Postseason Review: Joe Mauer

I'm more pessimistic on this than I thought. At this point, I don't think the Twins should count on him to be any better than he was.  If he improves, great.  But don't expect much more.  His babip was around normal for him, he didn't play catcher but couldn't stay healthy.  He'll be 32 next year.  Lots of guys are done at 32.  I also don't think he has the ability to hit with power against the shifts baseball has used against him.  

The hard part will be what they do if he stays this way.  His OBP was still pretty respectable and would fit in the #2 spot.  But his bat really isn't better than that and the Twins might have better options in the next few years at the top of the order.  He could be a #7 hitter in 2016.

Which Joe was the real Joe?  Pre-2014 injury or post 2014 injury?  I want to hope that after he came off the DL and hit .289/.398/.408/.805 is the Mauer we see next year and not before the all star break Mauer that struggled.  I will say I think Joe is far from done.  The kind of hitter he is which is high contact + good eye are the ones that stick around the longest, though I'd be lying if I said the increasing K/rate didn't bother me.

I think numbers post DL might be realistic.  Baseball has such a razor edge from being a successful hitter to floundering.  It does not take much mentally pr physically to throw one off.  

Think of all of the issues Mauer had to address the beginning of the season: returning from a concussion, losing a good chunk of the off-season conditioning because of the concussion, learning a new position,feeling pressure about making the all-star team when at the home field, back issues, (hopefully due to not being able to condition off season and not a sign of future problems), oblique (ditto).  

It will be interesting to see how he is next year.  One more year removed from the concussion, knowing more what to expect playing first base and hopefully try a few new off season conditioning techniques.  It is possible that he is just aging quickly due to his career as a catcher, but I also think it is possible that he will have a bit of a rebound and while his best days are behind him, be a respectable player for a few more years.  If healthy, I also think his defense will continue to improve.

I think counting on Mauer to be an elite 1b at this point is hope, not strategy. There is little evidence he is tending up, and he spent years catching and should age like one.

maybe deer or elk hides instead of beef... ?

Bear?  Look at the body language - you can tell there is already a lot of tension  and animosity between the two.

http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/AutographLine2.jpg

I was one who predicted a career year for Joe Mauer in 2014 - 30-35 homers and at least a .333 average with 110 RBI.  It has never ever made sense to me that a man 6'5" and 240 lbs could not be a homerun hitter with that "perfect" swing his dad repeatedly said would bring the next .400 hitter to MLB.  I fear that marriage and fatherhood has taken focus from the ball player.  I root for him to become what he once was while playing the very little taxing position of first base.  It is sad that Morneau was forsaken for Mauer.  If Joe wants to be a father and a husband above all else, maybe he will do the Ryan Dempster and sit out a season without pay and figure it out.  Otherwise, there are 23 million reasons a year to focus and do the Twins right.  He needs to evolve and develop power that carries 10-15 feet further with that "perfect swing" and just hit it over the shifts and into the stands.  He is a huge man.  Time to man up.

I have no problem with him getting stronger or working harder.   I think he should and probably will.   I am hoping it was the concussion effects that had a lot to do with his decline this year.  After all, it took Morneau 3 years to recover from his.   A lot of people were saying he was done all through the first two years of his recovery.  Now look at him.   All that said it appeared to me that Mauer did try to hit for more power by trying to pull the ball and that is what got him off to the bad start.     Get stronger?  Fine  Swing at first pitches more?  Fine.  Just a little bit more will get good results.    Not worried about any of that though.   Go back to hitting .320 with a .400 OBP and a manager with sense to put him in the 2 spot is all I ask for.    His defense at first base in one full year was plenty good.    2nd half was probably gold glove caliber.   Great target and good reflexes.