benito santiago rivera (born march 9, 1965) is a puerto rican former professional baseball catcher, who played for twenty seasons in major league baseball (mlb). in the late 1980s and early 1990s, santiago was considered the premier catcher in the national league (nl). santiago was not a great batter and showed little pop at the plate, but he is considered one of the greatest defensive catchers of all time. as a veteran catcher, he was known for his patience with helping rookie pitchers adapt to the new challenges posed by the major leagues.