Johnny Bench, baseball player, 389 home runs, 1967-1983

Johnny Bench

⭐ Hall of Fame 1989

Born: 12/7/1947 in Oklahoma City, OK, USA

MLB Debut: 1967-08-28 | Final Game: 1983-09-29

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 197 lbs

Full name: Johnny Lee Bench

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Biography

Johnny Bench, born in 1947, was a legendary figure in Major League Baseball, celebrated for his exceptional skills as a catcher and his powerful hitting. Playing his entire career from August 28, 1967, to September 29, 1983, Bench became an integral part of the Cincinnati Reds' success during the 1970s, a period marked by the team's dominance in the National League. Over his 2,158 games, he amassed 2,048 hits, including 389 home runs, and drove in 1,376 runs, all while maintaining a batting average of .267. Known for his strong arm and quick release behind the plate, Bench revolutionized the catching position and set new standards for defensive play. A 14-time All-Star, Bench was not only a key player during the Reds' "Big Red Machine" era but also a two-time National League Most Valuable Player. His contributions helped the team secure two World Series championships in 1975 and 1976. Beyond his impressive statistics, Bench's impact on the game extended to his ability to inspire future generations of catchers, demonstrating the importance of offensive prowess combined with defensive excellence. His legacy remains a benchmark for excellence in baseball, earning him a place in the Hall of Fame in 1989, cementing his status as one of the greatest catchers in the history of the sport.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2158 7658 1091 2048 381 24 389 1376 68 891 1278 0.267 0.342 0.476 0.817 25301.2

Career AVG .267 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .342 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — +6.3% above league average.

Career SLG .476 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — +26.7% above league average.

Career OPS 0.817 vs. league average 0.697 across their career seasons — +17.3% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1967 CIN NL 26 86 7 14 3 1 1 6 0 5 19 0.163 .242 (-33%) .306 (-33%) .357 (-28%) .663 (-30%) -431.1
1968 CIN NL 154 564 67 155 40 2 15 82 1 31 96 0.275 .236 (+16%) .298 (+4%) .340 (+27%) .638 (+16%) 1399.6
1969 CIN NL 148 532 83 156 23 1 26 90 6 49 86 0.293 .248 (+18%) .320 (+10%) .369 (+32%) .689 (+22%) 2151.7
1970 CIN NL 158 605 97 177 35 4 45 148 5 54 102 0.293 .253 (+15%) .325 (+6%) .385 (+52%) .711 (+31%) 3401.7
1971 CIN NL 149 562 80 134 19 2 27 61 2 49 83 0.238 .249 (-4%) .316 (-6%) .365 (+16%) .682 (+6%) 490.3
1972 CIN NL 147 538 87 145 22 2 40 125 6 100 84 0.270 .243 (+11%) .310 (+22%) .353 (+53%) .664 (+38%) 4044.8
1973 CIN NL 152 557 83 141 17 3 25 104 4 83 83 0.253 .256 (-1%) .325 (+6%) .378 (+13%) .703 (+10%) 1150.8
1974 CIN NL 160 621 108 174 38 2 33 129 5 80 90 0.280 .256 (+9%) .324 (+12%) .369 (+37%) .693 (+25%) 3138.1
1975 CIN NL 142 530 83 150 39 1 28 110 11 65 108 0.283 .257 (+10%) .327 (+10%) .374 (+39%) .701 (+25%) 2489.8
1976 CIN NL 135 465 62 109 24 1 16 74 13 81 95 0.234 .255 (-8%) .320 (+9%) .360 (+9%) .681 (+9%) 987.2
1977 CIN NL 142 494 67 136 34 2 31 109 2 58 95 0.275 .264 (+4%) .329 (+6%) .401 (+35%) .730 (+22%) 2044.1
1978 CIN NL 120 393 52 102 17 1 23 73 4 50 83 0.260 .257 (+1%) .323 (+5%) .378 (+28%) .702 (+17%) 1252.4
1979 CIN NL 130 464 73 128 19 0 22 80 4 67 73 0.276 .265 (+4%) .329 (+11%) .397 (+15%) .727 (+13%) 1352.6
1980 CIN NL 114 360 52 90 12 0 24 68 4 41 64 0.250 .264 (-6%) .326 (avg) .387 (+25%) .714 (+13%) 887.8
1981 CIN NL 52 178 14 55 8 0 8 25 0 17 21 0.309 .255 (+21%) .320 (+15%) .368 (+33%) .688 (+25%) 737.9
1982 CIN NL 119 399 44 103 16 0 13 38 1 37 58 0.258 .261 (-1%) .324 (-1%) .388 (+2%) .712 (avg) 42.3
1983 CIN NL 110 310 32 79 15 2 12 54 0 24 38 0.255 .260 (-2%) .324 (-5%) .389 (+11%) .714 (+4%) 161.4

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
45 169 27 45 8 3 10 20 18 29 0.266

