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Catcher is by far the most physically demanding position in baseball (imagine crouching behind the plate for nine innings for well over 100 games annually), which makes it rare for teams to have backstops who can produce at a high level both offensively and defensively over an extended period of time. This fact set makes players like Gary Carter and Carlton Fisk somewhat of “unicorns” – each Hall of Fame catcher played well into his late 30s (and in Fisk’s case, well into his 40s), catching over 2,000 games apiece and hitting over 300 career home runs. As only a handful of catchers in MLB history can match this unparalleled combination of greatness and longevity, it is therefore apt to draw a comparison between these two legends of the 1970s and 1980s and ask:
Who was better – Gary Carter or Carlton Fisk?
The Beginning
Despite growing up in completely opposite parts of the country, Carter and Fisk both excelled at multiple sports before focusing on baseball, where after a few years of development in the minor leagues, each would make an immediate impact at the major league level.
Born and raised in southern California, Carter excelled at both football and baseball (fun fact: he won the first Punt, Pass, and Kick competition as a seven-year-old) and originally signed a national letter of intent to play quarterback for UCLA. However, he was also drafted 53rd overall in the third round of the 1972 MLB Draft by the then-Montreal Expos and chose to pursue a professional baseball career. Originally a shortstop, Carter converted to catcher in the Expos farm system and after being a September call-up in 1974, he made his first All-Star team and finished as runner-up for NL Rookie of the Year in 1975 by hitting .270 with 17 home runs, 68 runs batted in, 58 runs scored, a .360 on-base percentage, and a .416 slugging percentage (good for an OPS+ of 112, which measures on-base percentage plus slugging percentage against a league-wide average of 100).
In contrast, Fisk grew up in New England (New Hampshire to be exact), where he was likewise a multi-sport star in baseball, soccer, and basketball. For college, he earned a basketball scholarship to local University of New Hampshire, where he would also play baseball; after being drafted fourth overall in the first round of the 1967 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox, Fisk committed to baseball. Between the minor leagues and Army Reserve service during the Vietnam War, he had brief stints in the majors in both 1969 and 1971, but did not become a full-time major leaguer until age 24 in 1972 – that year, Fisk hit .293 (including a league-high and career-best 9 triples) with 22 home runs, 61 runs batted in, 74 runs scored, a .370 on-base percentage, and a .538 slugging percentage (162 OPS+) to win AL Rookie of the Year, earn his only Gold Glove, make his first All-Star team (out of 11x total), and finish fourth for AL MVP.
Career Comparison
For nearly two decades apiece, Carter and Fisk were models of consistency at the catcher position and perennial All-Star selections/MVP candidates who contributed on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball en route to eventual Cooperstown enshrinement.
Nicknamed “The Kid” for his youthful exuberance, Carter was limited by a broken finger to just 91 games in 1976 and a putrid .219 batting average, but quickly recovered to become one of the most consistently productive catchers in baseball, hitting double-digit home runs for the next dozen years. One of his best seasons came in 1977 on the strength of a .284 batting average, 31 home runs, 84 runs batted in, 86 runs scored, a .356 on-base percentage, and a career-high .525 slugging percentage (138 OPS+). This was followed by another 20-home run season in 1978 before he embarked on a decade straight of All-Star selections, beginning with a 1979 campaign where he hit .283 with 22 home runs, 75 runs batted in, 74 runs scored, a .338 on-base percentage, and a .485 slugging percentage, good for a 123 OPS+. Moreover, in 1980, Carter finished second to Mike Schmidt for NL MVP and won the first of three straight Gold Gloves on the strength of a .264 batting average, 29 home runs, 101 runs batted in, 76 runs scored, a .331 on-base percentage, and a .486 slugging percentage (126 OPS+).
After finishing sixth for MVP and winning the first of five Silver Sluggers in the strike-shortened 1981 season, Carter had one of his finest seasons in 1982: .294 batting average with 29 home runs, 97 runs batted in, a career-high 91 runs scored, a career-best .381 on-base percentage, and a .510 slugging percentage (146 OPS+). A couple of years later, his last season in Montreal in 1984 was another strong one, as he hit a career-high .294 with 27 home runs, a league-leading and career-best 106 runs batted in, 75 runs scored, a .366 on-base percentage, and a .487 slugging percentage, good for a 143 OPS+ and another Silver Slugger. However, with the Expos in rebuilding mode, Carter was traded to the New York Mets for Hubie Brooks, Mike Fitzgerald, Herm Winningham, and Floyd Youmans; entering his 30s, he did not miss a beat in New York, starting his time there with two straight top-10 MVP finishes and Silver Sluggers while also becoming team captain:
- 1985: .281 batting average with a career-high 32 home runs, 100 runs batted in, 83 runs scored, a .365 on-base percentage, and a .488 slugging percentage (138 OPS+); sixth for NL MVP
- 1986: .255 batting average with 24 home runs, 105 runs batted in, 81 runs scored, a .337 on-base percentage, and a .439 slugging percentage (115 OPS+); third for MVP
While he remained an All-Star for a couple more years, including a final 20-home run season in 1987, Carter’s batting average dipped below .250 and in his final season with the Mets in 1989, he only played 50 games and batted below the Mendoza line (.183). Released after the 1989 season, Carter played three more MLB seasons, bouncing around between the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, and back to his original team, the Expos, in a mostly platoon/backup catcher role, finally retiring at the end of the 1992 season at age 38.
