On June 20, 1991, the Texas Rangers debuted the #7 prospect, at the time; to start behind the plate, but little did they know that Ivan Rodriguez would become one of the top 3 catchers of all-time. Pudge Rodriguez or I-Rod, as they called him, was a legend behind the mask. He might be known the best for his arm due to his record 88 pickoffs, but he was so good with the bat as well, that he even won an MVP on his way to blasting a career total of 311 home runs. He was the modern version of Johnny Bench.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO7Y_r19v1Y
Signed at the age of 16, Ivan was destined to become a brilliant big league star, as he never disappointed, climbing his way up the prospect board. Sure his numbers were stellar during his time in the minors, but they really escalated once he reached his prime in the show. Both of his time behind and at the plate resulted in consistent all-star numbers. There have been a good majority of great slugging catchers throughout baseball history, so it was his work in the squatting position that put him atop everyone else.
On his way to winning 13 gold glove awards and a Fielding Bible Award, he threw out 46% of potential base-stealers (league average was 31%), leading the league in that category 9 times (once at 20-years-old). He moved really well for a man above 200 pounds, as he saved a mere 127 runs over the course of his career with a fielding percentage above average. He might have had over 10 passed balls in a season more than once, but his leadership behind the plate with a cannon for an arm left all the pitchers wanting him to throw to. But, when it was his turn to swing the bat, his arm no longer seemed scary as his the power his bat produced was even more terrifying.
Collecting 7 silver sluggers over his 21-year campaign, he put up an average of .296, while producing a SLG% of .464. He slugged 571 doubles along with his 300+ homers, which helped him reach 4451 total bases in 21 years. He ran exceptionally well for a big catcher as he stole 127 bases and scored over 1300 times. Despite him falling 156 hits shy of 3000, he still was a great contact hitter combining with power. These numbers were quite good considering that he was only in the playoffs five times during his tender. But, when he as in the playoffs (Rangers, Tigers, Marlins), he was solid when he needed to be, including winning the NLCS MVP for Florida on their way to winning the Fall Classic in 2003.
All in all though, he earned his stripes behind the plate with the addition of a great bat, which puts him in all conversations of best ever behind the plate. With a cannon of a right arm, 311 home runs, respect from around the league, and longevity, Pudge Rodriguez is a for sure 1st ballot Hall of Famer. His 88 career pickoffs (the man behind him has 62) makes him so legendary he is almost a myth.
