1860s-1870s: The Barehanded Era where catchers stood 20 to 30 feet behind the plate and caught pitches on a bounce without equipment. 

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1880s-1910s: The Invention of Gear due to pitchers throwing overhand.  Catchers moved behind the batter which led to the invention of the mask (1877), padded chest protector (1880s) and shin guards (1907).

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1920s-1950s:  The Offensive Powerhouses introduced the idea of catchers becoming major hitters.  Hall of Famers like Yogi Berra and Roy Campanella won multiple MVP awards by combining elite defense with home-run power.

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1970s-Present:  The Modern One-Handed Style concept was revolutionized by Johnny Bench who used a hinged mitt allowing catchers to keep one hand tucked safely behind their back.

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1980s-Present:  One Knee Down Stance began with the pioneer, Tony Pena who had exceptional flexibility and often extended one leg completely flat along the ground.  Originally viewed as a gimmick by baseball purists and coaches, Pena executed the move to ease the physical toll on his legs. During the late 90s and early 2000s, MLB catchers began to use the one-knee stance but only when bases were empty.  In 2019, baseball analytics lead to Tanner Swanson spearheading the modern era of pitch framing during his time as a catching coordinator with the Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees.  

 

Twins catcher Mitch Garver fully committed to the one knee philosophy with or without runners on base proving to the rest of the league that posture drastically lowered a catcher's target.  This allowed them to "steal" low strikes from umpires.  This caused a domino effect as the entire league copied the system as nearly 60% of all MLB pitchers were caught from a one-knee stance by 2021.  Today, the classic two-foot deep squat has become a rarity.