Johnny Bench's Career Summed Up By Four Baseball Cards
We look back at Johnny Bench's storied career and pick four of his most iconic Topps baseball cards from four of his most iconic seasons.
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
. . . Johnny Bench was the first catcher to win the Rookie of the Year Award and also the first catcher to win 10 straight Gold Glove Awards (1968-1977), which was later matched by Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez (1992-2001). Further evidence that he thrived in the spotlight? Bench hit more home runs against fellow Hall of Famers Steve Carlton and Don Sutton (12 each) than he did against any other pitchers in his career.
. . . Bench was the World Series MVP for one of the most iconic teams of all time, the 1976 “Big Red Machine” Cincinnati Reds. In that series, he collected two hits in each of the Reds’ four games and plated six runs, including five in the decisive Game 4 victory. This followed up a scorching hot performance in that year’s National League Championship Series against the Phillies, in which Bench went 4-for-12 with a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth in the clinching Game 3.
Leading Off
Johnny Bench, G.O.A.T Catcher: His Four Greatest Cards
By Paul M. Banks
Many baseball historians consider Johnny Bench the best catcher to play the game. And honestly, it’s pretty difficult to argue against that. We’ve seen many great catchers come and go since, but very few have had the staying power and consistency of Bench, and also Carlton Fisk.
From a strategic and defensive standpoint, catching is such a demanding position that excelling on offense while doing so is extremely rare, and those that do often somewhat lack defense. Being stellar up at the plate and crouching behind it is as rare as a unicorn. Johnny Bench led the National League twice in home runs and finished with the most RBIs on three occasions.
On defense, Bench was a 10-time Gold Glove Award winner who skillfully handled pitching staffs, was an expert in pitch framing well before there was a term for it, and possessed a powerful, accurate throwing arm. Opposing baserunners found very little success attempting to steal bases on him.
Johnny Bench Career Highlights
Was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1989
Is also the only catcher in baseball history to lead either league in home runs
Caught 100 or more games in 13 consecutive seasons
Fourteen-time National League All-Star and two-time Most Valuable Player (1970, 1972)
Upon retirement, Bench held the Major League record for most home runs hit by a catcher with 327
With all that in mind, let’s review the all-time best baseball cards of the all-time best catcher.
1. 1969 Topps All-Star Rookie Johnny Bench Rookie Card #95
You can go back and forth on which is the actual Johnny Bench rookie card. This is his first solo card, so in that sense, this is the true Bench RC. However, a case can be made for the ’68 Topps card; we’ll cover that in the next item. This card is simplistic and minimalist, but sports cards didn’t have many bells and whistles back then. Given the layout and form, the eye first goes directly to the Topps All-Star Rookie Team trophy graphic.
The Topps All-Star rookie trophy graphic debuted a decade earlier in 1959, but in the 1970s, they modified the trophy with a slugger on top into a bowl or cup design. Is it me, or does young Johnny Bench strongly resemble actor Brendan Fraser in his prime? Or at least he does in this photo.
2. 1968 Topps Johnny Bench Rookie Card #247
You could say the “true” Bench RC, as this is his earliest card. He shares with a fella named Ron Tompkins, pictured in a Kansas City Athletics uniform. At this moment in history, Bench and Tompkins are on equal footing.
Then they went in opposite directions. By this card was issued, Tompkins had made five Major League appearances with the A’s in 1965. He returned to the Majors in 1971 with the Chicago Cubs for a cup of coffee, and that was it. He recorded only two decisions, both losses, in his MLB career, which spanned exactly 50 innings.
So it’s undeniable that his appearance on this card, next to a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, is his claim to fame. This juxtaposition of these two baseball careers makes this a unique card.
3. 1970 Topps Johnny Bench #660
This card was issued as Bench was en route to winning the NL MVP award in his third season in the league. His storied career began with his winning the Rookie of the Year Award in 1968, and over this three-year period, you could really see that No. 5 was indeed on the verge of something special.
This photograph is basically akin to a “picture of a baseball catcher that comes with the frame.” The card design embodies the saying “less is more,” often attributed to architect Mies Van Der Rohe and the Bauhaus movement.
4. 1971 Topps Johnny Bench #250
It doesn’t get any more 1970s than the font, colors, and design of this series of Topps. And Bench is the perfect player for the card-maker to champion here, as he’s got a wholesome, squeaky-clean image. This issue was amid a run in which Topps had a total monopoly on the baseball card market.
It also comes at a time when the Cincinnati Reds, one of the oldest professional franchises in all sports worldwide, was on the verge of reaching their golden era. You can quickly feel both those vibes in this card.
Paul M. Banks is the Publisher of The Sports Bank. He is also a Contributing Editor for USA Today's NFL Wires network.
Four outstanding cards! Still, my personal favorite is his 1976 Topps card, which I consider one of the coolest looking cards ever.
Sure, Bench is probably the GOAT who’s NOT named Berra.