Backstop: A History of the Catcher and Sabermetric Ranking of 50 All-time Greats

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It’s often said that catcher is baseball’s most demanding defensive position. Yet rankings privilege offensive standouts. Who stands as the greatest catcher in a more balanced view of offensive and defensive contributions? This book discusses the history of catching and catchers and employs sabermetric formulas to rank the 50 greatest catchers since 1920. Also included is a chapter on catchers of the 19th century, deadball era, and Negro Leagues, whose statistics are either incomplete, inaccurate, or produced under markedly different conditions and rules.