Joe Mauer
Minnesota Twins
Position: C Height: 6-4 Weight: 215 Born: 4/19/83 Bats: Left Throws: Right
| Year |
Team |
Level |
G |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
K |
SB |
CS |
BA |
OBP |
SLG |
| 2001 |
Elizabethton |
R |
32 |
110 |
14 |
44 |
6 |
2 |
0 |
14 |
19 |
10 |
4 |
0 |
.400 |
.492 |
.491 |
| 2002 |
Quad City |
A |
110 |
411 |
58 |
124 |
23 |
1 |
4 |
62 |
61 |
42 |
0 |
0 |
.302 |
.393 |
.392 |
Background
The Twins had the first pick in the 2001 draft. The consensus best player on the board was USC right-hander Mark Prior, but his bonus demands were unclear, and Minnesota has a bad history of not being able to sign draft picks. The second-best player available was high school catcher Joe Mauer, with whom the Twins were very familiar, for he was a local boy, from St. Paul. While high school catchers taken at the top of the draft have a poor track record, Mauer was a special athlete, with a Florida State quarterback scholarship in his pocket. Unwilling to gamble on Prior's signability, the Twins pulled the trigger on Mauer, and convinced him to forgo the gridiron. He is now the best long-term catching prospect in baseball.
|  |
| Joe Mauer could be the Twins' everyday catcher by the 2005 season. |
Scouting report
Physically, Mauer is a better athlete than some shortstops. He has excellent mobility behind the plate, a very strong arm, and terrific hand-eye coordination. He still needs experience calling a game, but he is intelligent and is picking that up. He could be a Gold Glove catcher in time.
Offensively, he hits a lot to the opposite field, but has enough bat speed, quickness through the zone, and physical strength to hit for power as he matures. He already hits for average. His strike zone judgment is stellar: he draws lots of walks, seldom strikes out, and projects as a .300+ hitter up the ladder. Scouts and coaches rave about his work ethic and personality makeup.
Performance
Mauer owns a career professional batting average of .325, with a .414 on-base percentage. His power has just been marginal to this point, but given his tremendous strike-zone judgment, and great physical strength, his home run totals should increase as he learns to pull the ball. There is nothing in his numbers to indicate struggle ahead; the numbers match up with his strong scouting reports very well indeed.
Health record
Mauer has had no major health problems. Note, however, that catchers are vulnerable to all sorts of minor nagging injuries, which is part of the reason why many extremely promising young catchers never develop offensively the way they are expected to. There is no evidence this will happen to Mauer, but the historical precedent is something to be aware of.
What to expect
The Twins are satisfied with A.J. Pierzynski in the short run, so there is no need to rush Mauer before he is ready. Expect him to spend most of 2003 at upper-level Class A Fort Myers in the Florida State League. That's not a great park for power hitting, so it may not be until 2004 that his power starts to manifest. Mauer won't provide any help for fantasy owners looking for a catching boost soon. But for fantasy owners in long-term leagues with deep farm systems, for just general baseball prospect fans, Mauer is a true blue chip. He has a good chance to get past the combination of injuries and bad luck that have plagued most highly-drafted catchers.
John Sickels is the author of the 2002 Minor League Scouting Notebook, and is now working on the 2003 Baseball Prospect Book. His biography of Bob Feller will be published next spring. He lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with his wife, son, and two cats. You can send John questions or comments at JASickels@aol.com, or you can visit his homepage at JohnSickels.com.
