The Top 40 VORP list continues with the player that accumulated the 24th highest VORP total as a member of the Minnesota Twins, Earl Battey.

Earl was the first Twins catcher, having come West with the Senators in 1961. He had five very good seasons to start his Twins career, but quickly faded and was done after his 32 year old season. I have absolutely no recollection of Battey, but I do know that he’s been widely regarded as the best catcher in Twins history. As you will see, he doesn’t have the highest VORP as a catcher, for the Twins and there’s a certain number 7 that’s about to grab that mantle indisputably over at least the next four years, barring injury. Nevertheless, Battey was a quality player for the Twins and for a period of five years in a Twins uniform, he was one of the best catchers in the American League.

6’1 205 LBS. Batted Right and Threw Right. Born 1935 in Los Angeles, CA. Died 2003 in Ocala, FL.
Member of the Twins from 1961-67
VORP as a Twin: 137.0 Rank: 24th

Earl Battey was signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent in 1953. Battey debuted with the Sox on September 10, 1955 and played a total of just nine games in the major leagues in his first two seasons. Battey kicked around with the Chisox and never had more that 168 at bats in any of the five seasons that he played for them. His last season with Chicago was with the 1959 American League Champions. Battey was the third string catcher and did not appear in the 1959 World Series.

Two weeks before the 1960 season, the 25 year old Battey was traded to the Washington Senators along with 22 year old Don Mincher and $150,000 cash for veteran Roy Sievers. Sievers was a power hitting first baseman who went on to have a couple of pretty good years with the White Sox before moving on to play with the Phillies and then the new Senators. Mincher would play a key role on the 1965 American League Champion Twins, filling in for the injured Harmon Killebrew. Battey would begin a six year run (the first with the Washington Senators) as one of the best hitting catchers in the American League.

Battey’s first year with the Twins was a grand one. He hit .302/.370/.470 and amassed a VORP total of 31.1, good for the fourth best total for catchers in the AL. He also had 522 plate appearances, good for second in the AL. On a young team, Battey was an emerging star and his VORP total was second only to the Killer.

The 1962 Twins improved 21 games over the inaugural season and finished second in the AL with a 91-71 record. Battey’s performance lagged, however. He dropped to .280/.343/.391 with a 16.3 VORP. He was well down the list of performers on his own team, trailing Rich Rollins, Killer, Bernie Allen, Bob Allison, and Lenny Green. Even in a down year, though, Battey had the third best VORP in the AL for catchers. Again, he was very durable and was second in the AL in plate appearances. The Twins finished five games behind the Yankees, and the future looked bright.

Battey rebounded from his down year in 1962 with another fine season, in fact, his career year, in 1963. Battey hit .285/.369/.476 with a career high 26 home runs and 84 RBIs. He also had a career best 61 walks and an OPS+ of 134. Battey had a WARP3 of 8.2, his best year. The Twins had another good season at 91-70, good for 3rd in the AL but 13 games back of the Yankees. Battey’s VORP of 40.7 was just 2.6 behind the league leader, Elston Howard. Battey led the league in plate appearances. Battey had clearly established himself as one of the most durable and effective catchers in the league.

The 1964 Twins stumbled and finished in the second division with a 79-83 record. Battey played well, hitting .272/.348/.407 for an OPS+ of 109. However, he failed to reach 500 plate appearances for the first time as a Twin. As a result, Battey’s VORP of 19.3 was just fifth in the league. Still, in arguably his worst season as a Twin to date, Battey was still a very effective player.

1965, of course, was a great season in Twins history and their 102 wins remains a club record. Battey had his last excellent season as a Twin. Battey hit .297/.375/.409 in 131 games. His 28.9 VORP was the best total for catcher in the American League. Over the course of five seasons, Battey had amassed a total of 136.2 VORP. He had just 0.8 VORP left in his career.

The 1966 and 1967 each finished second in the American League – the 1967 finished was memorably heartbreaking, losing the last two games of the season to lose the pennant to the Red Sox. By that time, Battey’s career was done, having played in his last game immediately before that.

I made the case that Battey was a durable catcher over the course of his Twins career. Apparently, he was also pretty tough. Reportedly, he had “a persistent bad knee, several dislocated fingers, and a goiter problem (at times he ballooned to 60 pounds over his listed weight) he endured. Battey twice had cheekbones broken by pitched balls and wore a special helmet after 1962.” During Game 3 of the 1965 World Series, Battey “ran into a neck-high crossbar in Dodger Stadium while chasing a foul pop. He played the remainder of the series even though he could barely speak or turn his head.”

During his Twins career, Battey accumulated a 35.4 WARP3, the best total for any Twins catcher (and he won three gold gloves). He was a four-time all star (1962-63 and 65-66 and was the top vote getter for the 1965 team). Some day, Battey will likely be forgotten in the shadow of Joe Mauer’s career, but for the time being, there is a pretty good case that to this point, he’s been the best catcher in Twins history.

Said the Killer:

"Earl Battey was one of the finest catchers I have ever seen. I don't think we realized how great he was until a little after our game. He was not a very fast guy, as people will tell you, but he made up for it with a great arm and knowledge of how to handle pitchers, particularly young pitchers."

Like Larry Hisle, Mr. Battey appeared to have a commendable post baseball life.

After he retired in 1967 … he worked in New York City as a recreation specialist with young disturbed boys; a position he held for 12 years. In 1980 Battey fulfilled a promise he made to his mother, enrolling at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach Florida. There he took 34 credits a semester and coached the Wildcats basketball team. By finishing his undergrad studies in two and-half-years, Battey was accorded the distinction of Summa Cum Laude honors.

Battey died in 2003 of cancer in Ocala, FL.