25 Philadelphia Phillies Your Kids Can Look Up To

Raising an aspiring catcher? You will want to sit down and have a conversation with your children about two of the greatest catchers in the history of the Phillies‘ franchise, Bob Boone and Carlos Ruiz. Where would either of the Phillies’ World Series teams be without their respective catchers?

Both catchers pride themselves on defense, but Boone’s game behind the plate was second to none. Though he was never recognized for his work with the bat, it was Boone who controlled the game’s pitching, handling guys like Steve Carlton and Tug McGraw and drawing the most out of them, all while being a rock behind the plate.

Years later, Ruiz approaches the game in much of the same way. He is a defense first catcher with great technique, and understands the importance in controlling the pace of the game by keeping runners in check.

Handling pitchers has become “Chooch’s” specialty. Working with All-Star talents like Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Cole Hamels, Ruiz is now recognized as one of the game’s best catchers, drawing the best out of the Phillies’ staff by calling an excellent game behind the plate and earning the respect of every pitcher he works with.

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