Good performance among catchers?

In game 7 of the 2025 World Series, Will Smith crushed a home run in the top of the 11th inning. With that home run, the Dodgers took the lead and eventually, they won the World Series title.

 

While watching Will Smith’s performance in the World Series, I’m just wondering if his performance might be the best among catchers. To solve my doubts, I chose to check on the great Fangraphs website.

 

Games Played (Primary Position: Catcher, Postseason)
Player	G
Jorge Posada	125
Yadier Molina	104
Yogi Berra	75
Will Smith	72
Mike Napoli	66

 

Firstly, let’s look at the games played. Jorge Posada didn’t play in the 1996 postseason. But, in his career, he played 125 games for the Yankees in the postseason. And he helped the Yankees win the title in 1998, 1998, 2000 and 2009. Moreover, Yadier Molina played 104 games for the Cardinals in the playoffs. In particular, he and the Cardinals won the title in 2006 and 2011. Hall of Famer Yogi Berra won 10 World Series with the Yankees. In the playoffs, he played 75 games in pinstripes. Furthermore, Will Smith has played 72 games in the postseason thus far in his career.

 

Home Runs (Primary Position: Catcher, Postseason)
Player	HR
Yogi Berra	12
Jason Varitek	11
Jorge Posada
Javy Lopez	10
Travis d’Arnaud
Will Smith
Johnny Bench

 

Secondly, let’s look at the number of home runs. Yogi Berra smashed 12 home runs in the postseason, leading among catchers. In the meantime, Jason Varitek played 63 games for the Red Sox in the playoffs, blasting 11 home runs. Jorge Posada hit 11 home runs in the postseason as well. At the same time, Javy Lopez and Johnny Bench each smashed 10 home runs in the postseason. Javy Lopez played 60 games for the Braves in the postseason and Johnny Bench played 45 games for the Reds in the playoffs. Among active players, Will Smith and Travis d’Arnaud each have 10 home runs in the postseason.

 

Runs Batted In (Primary Position: Catcher, Postseason)
Player	RBI
Jorge Posada	42
Yogi Berra	39
Will Smith	37
Yadier Molina	36
Jason Varitek	33
Mike Napoli	30

 

In addition, let’s look at the RBI leader. Jorge Posada had collected 42 RBI in the postseason. He’s now the only catcher who collected at least 40 RBI in the postseason. At the same time, Yogi Berra collected 39 RBI in the playoffs. Will Smith has collected 37 RBI in the postseason so far in his career. Moreover, Jason Varitek, Yadier Molina and Mike Napoli each collected at least 30 RBI in the postseason.

 

On-base plus slugging (Primary Position: Catcher, Postseason, min PA: 50)
Player	OPS
A.J. Ellis	1.065
Cal Raleigh	.960
Darren Daulton	.928
Jim Leyritz	.926
Hank Gowdy	.920
Mike Stanley	.899

 

Finally, let’s take a look at OPS. A.J. Ellis isn’t known for his hitting performance with a career OPS of .693. However, his OPS is over 1.000 in the postseason. Cal Raleigh smashed 5 home runs this postseason. So far in his career, he has an OPS over .900 in the playoffs. Additionally, Darren Daulton played 22 games in the playoffs with an OPS over .900. Also, Jim Leyritz and Hank Gowdy each had an OPS over .900 in the playoffs. Leyritz played 28 games in the postseason and Gowdy played 14 games.

 

Looking at catchers’ performance in the postseason, well, it’s hard to measure their contribution behind the plate. Nonetheless, looking at their hitting performance, Jorge Posada, Yadier Molina and Yogi Berra certainly had contributed a lot and they did help their teams to win the title. Will Smith might not reach 100 games in the postseason soon. Nevertheless, if he continues collecting RBI and crushing home runs, he will soon become the leader in RBI and home runs among catchers in the postseason. Of course, he and the Dodgers have to clinch a postseason spot first.