Comments on: Twins trainer says Joe Mauer “wasn’t strong enough” to start season as everyday catcher

By: jwbiii

jwbiii — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 02:41:19 +0000

“they traded away the more bonafide catching prospect than Mauer ever was.”

Huh?

Joe Mauer
Prospect Ratings by Baseball America:
Pre-2002: Rated #7 Prospect
Pre-2003: Rated #4 Prospect
Pre-2004: Rated #1 Prospect
Pre-2005: Rated #1 Prospect

Wilson Ramos
Prospect Ratings by Baseball America:
Pre-2009: Rated #71 Prospect
Pre-2010: Rated #58 Prospect
Pre-2011: Rated #96 Prospect

Jose Morales
Prospect Ratings by Baseball America:
Never ranked.

Can you find a catching prospect in the last decade who was more highly regarded than Joe Mauer?

Yes, the Twins could use a better backup catcher. Yes, Matt Capps might not have been an adequate return for Wilson Ramos, but the Twins felt the need for an experienced closer. That’s the nature of trading spare parts for something you need at the time. Sometimes this year you need the spare part you traded last year more than what you acquired.

By: mplsjoe

mplsjoe — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 23:51:41 +0000

The trouble with the arguments for changing Mauer’s position is that Mauer’s value comes as a catcher. That is, compared to other catchers, Mauer’s offense is off-the-charts good, and his D is above-average. Combine that with intangibles and you get the reason Mauer has the contract he does.

But make Mauer a 1B, or heaven-forbid a DH, or even an OF, and his offensive value (even if his stats remain the same) and defensive value plummet.

The Twins are in a bind. They had to give Mauer his contract – letting him walk would have been unforgivable and they would not have recovered. That said, it’s hard to envision him as a catcher in 10 years. The best they can do is make sure he’s healthy enough to catch 140 games a year. And, at that, they’re failing.

By: jamie54

jamie54 — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 21:10:50 +0000

And I agree completely with that assessment. Flu seems to be going around the whole MLB and it definitely will give you the wobbles. Guy’s a stud, hope he comes back and rakes.

By: cur68

cur68 — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 19:23:47 +0000

True; a balky back can produce the leg weakness. Specifically bulging/slipped lumbar discs. If that’s the case he needs treatment, not just rest and AAA starts. Its pretty standard treatment and he’d be gone till July if not longer. So far they hare handling this just like if it’s the flu, severe weight loss, and a sore post op knee. I sure hope that’s all it is.

By: sanzarq

sanzarq — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 19:20:31 +0000

You’d think after the Twins gave Mauer that gargantuan pile of money, that someone in their organization would have sense enough to maximize this investment by insuring that he was ready to play.

This is a deal that the TWINS will come to regret. Joe will be playing left field in a few years and they traded away the more bonafide catching prospect than Mauer ever was.

By: Jeremiah Graves

Jeremiah Graves — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 19:16:46 +0000

…a DH who doesn’t hit for power.

By: BC

BC — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:57:31 +0000

Either that or his back is screwed up. That’ll do it as well.

By: nixonotis

nixonotis — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:21:39 +0000

Papi

By: cur68

cur68 — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:15:13 +0000

Mauer got the double whammy; surgery followed by a nasty flu. That leg weakness is probably the old bambi legs you get with a high fever, enlarged lymph nodes and weight loss. He’s over the fever, the lymph nodes are going down but he’s lost a lot of weight. The surgical site probably feels worse because of the lymph nodes behind the knee increasing the pressure there and the catching he’d been doing that he never should have done.

I think Gardenhire got talked into letting him catch against his better judgement and now really regrets letting Mauer get behind the plate. I agree; the Twins need a stud catcher, but before the season started I said Joe Mauer will never be that guy again. I think that’s still the case and that is a tragedy. I would love to be wrong, really love it. I like Mauer a lot; he’s good for baseball and a nice kid. But the sooner everyone faces up to him as a non-catcher and gets on board with him on first or as DH the better off the Twins will be in the long run, not to mention Mauer.

By: minnesconsin

minnesconsin — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:01:51 +0000

ps, how badly do i miss jose morales right now?

By: minnesconsin

minnesconsin — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:00:28 +0000

no one has said it better, my friend. the twins spin cycle is nausea-inducing. i’m going to the game tonight after the rainout earlier this week, and i’m starting to feel like these tickets are akin to snake oil.

By: ThatGuy

ThatGuy — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:59:04 +0000

Good thing we traded those two catchers that could actually hit. No we have a guy playing everyday that the Mendozza line is a break season for him…

By: jamie54

jamie54 — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:56:30 +0000

Spring training is when your players are supposed to be their strongest yet he has ‘leg weakness’? Did he have operations on both knees in the off season, or just one? Something fishy here.

By: schrutebeetfarms

schrutebeetfarms — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:55:36 +0000

Thank you Captain Hindsight!
If he wasn’t strong enough to handle everyday catching duties, then why was he catching? Why did all we hear in spring training was, how great he was doing and how ahead of schedule he was. Honestly, as a Twins fan, there’s nothing more agitating than the positive spin this team tries to put on everything, even when it’s obvious to anyone who isn’t a total rube that they’re trying to have it both ways.

By: deathmonkey41

deathmonkey41 — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:35:23 +0000

If he needs to recover quicker- maybe Big Poppi can so show him where he got those HR enducing “Dominican Milkshakes” he had.

By: BC

BC — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:31:05 +0000

Yeah, and George Burns is perfectly healthy other than the fact that he’s dead. This does not bode well. $180 million dollars for a DH? Hmm….