He Has Risen

Posted by John on May 1, 2009 under John | Read the First Comment

Out of the ashes on this 1st day of May, He has risen. The prodigal son, Joe Mauer, returns to the Minnesota Twins.

Ok, enough of the literary hyperbole, but this is a big deal. Joe Mauer is back and it’s as if the Twins have the heart of their team back. The entire roster looks different with #7 on the field and the entire fan base looks different with little boys (and girls) wearing long, black sideburns, but can you really measure the impact that Joe’s return has on the team?

Is it the lineup, with the addition of a two time batting champion with a .399 lifteime OBP? Is it the defense, with the return of a gold glove catcher? Is it the young pitching staff, with the return of a smart catcher who calls nearly every pitch? Is it the clubhouse, with the return of their quiet yet steady leader? Or is it just the fans, with the return of their hometown hero?

Let’s look at it this way. Thanks to Wednesday night’s win the Twins finished the month of April at 11-11, exactly .500. Based on the Twins’ schedule, the injuries to Mauer and Scott Baker, the slow starts of Francisco Liriano, and the bullpen issues I’d consider April a pretty good success. The Twins were able to simply hang around in the AL Central and not dig themselves into any hole. Now on May 1st they find themselves just one game back in a very crowded division.

Since his rookie season in 2004 to today, Mauer has played in 561 regular season games out of the Twins possible 833. During this time the Twins have a record of 449-384 for a .539 winning percentage. Mauer’s two highest games played totals come in 2008 (146) and 2006 (140). Both of these years Mauer won the batting title and the Twins won 88 and 96 games respectively making the playoffs in 2006 and just narrowly missing last year. In 2007, Mauer played in just 109 games due to injuries and the Twins finished 17 games out of first place with a 79-83 record.

As I said earlier, it is hard to truly quantify the impact of Joe Mauer’s presence on the Minnesota Twins, but is undeniable that he makes the Twins a better team and tonight the Minnesota golden boy returns!

Also, when you see Mauer bat for the first time this season make sure to listen to his new at-bat music recorded by his friend and local artist A&R.

Find this article at Baseball Digest.com…

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