Mike Matheny actually was the last starting catcher the team employed before Molina, and took home a few Gold Glove Awards with his first coming in 2000. There were a few years in the late 1990s when the team cycled through a few different catchers, but for the majority of the decade the catching duties were handled by Tom Pagnozzi.
Pagnozzi was slow and pudgy, did not hit much some years, but he was always a very good defensive catcher. He won a total of three Gold Gloves and has some great defensive stats to back up his awards. Not just someone who won an award because of his reputation as a good defender. There was a season he led the National League in defensive WAR, several where he finished near the top, several seasons with almost 50% of base runners caught, etc.
Pagnozzi also had some nice baseball cards over the years. There is always some player on every team who always ends up with really nice cards in spite of the fact that they are not necessarily a name player. You'd think that there were be some more time spent on Ozzie Smith or Mark McGwire, or possibly we could get good cards of the majority of players.
Maybe.
I am going to share more than the usual three cards for this post. The good Pagnozzi cards show him playing defense, but my favorite card of the former Cardinals catcher has to be his 1995 Pinnacle card where he is arguing with an umpire......
There are not a ton of cards made with players and umpires arguing. The card also has a really old picture on the front. Pagnozzi is clearly wearing one of the polyster uniforms that the Cardinals wore in the 1980s and early 1990s. The team ditched these uniforms after the 1991 season. Mind you, Pagnozzi actually came up with the Cardinals in the late 1980s and was Tony Pena's backup for several seasons. Even played in the 1987 World Series, so this card has a picture that is potentially seven or eight years old from the time it was printed. If I had a cool picture of a player arguing with an umpire I would throw it on a baseball card too, even if it was older.
A few nice Stadium Clubs.
This his 1996 card from that set. Another photo that you do not see too often on baseball cards, catchers running down foul balls around the back stop and netting. I am pretty sure that Pagnozzi caught this ball and is turning to check on a base runner. The fans in the stands do not seem to be moving either, which would likely happen if the ball was over the netting. The old guy in the Rockies hat is calling the batter out.
Last Stadium Club.
Always fun to see a slow catcher get on base on a ball hit on the infield. Pretty certain that the Giants first baseman, not Will Clark, has missed the ball here. I also like that Pagnozzi is off the ground. Does not seem like the type of guy who would have any sort of leaping ability, but here we are.....
I had fun finding these cards of Pagnozzi, so you are getting a few more.
Favorite Topps card. Again, kind of a unique picture you do not see often on a baseball card.
Last base card.
I don't even remember this card being made, and I have a ton of these Emotion XL cards. Gritty is such a catcher word, or maybe a backup middle infielder. Pagnozzi is definitely "gritty". This was only a 200 card set, a little surprised that Fleer would even include Pagnozzi. I'd tip my cap to your set designers for adding him to the checklist, but your company went bankrupt awhile ago.
Last card. If you had to own one Tom Pagnozzi card it should be this one. There are some pretty nice Cardinals cards in the 1996 Leaf Signature Series autographs, along with several players who were only around the team for a short time. Cards of Rick Honeycutt and Mike Gallego are in a Cardinals uniform in that set, but they are not really Cardinals players. Brian Jordan, Mabry, and Pagnozzi are much better cards if you are truly looking for a Cardinals card.
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