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Dodgers: 5 greatest seasons by a catcher

16 Apr 1998: Catcher Mike Piazza of the Los Angeles Dodgers in action during a game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. The Dodgers won the game, 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport
16 Apr 1998: Catcher Mike Piazza of the Los Angeles Dodgers in action during a game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. The Dodgers won the game, 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport /
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VERO BEACH, FL – MARCH 1993: Mike Piazza #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers during spring training in March 1993 in Vero Beach, Florida. (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images) /

Dodgers Top Individual Seasons by a Catcher:

4) Mike Piazza – 1993

Mike Piazza’s first full season in the Big League is one of the best catching seasons in baseball history, which is pretty incredible to think about. The Rookie of the Year winner slashed .318/.370/.561 on way to his first All-Star appearance and Silver Slugger Award.

Piazza, who was never known for his defense, squatted behind the plate for 146 games in 1993, an exhausting schedule for a first time Major Leaguer who carried the Dodgers lineup on his back at the plate. While opposing baserunners tried to take advantage of his weak arm in stealing the most bases against him in the National League, the high total is a product of the frequency by which they tested him. Piazza also led the league in gunning runners down that year. And to put both counting totals into perspective, he ranked fifth in caught stealing percentage (35.3).

1993 might have been Piazza’s best all-around season, and it would rank even higher on this list if weren’t for a few superlative seasons that stood out even more.

Piazza finished ninth in MVP voting in ’93, won NL Player of the Week three times, finished third in bWAR (7.0), seventh in batting (.318), and fourth in slugging (.561). He hit 35 home runs, sixth most in the National League, while driving in 112 runs, fourth most.

Only Piazza, himself, could outdo these amazing offensive numbers.

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