Welcome to The Official Website of Johnny Bench
Career Achievements
Minor League Player of the Year, 1967
At the age of 19, Johnny recorded 70 assists as a catcher, and led the Buffalo Bisons with 23 home runs and 68 RBIs during the 1967 season. Johnny would later be called up to make his major league debut on August 28, 1967.
National League Rookie of the Year, 1968
The first catcher to ever earn such honors, Johnny caught 154 games in his first full season and made his defensive dominance known early with a .991 Fielding Percentage next to 102 assists. He would also finish 3rd on the team in HRs behind "Big Bopper" Lee May and fellow Hall of Famer Tony Perez, all of whom drove in 80+ RBIs.
1970 and 1972 National League MVP
With two seasons leading the league in HRs, RBIS and sacrifice flies, while catching 100+ games, Bench joined catching legend Roy Campanella as the only pair of backstops to win multiple Most Valuable Player awards. During both of these season, the Cincinnati Reds would go on to win the National League Championship.
Back-to-Back World Series Champion
