Minnesota Twins: Joe Mauer is really good at baseball
Minnesota Twins fans have had the honor of witnessing some great players throughout the years.
On the way up most Minnesota Twins All-Time leaderboards is Joe Mauer. The 15-year vet has recently passed Twins legend Kirby Puckett for third most doubles in team history.
The Saint Paul native has put together an impressive career in a Twins uniform. However, he doesn’t seem to be celebrated by fans as much as players like Harmon Killebrew or Puckett. It seems with Mauer, his high salary coupled with a lack of home run power leaves most Twins fans wanting more. Today we’ll take a look at how his career stacks up against other Twins greats.
Looking at his numbers
Mauer currently has a .307 batting average during his Minnesota Twins career. He has also chipped in 140 home runs with 904 runs batted in. The former catcher has hit more than 10 home runs in a season only six times during his long career.
That seems to be most fans use to argue against Mauer being among the Twins greats. Sure, he signed an eight-year $184 million contract extension in 2010 and he now plays first base where home runs are expected. However, he signed that extension when he was still playing behind the plate and only one full season removed from winning MVP during the 2008 season. Mauer was also on pace to have possibly the best offensive career for a catcher in MLB history before concussion issues forced a position change.
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The contract fits for a first baseman, however, Mauer doesn’t have first baseman power. Honestly, it’s wrong for fans to judge him based solely off of home runs when he does so many other things well for the Twins.
He’s third All-Time with 415 doubles and sixth with 2057 career hits. Mauer is also seventh on the list with 1799 games played while sitting in ninth with his 904 runs batted in.
However, what Mauer excels at the most is simply getting on base. He has a career .390 on-base percentage which places him fourth All-Time in Twins history. By the way, Mauer trails Rod Carew by only .003 for the top spot.
Next: A look back at the first half
That is why Mauer is, in fact, one of the best players in Twins history. He still has time to add to those numbers, however, his time in a Twins uniform could be coming to an end. Mauer is a free agent at season’s end and here’s to hoping that home is where the heart is for him.