Mauer For Avila?

[Element]

Between the two I'm still more in favour of Mauer. Let me see Avila do it for a few more years.

This. Or at least see Avila do it for one more year. I am not a big fan of catchers anyway but Mauer has the most upside and if he plays a lot more 1B he could start hitting better. Think of last year as a lost year and go into this year with the expectation he could match 2010's numbers.

Also, if he does begin seeing more at bats because he isn't catching every day, that would only make his main tool (batting average) even more valuable. You could also see his R & RBI totals go 90+. There are only a couple of other catchers in that group and Avila isn't one of them.

[lane_anasazi2]

Also, if he does begin seeing more at bats because he isn't catching every day, that would only make his main tool (batting average) even more valuable. You could also see his R & RBI totals go 90+. There are only a couple of other catchers in that group and Avila isn't one of them.

Excellent point. A healthy Mauer already eclipses almost all C in AB, which bumps up his counting stats as well as giving his AVG more weight. Him getting most of his AB at 1B would be an ideal situation for fantasy owners; less injury risk at that position, he retains C eligibility, and the extra AB make him an even more valuable player.