Most teams favor having a player with top notch defensive skills behind the plate. The Yankees have had some steady defensive players who also helped their pitching staffs by calling a good game; fortunately for the team these five catchers were dominant offensive players as well.
5) Elston Howard: Named as the American League MVP in 1963, Howard caught 1,029 games in 13 years with the Yanks, batting .279, hitting 161 home runs and driving in 733 runs while contributing to four World Championships in the 1950's and 1960's.
4) Jorge Posada: A five time All Star, Posada caught 1,574 games while contributing to Yankee World Championships in 1998, '99, and 2000. In a 16 year career he batted .273 with 275 homers and 1,065 RBI's, and is seventh in Yankee history with 379 doubles.
3) Thurman Munson: Winner of the 1970 Rookie of the Year Award, and named the American League MVP in 1976, Munson led the Yankees to three pennants and two World Championships. He batted over .300 and had over 100 RBI's in three consecutive seasons, 1975-1977. A seven time All Star selection and winner of three Gold Gloves, in his career Munson threw out 44% of baserunners attempting to steal (better than Johnny Bench's 43% and Carlton Fisk's 34%). He also hit .373 and drove in 12 runs in 16 World Series games. The first Yankee captain since Lou Gehrig, Munson caught 1,278 games in eleven seasons and had a .292 career batting average.
2) Bill Dickey: An eleven time All Star, Dickey's .313 batting average places him seventh in Yankee history. His 1,209 RBI's rank eighth and 1,969 hits are good for ninth. In 17 years Dickey caught 1,708 games, the most in team history, while contributing to seven world championships in the 1930's and early 1940's.
1) Yogi Berra: Selected to the All Star team 15 times in his 18 years with the Yankees, Berra contributed to 10 World Championships in the late 1940's, 1950's and early1960's. He caught 1,699 games, and his 358 home runs and 1,430 RBI's each rank fifth in team history. Berra also won three American League MVP awards. He is the best catcher in Yankee history.
source for statistics: http://www.baseball-reference.com/
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