The Minnesota Twins and Joe Mauer

by Jesse on Jun 16, 2008 6:22 AM EDT in By the Numbers

After getting Sunday afternoon off, the hometown hero has now appeared in 63 out of 70 games, and has started in 58 of 70.

Twins Overall: 34-36
When Mauer doesn't start: 3-9
RPG Without Mauer (Starting): 3.33 (40 in 12 games)
RPG With Mauer (Starting): 4.91 (285 in 58 games)
Number of runs scored (by game), when Mauer doesn't start: 0, 1, 2, 2, 13, 2, 2, 7, 5, 2, 2, 2

Question: Does Joe Mauer need one game off for every seven team games?

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The criticism of Mauer

For all the people lashing out at Mauer for taking one day off a week, he’s caught more innings than any catcher in baseball except for Kurt Suzuki, Geovanny Soto, Brian McCann, and Jason Kendall.

by Jon Marthaler on Jun 16, 2008 12:42 PM EDT reply actions

I don't mean to be lashing out,

because in some respects I understand that catchers do need more time off than your usual position players. But he’s getting quite a bit of time off—the Twins are off today, for example.

The Minnesota offense has been surprisingly efficient considering how often it gets on base and how much power it produces (or doesn’t). It’s a dangerous precipice they stand on already, and they seem to be tempting fate when they take their best hitter out of the lineup.

Having said that…taking this rate of starts and stretching it out over the entire year, that gives him 134 starts. 134 starts in a year for a catcher, plus another 10-15 pinch hitting appearances, that’s not too bad. It’s been than I expected.

by Jesse on Jun 16, 2008 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions

Yes

He does.

by snolls on Jun 16, 2008 12:58 PM EDT reply actions

Okay.

Why?

by Jesse on Jun 16, 2008 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions

The next game you watch

- Crouch every time a Twins pitcher pitches.
- Have a friend punch you in the left hand as hard as he can every time a non-contact pitch comes.
- Immediately and suddenly drop to your knees every time a pitch goes in the dirt. If you have carpeting, no pads. If hardwood, then pads.

If you do this and don’t rescind the question by the 3rd inning I’d be shocked.

Jesse I can see where you’re going with this, but catching is a bitch and a huge toll on your body. Doing it 5 days a week is already an unhealthy thing for someone to do to their body, especially if you have an injury past in your legs.

by TMW on Jun 16, 2008 4:04 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm not arguing that catching isn't tough, or isn't physically demanding.

In the past, I’ve always defended Mauer…when I lived in Minneapolis and listened to KFAN, I couldn’t stand how Sludge slagged him off. But beyond that, the “I dare you to do it” argument doesn’t really work for me. Besides, that wasn’t the question I asked. I asked if he needs as much time off as he’s been given.

Snolls did answer the question, but he didn’t back it up. I’m curious to know what people think. It’s already been made clear that it’s a touchy subject, which is sort of what I expected…but I’m more curious about the why/why not.

Question for you totally off topic—when the site changed over, did you choose a new screen name, or was your old one taken by someone before you had a chance to claim it?

by Jesse on Jun 16, 2008 4:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Re:

A few months after joining Twinkietown I regretting having my full name in my screename, so when the site changed over I decided it was my chance to anonymous my name up, but this way most regulars still knew it was me. I appreciate the inquiry, though.

I didn’t for that post to come off as a “dare”, I was just trying to go with an empathy argument, I typically cringe when I think about what catchers on crappy teams have to endure for the reward of going home a loser a lot and how catchers in extra inning games are going to feel tomorrow.

I just think 5 days of catching is probably pushing it as is. Saying that he doesn’t need the time off does not compute.

by TMW on Jun 17, 2008 4:33 PM EDT up reply actions

remember all those injuries?

The Twins are trying to keep him healthy. I don’t blame them.

http://noblingblings.blogspot.com/

by Aaron Fix on Jun 16, 2008 10:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Exactly

He is hitting (roughly) .325/.410/.430. To the extent that getting 1 game off out of 7 keeps those numbers elevated, and reduces the risk of losing him for 50+ games, it is well worth it. The Twins have won 25% of the games he hasn’t started, and 53% of the games he has started. I think that the 25% increase as the sample size increases. Even so, the twins lose 1/4 of a game by not starting Mauer. Right now he is on pace to take roughly 20 games off. Reducing that to 10 would increase our expected wins by 2.5. Again, I think that 2.5 is overstating the number, but even so, it is a small price to pay to protect your most consistent hitter. We would lose a much greater number if he fell to a .275/.350/.375 hitter because he was beat up, or if he got injured and couldn’t play.

by snolls on Jun 17, 2008 8:43 AM EDT up reply actions

Imagine not having Mauer in the lineup 7 days a week

Maybe that puts into perspective why he needs a day off here and there.

Doesn’t anyone remember last year?

Still, his contributions to the offense are phenomenal. What’s his OBP now, 3rd in the AL?

I don’t even consider the NL stats as comparables, given how poor the league is overall.

by Old Twins Cap on Jun 16, 2008 4:29 PM EDT reply actions

Batting Redmond third

I wonder how many of those seven losses had Redmond batting third. I would think you just move Morneau up a notch and have Redmond batting seventh, between Buscher and Harris.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Jun 16, 2008 4:48 PM EDT reply actions

According to baseballreference.com

...he’s only hit 3rd four times, with the Twins going 1-3.

by Jesse on Jun 16, 2008 8:10 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm just glad he hasn't gotten injured yet

We’re nearing the halfway point and he hasn’t been injured yet. I would think a big part of why he’s had so much time off is that #1 we actually have decent DH options this year and #2 we just played 40 games in 41 days. Now that the Twins should be on a more regular off day schedule for awhile I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of Mauer on Thursdays/Sundays.

Also I couldn’t agree more that Redmond batting is just dumb. I know Gardy likes to keep his lineup mostly intact but I just wish that he would slide Kubel into the 3 hole or just slide every one up like Cmath mentioned.

Peyton's good but have you ever heard of Jeff George?

by halfchest on Jun 16, 2008 7:25 PM EDT reply actions