/.405 line and racking up twice as many walks (235) to strikeouts (132). In terms of his fielding, O’Farrell was solid across the board. He had a career-high 66 percent caught-stealing rate.

After leaving Chicago, O’Farrell joined the Cardinals, where he won an MVP his second season with the club. Following his stint in St. Louis, O’Farrell jumped to the New York Giants for five years before going back to St. Louis and then once again returning to Chicago in 1934. O’Farrell is not one of the most talked-about, but he is on this list for his time in Chicago and the quietly impressive production over his Cubs career.

Chicago Cubs: Jody Davis, 1981-1988

Throughout the 1980s, Jody Davis was the talk of the town in Wrigleyville. While Davis was never the guy to carry a crazy high average or even an above-average OPS+, he did make a significant impact for the Cubs as a whole in his time in Chicago.

Davis, initially drafted by the New York Mets in 1976, began his professional career in 1981 with the Cubs. Davis played in 56 games during his rookie season in which the 24-year-old slashed .256/.333/.361 with four home runs and 21 RBI. Nothing spectacular, but decent enough for a rookie catcher.

From 1982-1984, Davis excelled and began to carve out a significant role with the club. He stayed relatively healthy, playing in 150+ games in two of those three years. Davis slashed .263/.315/.437 with a .752 OPS and an above-average 105 OPS+.

In 1983, Davis mashed. He hit what would end up as a career-high 24 home runs, the most from a Cubs catcher at the time since 1930. He followed that year up with an all-star appearance in 1984. Davis was once again named an all-star in 1986 and ended with 21 home runs that season.

Regarding his fielding, Davis was solid. He averaged right around a .986 fielding percentage with the Cubs while winning the National League Gold Glove for catchers in 1986. Davis posted a career-high 48 percent caught-stealing rate that year. While he is not the flashiest pick, Davis did help to define the Cubs in the 1980s, which is why he is on this list.

Chicago Cubs: Willson Contreras, 2016-Present

Last but not least, is the bad boy of baseball, the ‘Venezuelan Viper’, Willson Contreras. I am joking about the former, but the latter, not at all. If fact, I am going to bequeath that nickname upon Contreras officially. Maybe he will wear it one day, during Players Weekend.

Joking aside, Contreras wholeheartedly belongs on this list despite having played just four years with the Cubs. During the 2016 season, the 27-year-old backstop was integral to the championship-winning formula after posting 2.5 WAR and slashing .282/.357/.488 with a 126 wRC+.

Contreras has been consistent across the board since he joined the big league Cubs. Outside of a down year in 2018, Contreras has been worth at least two Wins Above Replacement in each season with a 120 or higher wRC+ each year in that stretch.

While his defense is not lauded as even above-average by many in the game (looking mostly at framing), Contreras prides his leather on an impressive job in throwing out would-be base stealers. With probably the strongest arm in the game, Contreras has zero issues in trying to pick runners off, no matter the base.

One of the most fun things about Contreras is his passion for the game. It is unbridled to many, and few carry the level of energy Contreras does. He is the catalyst for the team in that way and pumps everyone up every day. Don’t look now, but Contreras could finish as the best catcher in Cubs history one day.