Dodgers: Who is the best catcher in franchise history?

4) John Roseboro

Unfortunately, John Roseboro might be most remembered for something you wish never happened. One of the most intense moments of the Dodgers-Giants rivalry ended with Juan Marichal clubbing Roseboro over the head with a bat. Roseboro somehow returned the lineup only three days later, eventually suing Marichal for the incident.

Focusing on things he accomplished as a ballplayer, Roseboro’s place in Dodger history fits perfectly with the team’s arrival to Los Angeles. After Roy Campanella was paralyzed in a car accident in the months before the team debuted out west, Rosoboro essentially became the first everyday catcher in “LA” Dodgers history.

Between 1958-1967, Roseboro made five All-Star appearances and won two Gold Glove Awards. He has caught the second most games in Dodger history, while batting .251/.327/.382 for the Boys in Blue.

Roseboro was a defensive wiz behind the plate. He could gun down runners (he led the league in caught stealing percentage twice, and finished in the top-ten seven times), and used his arm to start double plays, in which he turned the most as a catcher in three seasons. His range factor, which measures the amount of ground he covered on balls in play, led the National League among catchers six times.

When you think of the Dodgers in the 1960s, you think of Roseboro as a steady presence behind the plate.