Top Prospect
Alert - Joe Mauer
DOB: 4/19/83, Age: 18, Height: 6’4’’, Weight:
215, Bats: L, Throws: R. Acquired: Twins - Drafted in the 1st Round of the
2001 Draft (Cretin-Derham Hall HS, St. Paul, MN). 2001 Stats:
(Rookie - Elizabethton) .400 AVG, 110 AB, 6 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 4 SB, 19 BB,
10 K, .492 OBP, .491 SLG.
Joe Mauer was the first pick in
last season’s draft, and was both a signability pick and a quality pick
from my perspective. The Twins did have to pay him over $5 million to
sign, but he’s a local boy, and it isn’t like Carl Pohlad had to take out
a loan from Milwaukee to pay him. Mauer is a line-drive hitting machine,
striking out once(!) in his high school career. That’s as many times as I
struck out in my first high school at-bat, so I for one am duly impressed.
Last season in the Appy League, Mauer struck out once every 11 at-bats,
walked almost twice that much, and batted .400. He didn’t show much of the
power that was advertised from his high school days, but at age 18, most
kids don’t. His power should ultimately be a plus for him, although not as
great as his ability to hit for average. He is certainly ready for more
advanced competition at the plate. He is extremely quick for a catcher,
quick enough so that his speed is a plus on the whole. According to most
scouts, he is athletic enough to be above average in the field at many
different positions, but the Twins would obviously like him to remain
behind the plate if at all possible. He has a great arm and quick
reflexes, but catching is one skill that is not solely related to physical
ability. The difficulties that catchers face when they are not at bat are
usually enough to impede their hitting progress, so we will have to see
how Mauer handles that part of his occupation. He is still so young, and
has gotten off to such a great start, that he may be one of the few highly
touted catching prospects that are able to remain a catcher when they hit
the majors.
As we all know, the Twins are
going to need to continually produce talent under this MLB regime in order
to stay off the chopping block. Joe Mauer will fit in nicely with Cuddyer,
Morneau, Guzman, and Rivas to form a young, potent offensive core that
should lend itself to that end. Mauer is slated for the Midwest League to
open 2002, and he may remain there for most of the season unless he
continues to hit .400. I would expect the Twins to move him along slowly,
so that he is ready for the majors in 2005. Minnesota should be
consistently competitive at that point, as long as they haven’t been
contracted for “not being competitive.” The best comparison that I can
come up with for Mauer is Jason Kendall, another hitter with patience, the
ability to hit for average, good speed, and a little pop. He also happens
to catch, which is fairly rare for the trait set that the two possess. I
think that Mauer has the potential to become a franchise player, and that
the Twins, in their efforts to find a number one pick that would sign with
them, did something right.
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