John Lee Bench is an American former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career,which lasted from 1967 through 1983,with the Cincinnati Reds,primarily as a catcher. Bench was the leader of the Reds team known as the Big Red Machine that dominated the National League in the mid-1970s,winning six division titles,four National League pennants and two World Series championships. He is widely regarded as the greatest catcher of all time.
Ernesto Natali Lombardi,was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher for the Brooklyn Robins,Cincinnati Reds,Boston Braves,and New York Giants during a career that spanned 17 years,from 1931 through 1947. He had several nicknames,including "Schnozz","Lumbago","Bocci","The Cyrano of the Iron Mask" and "Lom". He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986.
James Patrick Archer was an Irish-born catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who spent nearly his entire career with four National League teams,primarily the Chicago Cubs,for whom he played from 1909 to 1917. Born in Dublin,he also played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1904,the American League's Detroit Tigers in 1907,and the Pirates,Brooklyn Robins and Cincinnati Reds in 1918. As a catcher,he could remain squatting and still throw out runners attempting to steal second base due to his unique arm strength,which became his trademark,acquired from the healing of burns that shortened his muscles after an industrial accident in which Archer fell into a vat of boiling sap at the age of 19.
George Robert "Birdie" Tebbetts was an American professional baseball player,manager,scout and front office executive. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher for the Detroit Tigers,Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians from 1936 to 1952. Tebbets was regarded as the best catcher in the American League in the late 1940s.
Forrest Harrill "Smoky" Burgess was an American professional baseball catcher,pinch hitter,coach,and scout,who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1949 to 1967. A nine-time All-Star,Burgess became known,later in his career,for his abilities as an elite pinch hitter,setting the MLB career record for career pinch-hits with 145. He stood 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) tall,weighing 188 pounds (85 kg). Burgess batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
JoséJavier Valentín Rosario is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher. From 2004-2008,he played for the Cincinnati Reds after playing with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2003) and four brief stints for the Minnesota Twins from 1997-2002. He is the younger brother of former Major League Baseball second baseman JoséValentín and the uncle of Philadelphia Phillies infielder Jesmuel Valentín. In 2005,he hit .281 with a career-high 14 home runs as a backup catcher for the Reds. He is a switch-hitter. Valentín played briefly at first base and even more infrequently at third base in his time with Cincinnati.
Daniel Allen Wilson,is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1992 through 2005,most notably as a member of the Seattle Mariners where he played 12 of his 14 seasons. The 1996 All-Star selection began his career with the Cincinnati Reds before being traded to the Mariners where,he was regarded as one of the best defensive catchers in major-league history. At the time of his retirement in 2005,Wilson held the American League record for career fielding percentage by a catcher. In 2012,Wilson was inducted into the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame alongside his battery-mate,Randy Johnson.
Patrick Joseph Moran was an American professional baseball player and manager. He was a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1901 to 1914. The year after his retirement,he became a manager,and he led two teams to their first-ever modern-era National League championships:the 1915 Philadelphia Phillies and the 1919 Cincinnati Reds. Moran was the first manager to win National League pennants with two different teams. Moran's 1919 Reds also captured their first World Series championship.
Charles Sebastian "Red" Dooin was an American professional baseball player and manager. A catcher in Major League Baseball during the first two decades of the 20th century,he played 1,219 of his 1,290 games as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies and managed the Phils from 1910 through 1914.
Virgil Lawrence "Spud" Davis was an American professional baseball player,coach,scout and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals,Philadelphia Phillies,Cincinnati Reds,and Pittsburgh Pirates. Davis' .308 career batting average ranks fourth all-time among major league catchers.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1944 throughout the world.
Thomas Sylvester Howard is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1990 to 2000 for the San Diego Padres,Cleveland Indians,Cincinnati Reds,Houston Astros,Los Angeles Dodgers,and St. Louis Cardinals. On April 11,2000,he hit the first grand slam at Minute Maid Park.
Eugene Franklin "Bubbles" Hargrave was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs,Cincinnati Reds,and New York Yankees. He won the National League batting title in 1926 while playing for Cincinnati. He was nicknamed "Bubbles" because he stuttered when saying "B" sounds. Bubbles' younger brother,Pinky Hargrave,was also a major league catcher.
William Aloysius Bergen was an American professional baseball catcher. He played eleven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1901 to 1911 for the Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Superbas/Dodgers. He was one of the worst-hitting position players in the history of the Major Leagues,but was also one of the best defensive catchers of all time.
Henry Clement "Heinie" Peitz was an American professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Browns,Cincinnati Reds,Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals. He was part of the famed "Pretzel Battery" with pitcher Ted Breitenstein while playing for the Browns and Reds in the 1890s.
The 1909 Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. The team finished fourth in the National League with a record of 77–76,331⁄2 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The 1907 Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. The team finished sixth in the National League with a record of 66–87,41½games behind the Chicago Cubs.
William Angel Rariden,was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1909 to 1920 for the Boston Doves/Rustlers/Braves,Indianapolis Hoosiers/Newark Pepper,New York Giants,and Cincinnati Reds.
Devin Douglas Mesoraco is an American baseball coach and former professional baseball catcher,who is the current catching coach for the Pittsburgh Panthers. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets. Mesoraco was an MLB All-Star in 2014,but saw his career derailed due to multiple injuries.
Tucker Jackson Barnhart is an American professional baseball catcher for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cincinnati Reds. He made his MLB debut in 2014 and won the Gold Glove Award in 2017 and 2020.