Over in the AL, Fisk earned another All-Star selection in his second season in 1973 with 26 home runs and 71 runs batted in, but suffered a serious knee injury in 1974 that nearly ended his playing career. Though he would not fully recover until 1976, he bounced back in 1977 with one of his best seasons overall, hitting .315 with 26 home runs, 102 runs batted in, a career-high 106 runs scored, a career-best .402 on-base percentage, and a .521 slugging percentage, equating to a 138 OPS+ and earning eighth place for AL MVP. Another top-10 MVP finish ensued in 1978 (ninth) on the back of a .284 batting average, 20 home runs, 88 runs batted in, 94 runs scored, a .366 on-base percentage, and a .475 slugging percentage (125 OPS+). Despite another All-Star season in 1980, Fisk was not re-signed due to conflicts with management; thus, he became a free agent and switched “Sox” by joining the Chicago White Sox.
During his first year with his new team, the strike-shortened 1981 campaign, Fisk won his first Silver Slugger with a .263 batting average, 7 home runs, 45 runs batted in, 44 runs scored, .354 on-base percentage, and a .361 slugging percentage, good for a 110 OPS+; though he was an All-Star again the next year, his highest MVP finish actually came in 1983, a year in which he did not make the All-Star team: with a .289 batting average, 26 home runs, 86 runs batted in, 85 runs scored, a .355 on-base percentage, and a .518 slugging percentage (134 OPS+), Fisk placed third behind Baltimore Orioles teammates Cal Ripken Jr. and Eddie Murray. Moreover, despite just a .238 batting average, he had one of his best slugging seasons at age 37 in 1985 to the tune of career-highs of 37 home runs and 107 runs batted in, 85 runs scored, a .320 on-base percentage, and a .488 slugging percentage (115 OPS+) to win another Silver Slugger; for good measure, he also tied a career-high with 17 stolen bases.
All in all, Fisk would have six more seasons with the White Sox of double-digit home runs, including a third and final Silver Slugger in 1988 (19 home runs with 50 runs batted in). In his 40s, an age when most catchers are long retired, he achieved a number of career milestones – first, at age 42 in 1990, he surpassed Johnny Bench for most home runs by a catcher; finally, in his last MLB season as a 45-year-old in 1993, Fisk broke Bob Boone’s record for most career games caught. One of a select group of players to suit up in four different decades, Fisk was the all-time leader at catcher for both home runs and games played upon retirement, but has since been surpassed by Mike Piazza and Ivan Rodriguez, respectively.
Even though Fisk played a staggering 24 MLB seasons in comparison to Carter’s 19 years, there is only about a 200 game and 800 at-bat differential due to the latter’s greater durability year in and year out. Nevertheless, Fisk has the offensive statistical advantage in essentially every single counting and average category, mostly by relatively small margins. Breaking it down by season, however, Carter leads in seasons with 20+ home runs (9x vs. 8x, including a 2x vs. 1x advantage in 30+ home run years) and 100+ runs batted in (4x vs. 2x), though Fisk scored 100+ runs on more occasions (once vs. never). Both catchers were 11x All-Star selections, with Carter winning more Silver Sluggers (5x vs. 3x) and Gold Gloves (3x vs. 1x) vs. Fisk’s Rookie of the Year award. Furthermore, when you look at the advanced metric of Wins Above Replacement (WAR), Carter’s better defense gives him the edge at 70.1 to 68.4; as two of the greatest catchers ever, the duo were inducted the Hall of Fame just a few years apart (Fisk – 2000, Carter – 2003), with Carter being the first Hall of Famer to represent the Expos franchise.
Regular Season Statistics
| Gary Carter | Player | Carlton Fisk |
| 19 (1974-1992) | Seasons | 24 (1969, 1971-1993) |
| 2,296 | Games Played | 2,499 |
| 7,971 | At-Bats | 8,756 |
| 2,092 | Hits | 2,356 |
| 1,025 | Runs | 1,276 |
| 324 | Home Runs | 376 |
| 1,225 | Runs Batted In | 1,330 |
| 848 | Walks | 849 |
| 39 | Stolen Bases | 128 |
| .262 | Batting Average | .269 |
| .335 | On-Base Percentage | .341 |
| .439 | Slugging Percentage | .457 |
| 115 | OPS+ | 117 |
| 70.1 | Wins Above Replacement | 68.4 |
| 11x | All-Star Games | 11x |
| – | MVP | – |
| 1x | World Series Titles | – |
| 5x Silver Slugger, 3x Gold Glove | Other Awards | 3x Silver Slugger, 1x Gold Glove, ROY |
| 2003 | Hall of Fame Induction | 2000 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
In spite of their lengthy MLB careers, both Carter and Fisk had only a handful of playoff experiences, with each player’s defining postseason series/moment involving, for better or for worse, the Red Sox.
