The Mauer equation

Posted at 12:48 PM on August 29, 2011 by Bob Collins (3 Comments)
Filed under: Sports

Joe Mauer has come in for a lot of criticism from some corners of Twins nation this year for (a) not playing much and (b) not hitting for any power and (c) making a ton of money that sucks up much of the payroll that could otherwise be used to pay for players who (a) play regularly and (b) hit for power.

A new ad -- this one for Lifetime Anytime Fitness -- doesn't mention any of those things....

Which brings up a question to ponder while waiting for the sweet release of the end of the baseball season: Would you rather have a "goody two-shoes," unicorn loving guy who makes rainbows appear wherever he goes but is too hurt all the time to help a team? Or a steroid-using, nightclub-fighting, meter-maid-hitting jerk who can win a ballgame for you with some regularity?

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Comments (3)

None of the above. I'll take the non-jerk who hits obviously.

That's what Mauer used to be, and there's no reason he can't be again. I have heard that tall catchers wear out faster and Mauer is about 6-6.

They say he does not want to, but I predict he will transition to a position that's easier on his body, stay healthier, and start hitting again.

Posted by John P. | August 29, 2011 1:23 PM

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Not to get all Bill Jamesy, but I'd bet that Mauer is never going to hit for power and that 2009, when he hit almost 30 homers, was a fluke.

Somewhere I have a spreadsheet around here which calculates his BROCK5 future, which was a Bill James calculation to predict the future. It was incredibly accurate and said that an oft-injured player is probably going to be oft-injured in the future. It also is based on a "floor" which determines a point at which a player at a given position needs to perform to keep playing.

I'll try to dig it up and run it on Mauer. At his age and with his injury history, I'll bet we won't like what it says.

Posted by Bob Collins | August 29, 2011 1:27 PM

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Cute ad. Mauer in fact might be a really nice guy. Who knows besides his friends and family and team mates?

All that anybody else knows is the pr.
And the fact that his production is way down, he missed a lot of playing time due to a previously unknown malady (bilateral leg weakness?!?), and that he makes more money than God.

Bread and Circuses, er, Sports fans (myself included) usually like their team to win.

I like to follow Minnesota teams because they remind me of my childhood and help me to maintain a psychological/emotional/identity connection with Minnesota.

Otherwise, I follow the carreers of athletes that interest me, whether it's because they're superior talents, smart, good guys, or have an entertaining personality. But being an anus will cancel out the rest.

It's rare to find all 4 characteristics in one jock. I'm generally satisfied with one, really happy with two, and building altars if they've got 3.

All I know about old Joe at this point is that he appears to be a good guy. Plus he's home grown. Add that to my list.

But thanks to the powers of image manufacturing, I'm not even sure of the good guy part. What does he do with all of that money?

Posted by Jim Shapiro | August 29, 2011 1:46 PM

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