Johnny Bench

Johnny Bench
Catcher
Born: December 7th, 1947 Oklahoma City ,  United States
Strikes: Right	Throws: Right
Debut in Major League Baseball
August 28,  1967  with the  Cincinnati Reds
Last MLB assignment
September 29,  1983  with the Cincinnati Reds
MLB statistics (until end of career)
Home runs	389
RBI	1,376
Hits	2,048
Batting average	, 267
Teams
Cincinnati Reds (1963-1987)
Awards
14 × All-Star ( 1968 - 1980 , 1983 ) 2 × World Series winner ( 1975 , 1976 ) 2 × NL MVP (1970, 1972) 1 × World Series MVP (1976) 10 × Gold Glove Award (1968–1977) In his honor, the # 5 at the Cincinnati Reds is no longer awarded
member of
Baseball Hall of Fame
Recorded	1989
Quota	96.42%
Last update: October 25, 2018

Johnny Lee Bench (born December 7, 1947 in Oklahoma City , Oklahoma ) is a retired American baseball player in the position of catcher who spent his entire professional career with the Cincinnati Reds in Major League Baseball . The 14-time All-Star , 10-time Gold Glove winner and two-time World Series winner (1975 and 1976) is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and the Major League Baseball All-Century Team .

Career

Bench has been considered an outstanding defensive player since the beginning of his career. After he was drafted in 1965 by the Reds in 36th place, he impressed Ted Williams, who was considered the best batsman, so much in his first spring training that Williams signed him a baseball with the dedication: "For a future member of the Hall of Fame" . After a two-year apprenticeship in minor league baseball , he soon established himself as the starting catcher of the Reds. Even as a rookie , he impressed defensively with his precise throwing game, with which he prevented opposing stolen bases , and convinced offensively with his home run qualities. He was immediately voted into both the All-Star Game of the Best Players and the Gold Glove line-up of the best defensive players. Bench was the cornerstone of the Reds team that won the World Series in 1975 and 1976, and earned the honorary name "Big Red Machine" (Eng .: big red machine). After an outstanding World Series in 1976, in which he achieved a batting average of .533, he won the World Series MVP Award . After Bench got knee problems in the autumn of his career, he played more and more third baseman , but could no longer build on his heyday. He ended his career in 1983 and was instantly elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.

Style of play

Bench was considered a prototypical catcher who decided games primarily on the defensive, but also on the offensive. Bench was feared for his fast, precise overhead throw, with which he suppressed opposing steal attempts (especially between first and second base). He could throw the baseball over 100 meters from the kneeling catcher position, and once humiliated an unruly pitcher by catching his fastball with his bare hand. In addition, u. a. also included Bench's large hands that could hold seven baseballs in one hand. Offensively, his 389 home runs at the time of his resignation were a catcher record.

Web links

Commons : Johnny Bench  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Player information and statistics Baseball Reference  , or  The Baseball Cube (English)
• Johnny Bench biography
• Entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame

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1. ↑ ^{a b} Baseball's best catcher , ESPN.com
2. ↑ Card Corner: 1973 Topps: Johnny Bench , hardballtimes.com