Quote:
Originally Posted by Splitter24
I saw Jeffy25 list Brian Downing as a catcher, which is a serious stretch. I loved Brian Downing when he played (though, to be honest the morphing into the Incredible Hulk thing was a tad bit suspicious). But he played more games both at DH and LF than he did at catcher. Also, he only had the one real good year at catcher in '79. Otherwise, all of his real value as a player came in the 80's when he wasn't catching anymore.
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Downing caught for about 2K less innings than Mauer, they are certainly in that same relm.
Both good hitters, both passable as catchers. Mauer caught more. Downing had the career length. Good hitter throughout the 80's, but yes, mostly after he was done catching.