Seriously, Just How Good Is Joe Mauer?

There are very few players who can transcend the game. Derek Jeter, Pedro Martinez, and Albert Pujols can; Carlos Beltran, Roy Halladay, and Miguel Cabrera cannot. Yesterday’s Most Valuable Player Award voting may have crowned another player who has achieved such status. Joe Mauer, received 27 of 28 first place votes (insert snarky Miguel Cabrera vote comment here) to win his first Most Valuable Player Award. The 26-year-old catcher produced a historic season as he hit .365/.444/.587 with 28 homeruns and 96 RBI en route to  his third batting title. His MVP win is long overdue as Mauer was deserving of the award in 2006 and 2008. His win is even more important as the Baseball world has spoken loud and clear that awards and recognition will simply not be relegated to the homerun hitter. For the Minnesota Twins, the award is the final confirmation that they have one of the two best hitters in the game today (Sir Albert Pujols being the other—put them in whatever order you want) and a player who has just become a household name—something they haven’t had since Kirby Puckett retired in 1996.

Place in History

It is too soon to discuss Mauer in terms of his place amongst the great catchers in history. However, after just five full seasons, Mauer has pushed his way into the conversation. In those five seasons, Mauer has won three batting titles. For the history books, he is the only American League catcher to ever win a batting title, let alone three of them. He is just the eighth catcher to win the American League MVP Award, the first since Ivan Rodriguez in 1999. Considering the other six winners were Yogi Berra (three times), Thurman Munson, Mickey Cochrane, and Elston Howard, he is already in elite company. But, Mauer’s MVP season may be even more impressive as he is the only American League catcher to ever lead the league in batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage.

When looking at the pantheon of catchers, most would rank Johnny Bench as the best catcher of all-time. Mike Piazza would certainly be discussed for his tremendous offense. Yogi Berra, Ivan Rodriguez, and Carlton Fisk likely would round out the top five for Major League catchers (sorry, Josh Gibson fans). But a look at Mauer’s career (five full seasons, one cup of coffee for 107 at bats), already shows his prowess. For his career, Mauer is a .327/.408/.483 hitter with an OPS+ of 136. Think about that batting line for a second—that’s not just “good for a catcher”, that is elite for any hitter. When comparing Bench’s first six seasons (five full seasons and one 87 at bat season), Mauer is better. From 1967-1972, Bench hit .271/.344/.488 with an OPS+ of 129. During that span, Bench won the Rookie of the Year Award and two MVP’s. Mike Piazza’s first six seasons–.334/.389/.576, with an OPS+ of 162—are better than both Mauer’s and Bench’s, but he was clearly the worst of the three in terms of defense. Yogi Berra, often ignored when discussing the great offensive catchers in history hit .301/.347/.499 with an OPS+ of 123 during his first six seasons.

Before proclaiming Mauer the best catcher of all-time, he has to play another six seasons at this level. Is he capable? Sure he is. He will be just 27 years old (April 19^th) and despite all of the cries that he is fragile, he has played at least 131 games in four of his five full seasons. 2009 saw Mauer hit 28 homeruns, more than doubling his career high of 13 homeruns set in 2006. If he does continue that trend, his ascension to catching royalty, will be quickened. But, he is the type of hitter who doesn’t have to depend on the long ball for greatness. His on base skills make him unique. Johnny Bench may have been the best defensive catcher to ever play the game, but his offense was predicated on power (he hit 40+ homeruns during those two aforementioned MVP seasons). Mauer can’t be crowned as the best catcher of all-time just yet, but after just six seasons, he is in the discussion and already ranks among the game’s elite. Although the discussion of his place in history is a bit premature (it’s close though), his career has already impacted the sport.

The Breakthrough Confirmed

Since 1998 Baseball awards have largely been relegated to the power hitter. Mauer lost out in 2006 to his teammate Justin Morneau because the slugging first baseman had the classic stat line. Players like Sammy Sosa, Jeff Kent, Barry Bonds, Vladimir Guerrero, Alex Rodriguez, and Ryan Howard slugged their way to the MVP award (some deservedly), relegating elite non-power hitters who may actually play some defense to the bottom half of the ballot. Last season, Dustin Pedroia won the award despite his lack of power. The vote, however, was close; Pedroia won, but received 81 percent of the first place votes. This season, Mauer received all but one first place vote. The universal acceptance and praise of Mauer illustrates that the complete player is being recognized once again. Mark Teixeira had a tremendous season. He hit 39 homeruns, and had a batting line of .292/.383/.565. But, he was on a team of stars—Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano, Johnny Damon, and Hideki Matsui. In other years, Teixeira would’ve won the award for leading the league in homeruns and being regarded as one of the best defensive first baseman (well, some do anyway). This season, there was a change in values. Mauer would’ve won the award even if he hit 13 homeruns; he was simply that dominant. When his teammate, Justin Morneau was lost for the final month of the season, Mauer hit .378 with 2 homeruns and 14 RBI in the Twins’ final 21 games. They went 17-4 during that span, forcing a game 163. He didn’t overpower opponents; he simply outhit everyone. He was, as corny as it may sound, simply a great baseball player.

With Zack Greinke and Tim Lincecum winning the Cy Young Awards, evaluators have looked past the traditional statistics and started to look at true excellence. Mauer’s win after really deserving the award last season and in 2006, is further proof of this. It is the final death of the Performance Enhancing Drug era.

Time to Open the Checkbook, Minnesota

For the small market Twins, Joe Mauer becomes an interesting subject. He is now regarded as the best catcher in the game and, as mentioned, one of the best hitters as well. He already made $10 million dollars  and is due to make $12.5 million dollars in the final year of his contract. At just 27 years old, the best catcher in the game, and quite possibly ever, will hit the open market. He will command a salary around $30 million dollars; it is a given unless he decides to give the Twins a discount. His production, his position, and his age make for a perfect storm to make him one of the highest paid players in the game. In reality, Mauer should command a salary higher than Alex Rodriguez. If the Twins allow him to hit the market, he may just do that. The Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Mets, and just about any team with money in the bank will pay for an elite hitter in his prime who just so happens to be a good defensive catcher. It could be a record breaking deal.

The Twins have traditionally eschewed signing their elite players. Johan Santana was shipped out (for a terrible group of prospects in return). Torii Hunter was allowed to walk away. It is a necessary form of operation for the Twins. Their methods can’t really be questioned as they are seemingly always in contention despite a small payroll. But, Mauer is different. Not only is he an elite player, he is the first Twins’ player to transcend the game since Puckett. With a new stadium set to open next season, it is imperative that the Twins retain their best player. Unlike Santana, Hunter, and the litany of others who were either traded or not retained, Mauer is irreplaceable. There isn’t a catcher in the game that brings his skill set. Yes, other catchers hit for power, but they don’t get on base better than leadoff hitters or like Albert Pujols. Even more so, Mauer is far too important to the Twins.

He’s a hometown kid who has lived up to the advanced billing. He is the one player that the Twins can market around the country. Like Puckett, everyone knows Joe Mauer. He’s that special of a player. Yes, he may take up close to 40 percent of their payroll, but it is an investment well worth making. Considering their history of drafting well, they can supplement their roster with homegrown players, just like they have done all along. If it cost them Justin Morneau (who may have to be traded to reduce payroll), so be it. Morneau is a good player, but his production is not irreplaceable. He is not a once in a generation player like Mauer. If the Twins are to have any credibility, signing Mauer to a long-term contract is not optional, no matter how many times they make the playoffs. He is a rare player just like Pujols, Jeter, and Martinez.

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