Carter made three postseason appearances during his career, once with the Expos and twice with the Mets. As part of a loaded Montreal team that included fellow Hall of Famers Andre Dawson and Tim Raines, he hit .421, blasted two home runs, and drove in 6 runs in a five game NLDS win vs. Schmidt’s Philadelphia Phillies, but the team would then fall in five games to rookie sensation Fernando Valenzuela and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS despite Carter’s .438 batting average. The story had a happier ending in 1986, though, as Carter hit .276 (8 hits in 29 at-bats) with 2 home runs and 9 runs batted in during a seven-game victory for the Mets vs. the Red Sox in a World Series best remembered for Bill Buckner’s infamous error through the legs.
Similarly, Fisk appeared once in the playoffs each with the Red Sox and White Sox. Notably, in 1975, he hit a scintillating .417 in an ALCS sweep vs. the Oakland Athletics to set up a World Series matchup vs. the Cincinnati Reds; overall, Fisk hit .240 with 2 home runs and 4 runs batted in during the World Series, but is perhaps best known for “waving fair” on his home run in the bottom of the 12th inning in Game 6 to give Boston a 7-6 win and send it to Game 7. Despite his heroics, however, the Red Sox would ultimately lose in seven games, a precursor to their similar heartbreak in 1986.
Playoff Statistics
| Gary Carter | Player | Carlton Fisk |
| 30 | Games Played | 14 |
| 118 | At-Bats | 54 |
| 33 | Hits | 14 |
| 11 | Runs | 9 |
| 4 | Home Runs | 2 |
| 21 | Runs Batted In | 6 |
| 8 | Walks | 8 |
| – | Stolen Bases | 1 |
| .280 | Batting Average | .259 |
| .320 | On-Base Percentage | .335 |
| .466 | Slugging Percentage | .407 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; as great as Carter and Fisk were behind the plate for so many years in starting roles, eventually each one would become more of a platoon/backup in his final seasons. For Hall of Fame caliber players across sports, I like to look at a concept I call a “decade of dominance.” The thinking behind this is that for most Hall of Fame type careers, there are roughly 10 great seasons that define an athlete (this idea is embodied in a sense by the NFL’s All-Decade teams), though due to injury or other factors, they might not be 10 consecutive years.
Decade of Dominance
| Gary Carter | Player | Carlton Fisk |
| 1977-1986 | Decade of Dominance | 1972-1973, 1976-1978, 1980, 1982-1983, 1985, 1990 |
| 1,445 | Games Played | 1,403 |
| 5,222 | At-Bats | 4,996 |
| 1,431 | Hits | 1,378 |
| 753 | Runs | 789 |
| 247 | Home Runs | 224 |
| 887 | Runs Batted In | 765 |
| 577 | Walks | 532 |
| 29 | Stolen Bases | 99 |
| .274 | Batting Average | .276 |
| .347 | On-Base Percentage | .358 |
| .474 | Slugging Percentage | .472 |
| 61.2 | Wins Above Replacement | 48.1 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
While Fisk’s greater longevity gives him better numbers overall, Carter was more dominant in their respective decades of dominance – their hitting numbers are relatively similar (better average and on-base percentage with more runs for Fisk, the advantage everywhere else for Carter), but Carter was superior defensively and generated more than a dozen additional WAR during this span.
My Thoughts
To play around 20 MLB seasons is a great feat in itself; to do so as a catcher and at a high level is an almost superhuman feat. Gary Carter and Carlton Fisk are not only both top-five in career games caught (the fact that Fisk was the starting catcher for a decade plus for not one, but two franchises is mind-boggling), but are also both top-six in career home runs at the position (Carter is one long ball away from #5), speaking to both their consistency and longevity. Between the two, I think Fisk is a little bit better on the longevity axis, but I give Carter the advantage on the consistency axis – in fact, Carter in my mind was quite clearly the best catcher in baseball in the 1980s, whereas Fisk was always very good, but never quite the best catcher; as similar as their offensive numbers are, Carter was also viewed as the superior defensive catcher. Throw in the fact that Carter won a World Series title, whereas Fisk fell just short despite producing one of the most iconic moments in World Series history, and I think “The Kid” comes out ahead by a slim margin.
Thus, after weighing their careers against each other in terms of statistics, achievements, and impact, the winner of this faceoff is:
Gary Carter
As always, vote for your choice and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Further Reading
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