Del Crandall
Crandall defined the modern defensive catcher, winning four Gold Gloves in an era when the award actually meant something behind the plate. His .254 career average tells only part of the story — catchers weren't expected to hit in the 1950s, they were expected to call games and throw out runners.
The eight All-Star selections speak to his reputation among peers and managers who valued his game-calling ability with Milwaukee's dominant pitching staffs. Crandall caught for Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette during the Braves' most successful years, handling one of baseball's most cerebral rotations.
Those 179 home runs represent genuine power for a backstop of his generation. Crandall proved catchers could contribute offensively without sacrificing defensive excellence, helping establish the template for the position's evolution into the 1960s and beyond.
Career · Batting
16 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | BSN | 67 | 228 | 4 | 34 | .263 | — | — |
| 1950 | BSN | 79 | 255 | 4 | 37 | .220 | — | — |
| 1953 | ML1 | 116 | 382 | 15 | 51 | .272 | — | — |
| 1954 | ML1 | 138 | 463 | 21 | 64 | .242 | .731 | — |
| 1955 | ML1 | 133 | 440 | 26 | 62 | .236 | .756 | — |
| 1956 | ML1 | 112 | 311 | 16 | 48 | .238 | .763 | — |
| 1957 | ML1 | 118 | 383 | 15 | 46 | .253 | .718 | — |
| 1958 | ML1 | 131 | 427 | 18 | 63 | .272 | .805 | — |
| 1959 | ML1 | 150 | 518 | 21 | 72 | .257 | .741 | — |
| 1960 | ML1 | 142 | 537 | 19 | 77 | .294 | .764 | — |
| 1961 | ML1 | 15 | 30 | 0 | 1 | .200 | .526 | — |
| 1962 | ML1 | 107 | 350 | 8 | 45 | .297 | .765 | — |
| 1963 | ML1 | 86 | 259 | 3 | 28 | .201 | .502 | — |
| 1964 | SF | 69 | 195 | 3 | 11 | .231 | .637 | — |
| 1965 | PIT | 60 | 140 | 2 | 10 | .214 | .560 | — |
| 1966 | CLE | 50 | 108 | 4 | 8 | .231 | .681 | — |
| Career | 1573 | 5026 | 179 | 657 | .254 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.