FanPost

Will we ever see power from Mauer???

Don't get me wrong, I like Joe's game ...

But I'm beginning to believe we're never going to see the 30+ HR years we've been told would come as he gained experience, etc.

Then you look at his career "scatter" chart @ the Dome & you see:  balls on the ground predominantly to the right side (when he gets fooled & is out in front) and balls in the air (flyouts, doubles & homeruns) predominantly to the left side.

You see much the same thing when Joe fouls a pitch off - rarely does it go straight back, it's almost always towards third, indicating he's late on the pitch.  

Big-time HR hitters aren't typically late on pitches - to hit the ball out of every park (including Yellowstone), they pull the ball (hard).

Go to MLB.com and look at the scatter charts for Bonds,Pujols, David Ortiz, Griffey, (fill in name of power hitter here) - while they can hit it out of any part of any park, they typically do so by pulling the ball.

That doesn't mean Joe is a failure, or that I'm predicting failure - he looks like he might well become the Wade Boggs of catchers, and that sort of career would make him a Hall of Famer.

It just won't make him a 30+ HR a year guy.