Joe Mauer

[Eric Wettschreck]

Mauer needs to work a lot harder at being a ball player, and a lot less at making commercials for Gatoraide and Head and Shoulders shampoo.

[harvey lee]

Now that Joe has the big contract and is set for life, maybe the commercials simply fill his pockets even more.

Joe does not have to worry about another contract signing, he has plenty to go until the eend of time with all his little pains.

Just think if every time a fellow did not go to work his he had a tummy ache, I wonder how long one would have thier job.

[Scott K]

This is a good example of why the players of all sports need to be on a performance pay schedule. You get paid for how you perform. No more guarantees.

[ted4887]

This is a good example of why the players of all sports need to be on a performance pay schedule. You get paid for how you perform. No more guarantees.

Good luck getting that negotiated in contracts. Players would just as soon go overseas, in ANY sport, for the guaranteed contracts.

I agree though. That would save our small market teams from making big blunders on underperforming players such as Mauer. I'm hopeful tough that he will have a great year this year.

[blue_healer_guy]

with a new stadium and the richest ownership in baseball, we are not a small market team. This thread is like really old. hopefully he has a bounce back year.

[popriveter]

All those grousing about Mauer better hope they're wrong about him or pick a new team to root for. Like it or not, he's here for a looooong time. He has the talent to have a greater positive impact on this team than any other single player on the roster. It comes with enough salary to hsve a greater negative impact than any other player on the roster. If we want the Twins to be successful, we have to hope for Mauer and Morneau to be healthy and productive in 2012. No free agent or AAA reinforcement will pick up that much slack.

[Musky Buck]

Then let em go overseas lol. JK really, how'd you like to play for Chinese Dragons and head downtown for a few, drive your hummer around. I hear Harvey, sure Tex/St.L had more to play for the title but Napoli and Molina were both in really bad shape. We weren't in bad shape in early June and he wasn't even able to pinch hit, cmon. Year #2 of his deal is upon us soon, he could easily help erase the memories from last year. Definitely agree we need him, but you don't give a catcher that kind of money, in your fantasy drafts how often are you looking for a catcher as yours is on the disabled list. They do get beat up and have freakish injuries happen to them often. I think the Mauer family said look Joe, you're going to be a catcher and it's the fast track to the majors, Tim Laudner hit .171 and that was good enough so if you can hit that for a MLB average you'll stay in the bigs someday. I do think he's feeling the pressure and I think he will bounce back and contend for a batting title this year, power #'s are way unknown and what kind of mess could this season turn into, what's our opening day roster going to look like compared to the rest of the AL central ?

[Musky Buck]

Mauer engaged, I knew last season was girl related, now we got the proof!

[JP Z]

Also heard she was a Tiger fan....... Let's just hope the Golden Boy of St. Paul can turn it around. Even if he catches half the time we're hoping that's still better than last year.

[Scott M]

Christensen wrote about how good Mauer says he feels. I heard Morneau say he feels "100%" better than last year. Funny, I remember hearing the same thing last year. Lots of lies floating around last year or this year, or more likely, both years.

[Musky Buck]

Mauer on the news last night looked great, heavier some, extremely healthy, I'm encouraged big time now, we're like the Wild, we need no main men on the DL or it goes south in a hurry. Mauer looked good physically, better than I've ever seen him so we'll lose 98 games instead of 99 this year ! JK shock the daylights out of us Twins!

[fishersofmen]

I think Mauer will have a really good year. I have a bad feeling about Morneau. Just seems like way too fragile of a situation.

[zepman]

Mauer is and will always be a [me]...the Twins "brass" found that out last year.

The Twins need a leader and he is far, far from it.

[TR21HP]

Gardenhire needs to be that leader, not a player necesarilly. Just because you are a talent and are rewarded for it doesn't mean you are a leader. I agree that Mauer needs to take a stronger role because of his position on the team but some players just have the ability or want to lead. I think we all agree that Gardie lost the players ear last year and blamed everybody else, including the minor leagues, for his failure to lead and get the team prepared to play. Maybe the players got tired of hearing his voice and just tuned him out and if that's the case he needs to be replaced. Leadership starts at the top and if Mauer can't be that leader someone else has to step up. Just because you're a high profile player doesn't make you a leader. Not defending Mauer I just don't think he has what it takes to lead the team.

