Happy Mauer Day, Everybody!

Well, hopefully.

Based on reports from Fort Myers, it sounds hopeful the Twins' franchise player will make his spring training debut as the DH in today's game against the Mets.

Let me be among the first to say: welcome back, Joe.

It hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for Joe Mauer over the past year.  He took a lot of heat for failing to duplicate his 2009 MVP performance in 2010, and he saw his year end with an injured knee and another disappointing playoff appearance.  He had surprise (to us, not to him, hopefully) knee surgery in December and last month required a lubricant injection into the knee.  That injection not only delayed his start in camp, but also created a (minor and seemingly temporary) rift between him and Gardenhire.

Mauer is obviously going to face a lot of questions coming back into camp.  People want to know about the knee, if he's ready to "rebound" in 2011, whether he'll be able to adapt to Target Field this season.  Yes, people will certainly want to know a lot of things about the franchise player with the $23 million price tag.

Obviously, we're going to be talking about these issues all season long.  You simply cannot talk about the Twins without talking about Mauer.  In fact, Mauer has the distinction of not only being the most popular figure in the organization, but probably it's most divisive, as well. 

In honor of Joe's return, and in preparation for his eighth season in the majors (yeah, eighth, that made me feel old), I thought we could take a step back just to appreciate how truly special Joe is as a player.  Below I've put down five ways of measuring Joe's greatness - I invite you to add you own.

The way I figure it, we'll have months to have our usual debates over what the man hasn't done or is failing to do.  Today, let's reflect on the remarkable things he has accomplished.  Because we are witnessing something special, and it won't last forever.

The numbers after the jump.

1. If we take out his injury-shortened rookie season, Joe has been the second most valuable player in baseball over the course of his career.

Stat: Baseball Reference's Wins Above Replacement

2. Mauer is not just a good hitter "for a catcher," he's one of the best hitters in baseball, period.  Again, taking out his rookie year, during his career, Mauer has ranked as the 14^th best hitter in the majors.

Stat: Baseball Reference's Adjusted Batting Runs

3. But, for a catcher, Mauer is an absolutely extraordinary hitter.

Do I need to elaborate? Three batting titles and an MVP should probably suffice.  But try this:

Stat: Full-time catchers in the expansion era (1961-present), sorted by OPS+

How about against his contemporaries?

4. But we shouldn't forget about his durability.  Despite the knee injuries and the constant speculation over a possible position change, Mauer has been exceptionally durable during his career.  In fact, between 2005 and 2010, only four catchers managed to log more innings behind than plate than Mauer.

5. Joe Mauer is clearly on a Hall of Fame career path.

We discussed this in September.

Here's to another great (and healthy season) to Joe.  Let's just hope we get to add some playoff wins to his already impressive resume.