"His third batting title came in 2008, when he hit .328. He won that batting title by sheer luck with such a low average."
What a moronic statement. Sheer luck my ass. He finished second in offensive WAR and fourth in MVP, was that by luck? Was that well deserved? No one else was hurt--he finished ahead of Mags, Ichiro, Hamilton and the rest who won in other years.
Again, he was a catcher. ZERO catchers have won a batting title in the A.L. except for Mauer. Posey, Hargrave and Lombardi are the only other catchers to ever win one, with Lombardi doing it twice. BTW, Mauer also finished second, third and fourth in BA in other seasons. And his .365 avg in 2009 has not been topped since-- in either league.
I am a lifelong Yankee fan and Posada was one of my favorite players, but the comparison with Mauer isn't even close. One can only wonder how many HRs Joe would have hit in New York if he was able to develop his swing for the short porch and not the tall Hefty Bag wall of the Metrodome, which led him to focus on driving the ball the other way. He had nearly 50 more doubles and 20 more triples than Jorge, so he was hardly powerless. And the difference in defense between the two was substantial.
I predict Joe will go into the HOF on the second or third try.
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If we are to have another contest in the near future of our national existence, I predict that the dividing line will not be Mason and Dixon's but between patriotism and intelligence on the one side, and superstition, ambition and ignorance on the other. - Ulysses S. Grant, military commander, 18th US President.
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