Bob Boone
Catcher
1972-1981
Career w/Phillies: .259 AVG / 65 HR / 456 RBI / 23 SB
A three-time All Star and two-time Gold Glove winner as a Phillie, Bob Boone was one of the unquestioned leaders of the 1980 championship team. The second-generation ballplayer (his father was Ray Boone) was drafted by the Phillies in 1969 and made his franchise debut in 1972, at age 24. Quickly he established himself as one of baseball’s better all-around catchers, hitting 10 home runs with a .261 average in 1973, his rookie season. His best offensive seasons came between 1976 and ’79, when Boone hit about .283 over the course of those four seasons. But Boone was best on defense, committing just 25 errors between ’76 and ’79 and handling an ever-changing pitching staff through his entire Phillie tenure. Though not on the level of co-NL backstops Gary Carter and Ted Simmons, Boone ended his career as one of the game’s most durable and consistent catchers.
Comment: What Boone lacked offensively he made up for in defense, and altogether was an integral part of the team’s success in the 1970s. For this, it’s not hard to see why Boone is the highest-rated catcher of the 100 Greatest Phillies, narrowly defeating Darren Daulton and Mike Lieberthal.
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