One of the best catchers of all-time. Like almost the entire Pittsburgh lineup, Manny was a dangerous free swinging hitter. I had him ranked only behind Johnny Bench during the 1970s era.
Unlike today’s game where analytics has ruined the sport, the Pirate lineup from the early 1970s would swing at anything that wasn’t in the dirt. Clemente, Stargell, Oliver, Cash, Sanguillen, Robertson, and Clines were the most dangerous hitting team alongside the Big Red Machine during the 1970s.
Baseball was watchable back then and there was an abundance and concentration of great players on a single team.