Souhan: Mauer Should Move To 1B

[Mike Sixel]

If you are talking this season and right now, personally I'd shut him down and send him home. Long term though, I think this is a risk that you have to take unless Mauer himself is forcing it. Mauer represents a huge competitive advantage at C that is largely gone at 1B. Giving him reps over there to get him more plate appearances is one thing, but a full switch when he's still a productive catcher is another thing alltogether.

 

 

He is a great hitter even as a 1B......we've posted those numbers in this thread a lot....

[Marta Shearing]

Lets face it. Mauer is catching in 2014 for one reason. Because we're hosting the allstar game and he wants to be the starting catcher. I guess I dont blame him.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Lets face it. Mauer is catching in 2014 for one reason. Because we're hosting the allstar game and he wants to be the starting catcher. I guess I dont blame him.

 

Yup, the leading AL WAR catcher in 2013 is only starting at catcher again in 2014 for selfish and superficial reasons. Got it.

 

Otherwise, he would obviously be moved off the position immediately due to the exceptional circumstances of being one of 4 Twins (and one of 2 Twins catchers, and one of 9 catchers in MLB) diagnosed with a concussion this season.

[Marta Shearing]

Its naive to say the allstar game doesnt factor in. And like I said, I dont blame him. That said, I dont care what his WAR is catching. He's up there in years for a catcher, and he suffered a brain injury. Once you suffer one, others will come easily and more frequently. Ask Morneau.

[ashbury]

The more I read this discussion, the better I think I understand why Mauer leading the league in BA (or any other batting category) was a rare event. It's not just that it's hard to keep your batting production up when you combine it with catching; it's also that any catching prospect with stellar batting skills gets shifted away from the position, via similar reasoning as being discussed here, much earlier in his career, maybe even prior to signing his first professional contract.

[Otto von Ballpark]

And for all of Mauer's "injury history" that has precipitated this proposed move, the dude had played in 113 of 123 games (a 149 game pace) and was sporting a 142 OPS+ this year, basically equal to any of his previous best batting champ seasons (save that crazy, crazy 2009).

 

And this after a 139 OPS+ in 147 games in 2012. He's had a reduced catching load (74 games caught last year, was on a ~100 game pace this year) but outside of his monster 2009, this has been as good of a two-year stretch as any other in his career.

 

So outside of the concussion , he's been on the field ~150 games a year lately and still hitting like a stud, without a position switch. Unless the concussion is worse than reported, I think he's warranted more time behind the dish. Even if Pinto rakes, they should probably keep splitting time back there -- no reason to give up that flexibility.