[Musky Buck]

Souhan really gave him an earfull yesterday. I feel my bi-lateral leg weakness kicking in again, wonder if my boss would let me go on the shelf for a month or 2 ? My hope for Joe and the team was once he signed this huge deal he'd be able to completely focus on somehow finding the way to contending for a title. I don't want his 1987 and 1991 videos to be good enough, how about a 2014 video to go with those 2. To me in those WS years it seemed like we had men on the team, now it seems like we have boys on the team. You need a healthy mix of each. The hardest part is watching 2 excellent players seem like they're 38 instead of 28 not that they need to be cheerleaders but their body language stinks. They need to bat 3rd and 4th for us to be any kind of threat this year.

[Kyhl]

Gardenhire needs to be that leader,

I ranted to the Twins a month into the season last year that I blamed Gardy for their problems. The came out of spring training unfit to play ball, quickly got into a hole and injuries right out of the gate.

In my opinion that was on Gardy's shoulders for fielding a team that was out of shape and out of practice. He was too lax.

I'm looking forward to this spring based on Gardy's comment about no more mister nice guy. Hopefully the coaches will get on these guys or bench them early until they shape up. It's for their own good.

[pinkfloyd4ever]

Now the big questions- when does Joe's first injury/illness come up? First spring training game today and I am sure he is going to throw out quotes about feeling good but 'a little sore'

[waligators]

It may come down to Joe playing first if Morneau doesn't get his stuff figured out. Just because Joe had a sub-par year last season doesn't mean anything. More than likely the ball will look like a grape fruit coming in there for him again this year and he will be smacking doubles opposite field again.

The big topic shouldn't be on Joe and his yearly injuries, yeah it throws a loop into things but the twins need to get two ace pitchers. The defense is there (most games), the offense should be alright, but no team goes deep into the playoffs or wins a world series without quality hurlers.

[TR21HP]

Two ace pitchers? Not asking for much.This is a staff that has maybe 1 or 2 pitchers that can throw over 90. If Parmalee keeps hitting like last September and so far in spring training Joe might not see any time at first. I agree, the Twins desperately need pitching but where do you find it?

[mrklean]

Two ace pitchers? Not asking for much.This is a staff that has maybe 1 or 2 pitchers that can throw over 90. If Parmalee keeps hitting like last September and so far in spring training Joe might not see any time at first. I agree, the Twins desperately need pitching but where do you find it?

Gotta open up the pocketbook that's where much of the true talent is, yea it would be nice to draft and develop like the twins use to but thats getting tougher and tougher

[JBMasterAngler]

The defense is there? Interesting. How many errors did the infield have last year?

[2k1stang]

I thought his throw 5 feet over the second baseman's head when a runner was stealing the other day was quite impressive.

[Musky Buck]

Should be interesting to see if the 184 mill what the twins get back for that pricetag, I kinda assumed, if we are shelling that out for 1 guy we must be ready to step it up a notch in paying guys not just Joe now I hear we don't have much money to sign anyone else, which begs the ? then why in the .... would we do that deal then ? Kinda thought with Carl's passing, the next Pohlad would be huge checkbook, well at least Mauer is coming into his prime or should be, huge numbers coming.

[RumRiverRat]

It is time to Rip this Charmin Tissue Man again.

Another mediocre season by the single most overrated MN athlete.

[RumRiverRat]

Joe Mauer is garbage.

Time to bump this thread and rip him.

What an overrated POS this guy is.

[CodyDawg]

Please name 32 better catchers.

He isnt perfect, but you are dreaming if you think he is garbage.

[SledNeck]

Hes a good player. Is he worth what theyre paying him production wise? nope

[Musky Buck]

I was screaming no when I heard we signed him to that deal, but that wasn't his fault. Name 32 better catchers well the league leaders in RBI in both leagues are John Buck and Mike Napoli, catchers. The best overall catcher is Yadier Molina. Joe is a pure inside out hitter, great hitter my issue is in the given game he is rarely the best hitter of the individual ballgame on either side. This bothers me some, is he a team leader ? Sunday, my first twins game I watched this year, Trevor Plouffe hits a huge early homer vs. Cleveland and when he came into the dugout Joe looked the other way and was talking with someone else, get off that bench Joe and hi-five your teammate, cmon clown, Parmelee was all over Plouffe, very happy for him, Joe may or may not have muttered nice tilt. Think Jim Thome would've congratulated Plouffe you bet, didn't like that at all, now who knows maybe after the camera went off the dugout maybe all of that happened but it didn't appear it would, I didn't like that. That is not at any level the kind of teammate I'd want, your captain, you do well and you get nada, cmon man.

[UMC]

That's always been my biggest issue with him - no fire. I understand it's a long season and you can't go on an emotional roller coaster, but a team needs someone who's going to show some spark from time to time and not just be a robot. Argue a call, go crazy celebrating something, get after a teammate or an opponent, something...

[Huskie]

Get a life!!!