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1979 NLCS CIN 3 12 1 3 0 1 1 1 2 2 0.250
1976 NLCS CIN 3 12 3 4 1 0 1 1 1 2 0.333
1976 WS CIN 4 15 4 8 1 1 2 6 0 1 0.533
1975 NLCS CIN 3 13 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 6 0.077
1975 WS CIN 7 29 5 6 2 0 1 4 2 4 0.207
1973 NLCS CIN 5 19 1 5 2 0 1 1 2 3 0.263
1972 NLCS CIN 5 18 3 6 1 1 1 2 1 3 0.333
1972 WS CIN 7 23 4 6 1 0 1 1 5 5 0.261
1970 NLCS CIN 3 9 2 2 0 0 1 1 3 1 0.222
1970 WS CIN 5 19 3 4 0 0 1 3 1 2 0.211

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 145 98 966 54 16 94
3B 195 182 107 284 30 17
C 1742 1627 9249 850 97 127
OF 111 96 147 3 8 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1967 CIN C 26 26 175 16 1 0
1968 CIN C 154 139 942 102 9 10
1969 CIN C 147 135 793 76 7 10
1970 CIN 1B 12 5 74 4 1 7
1970 CIN 3B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1970 CIN C 139 130 755 73 12 12
1970 CIN OF 24 17 24 1 2 0
1971 CIN 1B 12 1 34 1 1 7
1971 CIN 3B 3 3 2 6 0 0
1971 CIN C 141 133 687 59 9 9
1971 CIN OF 12 10 12 1 0 0
1972 CIN 1B 7 2 24 0 1 1
1972 CIN 3B 4 4 2 7 1 0
1972 CIN C 129 124 735 56 6 9
1972 CIN OF 17 17 30 0 2 0
1973 CIN 1B 4 3 29 0 0 3
1973 CIN 3B 1 1 0 2 0 0
1973 CIN C 134 124 693 61 4 7
1973 CIN OF 23 22 35 0 2 0
1974 CIN 1B 5 0 15 0 0 0
1974 CIN 3B 36 30 22 55 3 2
1974 CIN C 137 129 757 68 6 16
1975 CIN 1B 9 3 45 0 1 2
1975 CIN C 121 115 568 51 7 9
1975 CIN OF 19 18 33 1 0 0
1976 CIN 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1976 CIN C 128 120 651 60 2 11
1976 CIN OF 5 3 4 0 2 0
1977 CIN 1B 4 2 21 2 1 3
1977 CIN 3B 1 0 0 1 1 0
1977 CIN C 135 125 705 66 10 10
1977 CIN OF 8 7 9 0 0 0
1978 CIN 1B 11 9 75 5 2 7
1978 CIN C 107 96 605 48 7 6
1978 CIN OF 2 2 0 0 0 0
1979 CIN 1B 2 2 13 1 0 1
1979 CIN C 126 123 619 68 10 11
1980 CIN C 105 98 505 39 5 7
1981 CIN 1B 38 37 334 23 6 35
1981 CIN C 7 7 41 5 1 0
1982 CIN 1B 8 5 53 4 0 7
1982 CIN 3B 107 103 54 155 19 10
1982 CIN C 1 0 1 0 0 0
1983 CIN 1B 32 29 249 14 3 21
1983 CIN 3B 42 41 26 58 6 5
1983 CIN C 5 3 17 2 1 0
1983 CIN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 1743
First Base 146
Third Base 195
Left Field 55
Center Field 2
Right Field 55

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
2018 Bob Feller Act of Valor Award - HOF Player
1983 Player of the Week Week of 1983-04-08
1981 Hutch Award
1977 Gold Glove C
1976 Babe Ruth Award C
1976 Gold Glove C
1976 Player of the Week Week of 1976-04-30
1976 World Series MVP
1975 Gold Glove C
1975 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1975 TSN All-Star C
1974 Gold Glove C
1974 Player of the Week Week of 1974-07-12
1974 TSN All-Star C
1973 Gold Glove C
1973 TSN All-Star C
1972 Gold Glove C
1972 Most Valuable Player
1972 TSN All-Star C
1971 Gold Glove C
1970 Gold Glove C
1970 Most Valuable Player
1970 TSN All-Star C
1970 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1970 TSN Player of the Year
1969 Gold Glove C
1969 TSN All-Star C
1968 Gold Glove C
1968 Rookie of the Year
1968 TSN All-Star C
1968 TSN Rookie Player of the Year

Featured In Rankings

#1
Top 20 Catchers in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 1 of 20
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Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1980 Most Valuable Player NL 17th 7.0 336 0
1979 Most Valuable Player NL 23th 7.0 336 0
1977 Most Valuable Player NL 21th 3.0 336 0
1975 Most Valuable Player NL 4th 117.0 336 0
1974 Most Valuable Player NL 4th 141.0 336 0
1973 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 41.0 336 0
1972 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 263.0 336 11
1970 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 326.0 336 22
1969 Most Valuable Player NL 13th 12.0 336 0
1968 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 11.0 280 0
1968 Rookie of the Year NL 1st 10.0 20 10