Probably the best hitting catcher to ever play the game.

Also quite possibly the worst fielding "star" catcher ever to play. There are undoubtedly worse fielding catchers in baseball history (Rich Gedman comes easily to mind) but none who were as bad who were accorded superstar status.

Dale Murphy, who was a catcher when he came up with the Braves, was awful behind the plate, and quickly got moved to the outfield where his defensive limitations were minimized (he was actually an above average defensive outfielder) while his hitting could blossom. I believe that Piazza and baseball would have been better off if the same thing had happened to him.

Okay, I invoke the seamheads on this site to answer me (really)- is it possible (at all. . .is it possible) that Piazza's "he's the worst fielding catcher ever" mantra is slightly overrated? Is it possible? Piazza seems to be a 3-star butcher for this list and I believe (although I might be wrong) that his 'awful fielding' mantra was, in part, a sportswriter phenomenon. . .wasn't Harry Chiti (the only player ever to be traded for himself) a worse fielding catcher than Piazza? Answer back, seamheads- I'd really like to know. . .

Great hitter, but awful behind the plate, and while he's one of the greatest hitting catchers he probably should've been switched to another position early on.