Joe Mauer will make his Major League debut at first base tonight against the White Sox.
Many have called for the 27-year-old Mauer to switch positions full time because he's proven injury prone to this point in his career.
Opponents argue that until this year's strange bout with what was termed "bilateral leg weakness" that he had actually logged more innings than almost every big league catcher in the past five years. Furthermore, a good chunk of his value comes from being the best defensive catcher in baseball.
His numbers and his sweet stroke are special, but would they be as special coming from first base -- a position where gaudy offensive stats are more of a norm?
Mauer has resisted a long-term switch from catcher, and that's wise because of how valuable he is as a catcher. But will the occasional spell from squatting behind the plate donning the tools of ignorance be all that bad for his value?
Can Mauer be the type of player to catch four games a week, DH for one and play first for the other? Do the Twins have a competent catcher in the organization worthy of catching two games every single week besides Mauer?
What do you think? Vote in the poll on your opinion on the Mauer-to-first move. Drop comments if you've got something to say.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Twins and White Sox
The hometown Twins (38-47) are heading to Chicago to take on the Mighty Whities (43-45) in the final series before the All-Star break. There hasn't been a season in which Twins fans have scoreboard watched this much before the break in recent memory. In one of the weakest divisions in baseball, Twins fans have been teased into thinking the team is still in the division race.
If that were the case, this is a huge series for both clubs. Minnesota has one six of its last eight games, but the starting lineup is still riddled with injuries.
Denard Span, Jason Kubel and Justin Morneau -- three huge contributors -- are sidelined indefinitely with injuries that vary in severity.
Scott Baker, the team's first-half ace, has a mild forearm and elbow strain and though not believed to be serious, will cause him to miss a start Sunday before the break against the Pale Hose.
The Twins have been one of the best team's in baseball since June 1 and manager Ron Gardenhire deserves a lot of credit for continually winning with what most people consider a Triple-A lineup. That streak has gone largely unnoticed by national pundits and constant injury battles have dampened optimism within the state. Do they have enough healthy bodies to make a run at the Central?
This weekend could be an indication of which way the team is heading in the second half.
If that were the case, this is a huge series for both clubs. Minnesota has one six of its last eight games, but the starting lineup is still riddled with injuries.
Denard Span, Jason Kubel and Justin Morneau -- three huge contributors -- are sidelined indefinitely with injuries that vary in severity.
Scott Baker, the team's first-half ace, has a mild forearm and elbow strain and though not believed to be serious, will cause him to miss a start Sunday before the break against the Pale Hose.
The Twins have been one of the best team's in baseball since June 1 and manager Ron Gardenhire deserves a lot of credit for continually winning with what most people consider a Triple-A lineup. That streak has gone largely unnoticed by national pundits and constant injury battles have dampened optimism within the state. Do they have enough healthy bodies to make a run at the Central?
This weekend could be an indication of which way the team is heading in the second half.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Should the Vikings take a chance on red flag-ridden Terrell Pryor?
With Terrelle Pryor recently announcing through his lawyer that he would not be returning for his senior season at Ohio State, questions about the programs future immediately arose. There will be sanctions against the program and it's recently-resigned head coach, Jim Tressel. But how severe will the sanctions be? Is the NCAA looking to make an example of this program for overlooking the sale of autographs for tattoos and other benefits? Will the sanctions be more sever for Tressel for knowingly neglecting to report violations, or to the program that still retains many of the athletes in question?
Questions about Pryor's future have been somewhat overlooked, though.
ESPN recently reported that Pryor said he has no interest in the Canadian Football League. He has the option to enter the supplemental draft that the Associated Press reported will still happen in mid-July whether or not the NFL lockout is resolved. In this draft, a team could offer up one of next year's draft picks in exchange for taking a player this July.
Which raises another question for football fans in the area: Should the Vikings be interested?
Reasons against:
-The "win now" mentality of treating draft picks like collateral have left the franchise thin at many positions. Giving up a (likely high) draft pick for next year would compound those issues in what has become a rebuilding effort.
-If the Vikings are bad again this year and wind up with a high draft pick, Andrew Luck will be entering and the draft and would be a much more desirable blue chip franchise player.
-He has so many off-the-field issues that this franchise has attempted to deal with in the past and failed. How many red flag guys can one team take on?
-The Vikings just drafted Christian Ponder to be their franchise quarterback.
Reasons for:
-The Vikings just drafted Christian Ponder to be their franchise quarterback.
-He's comparable to Cam Newton. Many have said Newton became what Pryor should have been when he was the consensus top high school recruit several years ago.
-He had a 31-4 record as a starter, including Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl victories.
What do you think? I want to hear what people have to say about it.
Questions about Pryor's future have been somewhat overlooked, though.
ESPN recently reported that Pryor said he has no interest in the Canadian Football League. He has the option to enter the supplemental draft that the Associated Press reported will still happen in mid-July whether or not the NFL lockout is resolved. In this draft, a team could offer up one of next year's draft picks in exchange for taking a player this July.
Which raises another question for football fans in the area: Should the Vikings be interested?
Reasons against:
-The "win now" mentality of treating draft picks like collateral have left the franchise thin at many positions. Giving up a (likely high) draft pick for next year would compound those issues in what has become a rebuilding effort.
-If the Vikings are bad again this year and wind up with a high draft pick, Andrew Luck will be entering and the draft and would be a much more desirable blue chip franchise player.
-He has so many off-the-field issues that this franchise has attempted to deal with in the past and failed. How many red flag guys can one team take on?
-The Vikings just drafted Christian Ponder to be their franchise quarterback.
Reasons for:
-The Vikings just drafted Christian Ponder to be their franchise quarterback.
-He's comparable to Cam Newton. Many have said Newton became what Pryor should have been when he was the consensus top high school recruit several years ago.
-He had a 31-4 record as a starter, including Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl victories.
What do you think? I want to hear what people have to say about it.
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