Watching him strikeout...over and over.

I gotta think that concussion, ball to the head, did more than we think it did. He's not old enough for this kind of decline.

Puckett was never the same after getting hit in the head, neither was Morneau. Mauer...could be the same thing perhaps.

That is the top 10 all making over $20 million a season. Doesn't it seem all of those players are past the prime, and most of the teams aren't going to make the playoffs.

That's the nature of free agency. Generally speaking, free agents are already past their prime and get overpaid. One year, not so bad. Anything over a year or two is likely to be a bad contract. I would put no less than 3 or 4 of those Top 10 contracts as worse than Mauer's.

I gotta think that concussion, ball to the head, did more than we think it did. He's not old enough for this kind of decline.

It's 2 weeks into the season. How about we see what he's hitting in a month from now.

There have been 13 games this season. Grip . . . get it.

I think what I get irritated about is if the media asks Gardy about Mauer, the answer is something like, "it's Joe, he is a bit of a funk right now, he came through with a big 2 out single, he'll be back, I am not worried." The media doesn't even show or talk about the questions they ask Mauer, or show them after a tough game. 13 games count if it is 32 degrees or 90 degrees, and when he shows no power, and strikes out 17 times so far, I am concerned, he is in his "prime", and this would be an expected year to put up $23 million a year numbers. Overreaction maybe, at what point does it just become a reality?

That's the nature of free agency. Generally speaking' date=' free agents are already past their prime and get overpaid. One year, not so bad. Anything over a year or two is likely to be a bad contract. I would put no less than 3 or 4 of those Top 10 contracts as worse than Mauer's.

 

 

 

It's 2 weeks into the season. How about we see what he's hitting in a month from now.[/quote']

 

The only guy I would trade for Mauer staight up on that list is Cano. I would entertain Hamels.

 

But I agree with the consensus here. We are 13 games in. Joe is hitting .280 with a .370 OBP. Not horrible numbers. His other 5,000 plate appearances are not too shabby and no need to panic.

MAJOR OVERREACTION! The numbers will be there at the end of the year. If you want the guy to become Prince Fielder, then you will be disappointed. He is striking out more and likely because he is trying to hit for more power. In regards to the leadership stuff: Making the most money on your team doesn't make you a "leader." Being able to influence others is leadership. His professionalism on and off the field is leadership. He may be a lead by example type of guy. Michael Jordan was the leader of the Bulls, but often wasn't the highest paid player. Money is NOT the issue when it comes to leadership.

It's actually quite easy to find worse 13-games stretches in Mauer's career. In fact, doing a really quick look at his game logs, I found a 13-game stretch where he hit .220/.264/.300.

When was that? From July 5 to July 22 of 2009, his MVP season. Anyone can have a rough patch at any time. It's just easier to see at the beginning of a season.

I think we've reached the point when it's useless to expect Joe Mauer to be anything more than or other than Joe Mauer. He's not going to fire up the troops, he's not going to swing 0-0 and he's not going to sacrifice contact for home runs. However, he will avoid outs at an elite level, he'll give the franchise a reliable form of quiet leadership and he'll challenge for batting titles nearly every year.

I've written this before, but is it up to Joe Mauer to change who he is or for us to realize that our expectations aren't going to be met? Have you ever tried changing who you are? It's not easy.

"...is it up to Joe Mauer to change who he is or for us to realize that our expectations aren't going to be met? Have you ever tried changing who you are? It's not easy."

This, TOTALLY this.

He won't sacrifice contact for home runs, but he's certainly doing so for more strikeouts.