Article: Twins Daily Members on Joe Mauer

[Nick Nelson]

This week we asked members to share your thoughts on Joe Mauer and the Twins in our blog section, offering up free pizza to all who participated. The response was tremendous. Fifteen of you checked in with entries that incorporated the topic of Mauer, often in very creative ways.

 

For those who wrote, keep an eye on your Twins Daily inbox this weekend for your Papa John's promo code. Here's a recap of the stories that have been shared:Blast From the Past: Mauer's Inside the Park Home Run, by hugelycat: A look back at one of the quirkier moments in Mauer's career.

 

After working the count to 3-2, Mauer rips a pitch from Scot Shields to center. Gary Matthews Jr. makes a valiant try at leaping for the ball, but he can’t get to it. The ball ends up rebounding off the wall, with Matthews rolling to the ground.

 

Where We Are, Where We Are Going, by alskntwnsfn: A deep statistical look at where the Twins currently stand, with analysis of what those numbers mean going forward.

 

The Forums and Blogs could fill volumes about what has transpired, what should have happened, and where we can go from here. However, I'd like to take a more quantitative approach and look at the team versus the rest of the league to see what we can deduce about the team and where they are losing the most ground.

 

Rebuilding From 90 Losses to a Playoff Team, by jay: The Twins are in their fourth straight year of losing baseball. Looking at historical data for other teams, how long will it take to get back to the postseason?

 

The Twins are about to wrap year 3 since 2011's 90+ losses. We're certainly hopeful that the Twins reach the playoffs before 2017 or 2018, but it's feasible to think that could be the case as prospects continue to develop and grow into producers at the MLB level. The Twins appear pretty close to on track for "average" or just ahead.

 

A Mauer Resurgence Will Prove Vital, by Shane Wahl: Looking at how the Twins' lineup will shape up going forward, we can conclude that strong production from Mauer will be key to offensive production.

 

Buxton is going to be in scoring position a lot for Mauer, and the hit and run potential is clearly there. Aside from that, Mauer's OBP in from of Sano, Vargas, and Dozier is going to be huge.

 

Everyone's a Doctor: Joe Mauer, the Injury Bug, and the Notion of "Toughness", by trevor.aufderheide: Digging into the perceptions surrounding Mauer and his willingless (or lack thereof) to play through injuries.

 

In baseball, a game where healthy hitters have a hard enough time hitting 95-mph fastballs, playing someone whose swing and instincts are off due to injury makes no sense. Additionally, most writers and fans lack the medical knowledge and insider information that professional medical staffs possess, so who are they to demand playing time from afflicted athletes?

 

New Hopes, by Twins and Losses: Celebrating this week's return of Obi-Wan Kenob-- er, Joe Mauer.

 

Joe Mauer might be the crazy, old wizard of Minnesota Twins lore at some point, but the former MVP has shown that he still has some magic left.

 

The Rebirth of a Hometown Hero, by kevinhorner: Mauer's return to the field serves as a reminder of all the great skills he brings to the table, and how those skills can benefit the team's fortunes going forward.

 

On Monday night, under the lights of Minute Maid Park, Joe Mauer instilled hope back into the hearts of Twins’ fans after missing essentially the whole month of July with a strained oblique.

 

Secret Cabin, by Minnie Paul and Mary: How does Mauer figure into the team's failures over the last few seasons? He's an easy target, but doesn't deserve the blame.

 

Even when Boston came knocking, we weren't interested. We never were. Trading Joe Mauer was never an option. So when the team started losing, the fans kept asking for more from the man who had never let them down before.

 

The Game, by ashburyjohn: A fictional, yet amusing and eloquent, conversation between Mauer, Morneau and Gardy.

 

Mauer studied the manager for a moment, and then looked at Morneau, who sat as still as if carved out of marble. "There are lots of things Morneau would never say," he told the others quietly, while staring at the Canadian intently. "He'd never say anything vindictive or dishonest, for instance." He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "It's funny," he finally told Morneau slowly. "I think I know you very well. But it's hard to nail down just one sentence I'd never expect to hear from you."

 

How to Save Joe Mauer's Career, by goulik: Perhaps what Mauer needs to do is more closely emulate another famous first baseman in the team's history.

 

Joe is the second coming of the hometown guy. Unlike Hrbek, he sat behind the dish, made a superstar name for himself with the national media, and received the awards and praise denied his predecessor.

 

Pizza and Joe Mauer, by ReturnOfShaneMack: How Mauer's career can be likened to that good old dingy yet delicious pizza place in your hometown.

 

Joe Mauer hasn’t changed. But Minnesotans’ perception of him has. He’s the pizza place’s pizza. He’s the same, reliable (and, let’s be honest, plain cheese) pizza he’s always been.

 

2016 Twins, by tobi0040: Projecting each position on Twins not next year, but the year after.

 

Joe Mauer will be under contract thru 2018 and it is really hard to see a scenario where Joe is not with the team. His contract is next to immovable, even if he was having a typical .330, 10 HR pace. He, of course is not. I have never been a huge proponent of playing a guy to play for someone else and the Twins aren’t going to do that.

