20. Russell Martin

One of the most impactful free-agent signings ever at the catcher position, Martin joined the Pittsburgh Pirates on a two-year deal prior to the 2013 season and promptly helped the team snap a 20-year postseason drought. The four-time All-Star is one of only three catchers with at least 100 home runs and 100 stolen bases, and he tallied 38.8 WAR over 14 seasons.

19. Darrell Porter

A four-time All-Star, Porter logged a 113 OPS+ and 40.9 WAR over 17 seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers. He won NLCS and World Series MVP honors in 1982 when he helped lead the Cardinals to a World Series title in his second year with the team.

18. Bob Boone

Only Iván Rodríguez (2,427) and Carlton Fisk (2,226) have more career games caught than the 2,225 that Boone tallied over his 19 seasons in the majors. He won seven Gold Glove Awards, including in his age-40 and age-41 seasons, and he also had some pop with 105 home runs and 826 RBI hitting mostly at the bottom of the lineup.

17. Salvador Pérez
16. Brian McCann

The side-by-side comparison here is an interesting one.

Pérez will go down as one of the best catchers of his generation and a true workhorse behind the plate. He has 223 home runs entering his age-33 season, including a 48-homer season in 2021 that set a new single-season mark for catchers, but his limited on-base ability leaves him with a 105 OPS+ and his framing skills leave a lot to be desired, despite his five Gold Glove wins.

McCann was a more well-rounded hitter, batting .262/.337/.452 with 282 home runs, 1,018 RBI and a 110 OPS+ in 15 seasons. He was a seven-time All-Star and six-time Silver Slugger winner, and was a model of consistency with 11 seasons of at least 20 home runs.

Both players have one World Series ring, and their WAR totals are nearly identical (32.3 vs. 32.0). There is time for Pérez to move up in the coming years, but McCann gets the edge for now.