Minnesota Twins: Joe Mauer and Credibility
Sep 27, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Minnesota Twins first baseman
Joe Mauer(7) drives in a run in the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
On March 21, 2010, Joe Mauer signed an eight year, $184 million contract extension with the Minnesota Twins. Not only was the St. Paul native a hometown hero but he was also coming off of an MVP campaign in 2009 and was well on his way to becoming one of the greatest hitting catchers of all-time. In addition to his individual successes, the Twins were in the middle of a run of American League Central championships and although they had not won a World Series with that group yet, hopes were high.
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Everyone reading this knows what happened next. Mauer was beset by a number of injuries and had a couple of seasons of diminished effectiveness. He certainly has not had a season approaching his MVP year ever since. While he was struggling, the team was free-falling as well. It is no coincidence that Mauer’s difficulties dovetailed with the team’s problems, though I do feel like an unfair share of the blame has been placed on Mauer (more on that in a bit).
The recent issues of two of America’s most noticeable figures over the past couple days is actually what got me thinking about Mauer. Allow me to explain:
On December 2, 2004, Brian Williams took over for Tom Brokaw as the lead anchor of the NBC Nightly News. He has spent the past decade since as one of the most well-respected voices to deliver the news. This has been a lucrative time for Williams as well, reportedly making up $10 million a year. All this built up goodwill has started to crumble the last couple of days. He recanted a story about being in a helicopter in Iraq that was struck by an RPG in 2003. I’ve always respected Williams and enjoyed his work but it is really difficult to imagine how he could be so mistaken about something that would be such a big deal.
In June of 2008, Tiger Woods won the US Open playing on an injured knee and fractured leg in one of the greatest performances in the history of golf. It was Woods’ 14th major championship, pulling him within four of Jack Nicklaus’ all-time record. At that moment, it seemed inconceivable that Woods would not win a single major over the following six seasons. He blew up his personal life when his prodigious amount of infidelity came to light. He also has struggled with injuries. Today, he withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open due to back spasms. It was the third tournament Woods has been forced out of due to injury over his past nine tournaments played.
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The point of all this is that, much like Williams and Woods, Mauer finds himself at a crossroads. When you reach such massive highs, once you fall off it is tough to regain your credibility with the public. He will turn 32 this April. In other words, he still has time to bounce back but the prime of his career will not last a lot longer. That said, I really don’t believe Mauer has been nearly as bad as many people have made him out to be. To wit, he had a WAR of 5.3 in 2013, which is roughly in line with the 5.8 he averaged from 2006-2010.
The biggest issue is that he has missed so many games. He has played in 82, 147, 113 and 120 games over the past four seasons. This was the impetus for moving him to first base and designated hitter last season. The problem with that is that his style of hitting added much more value as a catcher than it does at his current positions. Again, he was one of the most prolific hitting catchers in history and the only one to ever win three batting titles.
Still, I think he has enough talent and smarts to be a very productive, star player for years to come. I also believe the promotion of Paul Molitor to manager will help Mauer. They both know how to hit in the majors, and I think Molitor will be able to point out some deficiencies with Mauer when they arise. Here’s hoping Mauer turns it around this year, and the team’s fortunes rise along with his.