2K11 Joe Mauer

[Gregg]

6'5 230 lbs with a career BA well over .300 why doesn't this guy hit 20+ homers a year?

In fact he has only been in double digits twice in 6 years. What gives?

[wannabegriffey]

And the first year numbers say hitting homers in minnesota is harding then ever. I still think he can reach the 20's again.

[Gregg]

And the first year numbers say hitting homers in minnesota is harding then ever. I still think he can reach the 20's again.

Not trying to argue just understand. Shouldn't he be hitting 15 on the road?

[DJBeasties]

Not trying to argue just understand. Shouldn't he be hitting 15 on the road?

The number one reason is because he hits too many groundballs and line drives. Not that LDs are bad because between that and the ELITE plate presence (1.25 EYE), is where he generates the high BA.

His G/L/F splits last year were 47/24/29. If you are hitting less than 30% FBs, you are not going to hit many homeruns regardless of how strong you are. He also has league-average power anyway (good for a catcher) so between all of this and the home park HR factors, you probably won't get more than 12 HRs from him total.

2009 is a total abberation that will only occur again with another aberration. Mauer has consistently hit 7% of his flyballs for home runs historically. In 2009, that number jumped to 20% which is where the big power hitters consistently reside.

FWIW - I want to roster him in every league I can and bank on the power elsewhere.

[wannabegriffey]

Not trying to argue just understand. Shouldn't he be hitting 15 on the road?

Sure feels like it. I remember reading his quotes when he hit 28..."I am not doing anything different, the balls are just landing in the stands".

I don't know officially, but historically, I think catchers hitting prime come later in their career than other positions (but also fade earlier, ie. shorter duration)?

[Hornsby]

It's funny, the year that he hit 28, it seems like at least half of them landed in the first row or two of the seats. Like he said, it was most likely a fluke. He's a high average, line drive hitter, who as DJ pointed out, has an elite eye. Add in the fact that he's a great defensive catcher and you have the best at his position, IMO. I think that 15-20 HR's is going to be average for him from here on out.

[Don Quixote]

I had no qualms with paying $23 for him in RJEL before 2009, and no problem with letting him be picked up in our expansion draft this winter (since I have Posey $5). Mauer is one of my favorite hitters, love that line drive swing.

[joncarlos]

I love Mauer, but it's really hard to pay $25+ for a guy who doesn't run or hit HRs, so he isn't likely to be on many of my teams. By all reports Target Field is a tough place to hit HRs. So be content with a .325-12-90-85r-3sb line this year.

[Gregg]

I love Mauer, but it's really hard to pay $25+ for a guy who doesn't run or hit HRs, so he isn't likely to be on many of my teams. By all reports Target Field is a tough place to hit HRs. So be content with a .325-12-90-85r-3sb line this year.

Yep. Trade fell through. So no Mauer for me. Sometimes the best trades are the ones we don't make.