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: King Kelly, 1880-1886

Kicking things off is one of the oldest catchers in Cubs history in King Kelly. Contrary to popular belief, that is Kelly in the picture, in a Chicago uniform. Following his trade to Boston, the uniform was altered to read ‘Boston.’

Kelly played for the Chicago White Stockings, who were associated with the Cubs and a founding charter member of the 1871 all-pro National Association of Professional Base Ball Players. Kelly himself played for the White Stockings from 1880-1886, racking up insane numbers in the process. Yes, the game was vastly different, but professional baseball is still professional baseball.

Kelly’s first season proved valuable as he played in 84 games, slashing .291/.315/.401 with a single home run and 60 RBI. He posted the time-equivalent to a 127 wRC+ and was worth 1.7 Wins Above Replacement.

Over the seven seasons as a member of the White Stockings, Kelly registered 3,072 plate appearances and finished with a career .316/.367/.453 slash line and a 149 OPS+. Kelly went on to play four seasons in Boston, three with the Beaneaters and one after Boston became the Reds in 1890. Kelly retired in 1893 at the age of 35 and will go down as one of the more obscure, but talented catchers in club 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.