 

Going Green with the Twins, by hybridbear: Various musings on Mauer, the Twins' Spanish broadcasting team and the team's admirable sustainibility efforts.

 

Their efforts to capture & reuse rainwater are well publicized, but some of their other efforts which are less well known also deserve attention.

 

Youth Movement, by Target Field of Dreams: How does Mauer (and other veterans) fit into the organization's prospect-based rebuilding process?

 

While the young guys will take their lumps and struggle, see Trevor May's first start as an example of this, it is exciting to see them get their shots. It's important for them to get a chance to figure things out, so they can help us next year and for the Twins to figure out what they have as they plan their roster decisions for years to come.

 

Monday Morning Madness: August 11, 2014, by Brad Swanson: Mauer and several other topics are covered in another installment of Swanson's excellent MMM series.

 

Eduardo Escobar is tied with Jose Abreu for 10th in the AL with 29 doubles. It seems like a good time to remind everyone that he was behind Pedro Florimon on the depth chart when the season started. Pedro Florimon was batting .108/.194/.154 when the Twins finally switched to Escobar on May 7.

 

When we launched Twins Daily, one of the overarching reasons was that we wanted not only to write about the Twins, but also to read about them. In that spirit, this has been a really fun week for all of us. I hope that those of you who blogged here for the first time as part of this contest will try it again, and that those who are already blogging regularly will keep chugging along.

 

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[John Bonnes]

To the writers above - thank you. This has been an incredibly gratifying week. I really hope we all hear more from you.

[alskntwnsfn]

Thanks for offering up free pizza guys! I forgot about the offer until after I wrote my post, as it was just a function of wanting to quantify where were getting beat and having a little time on my hands. But hey, I loves me some Papa Johns so I'll take it if my post qualifies.  

 

And if I can figure out how to deal with spacing issues and incorporating tables into a blog post, I will probably chime in again at some point. Not sure why my post turned out with such poor formatting when it was correct in the text editor. It eliminates some spaces I think, for some reason. 

[Nick Nelson]

alskn: One thing I would suggest is using the "Paste From Word" button (http://screencast.com/t/KHxLfNT2D) when you paste in your content. This tends to keep some of the spacing/formatting elements intact.

[Brock Beauchamp]

And if I can figure out how to deal with spacing issues and incorporating tables into a blog post, I will probably chime in again at some point. Not sure why my post turned out with such poor formatting when it was correct in the text editor. It eliminates some spaces I think, for some reason. 

 

Spacing issues are easy: read this blog primer, particularly the section about pasting rich content.

 

As for tables, that is on my list of things to add in the future. I was surprised they weren't in there by default and adding them is a bit tricky, as they require loads of BBCode settings that I need to research.

[jokin]

Spacing issues are easy: read this blog primer, particularly the section about pasting rich content.

 

As for tables, that is on my list of things to add in the future.

 

I want to thank you again, RP, for all the fine work, the site is really spiffed up quite nicely.  Any word on how the Roster & Payroll area under construction is coming along?  (I miss the running cumulative payroll total dollar amount and the individual contract bonus clause features).

[alskntwnsfn]

Thanks Nick and Brock. I'll try that and give the primer another look. I agree, this site looks and functions great. I'm still learning all the little tricks with the editor so, no fault but my own there. 

[jtkoupal]

Thank you, authors. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

I want to thank you again, RP, for all the fine work, the site is really spiffed up quite nicely. Any word on how the Roster & Payroll area under construction is coming along? (I miss the running cumulative payroll total dollar amount and the individual contract bonus clause features).

Hard to say. I have so many things on my list right now that it's hard to say when I'll get to the new databases and polish them up.

[Paul Pleiss]

My blog entry abou trolling Joe Mauer didn't make it?

 

BooMauer!

 

Do I still get free pizza?

[joemama]

Thanks all you writers; I'm a daily (sometimes twice daily) visitor and reader but I haven't been a writer or commenter.

 

My take on Mauer is that the move to first base has been a lot more than just learning to play first base.  It's also Joe Mauer mentally coming to grips with the fact that he's no longer a catcher, something he's been his entire baseball life.  Have you ever been thrown into a new position in your company, somewhat against your wishes and out of your comfort zone?  How'd your first six months go?  How about if you weren't "measuring up" in the early going...how'd that affect your stress level?  Mauer knows that first basemen are supposed to have pop; you think that doesn't mess with his head just a little?

 

Mauer also needs to adjust to the less physical demands of first base, and do more conditioning and strength work.  I think he figured that out; I recall a comment in late June that he realized that he didn't have the leg strength that typically comes naturally from all the squatting a catcher does.

 

I believe he'll return to his .330 or so self, but still without much power.  More positional flexibility would be good (corner outfield?), so that if a young first baseman with pop comes along (Adam Walker in a couple years?  I see Vargas as DH material), there will still be options.  He's meant too much to this franchise - and his salary is too much of an albatross - to move him.