Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
It wasn’t that long ago when Joe Mauer was looked at as a player who could win multiple batting titles. Mauer suffered through the first few seasons in Target Field for the Minnesota Twins but has been a different player in 2013. Mauer is hitting .386 with two home runs and seven RBIs through 13 games as the Twins have begun the season with a 6-7 record.
The team’s record does surprise me since I figured that Minnesota would be a team that would lose close to 100 games this season, but Mauer’s production is keeping the team afloat. The Twins have won two straight games, with each of those games including a four-hit performance out of the All-Star catcher.
Mauer is on a seven-game hit streak, and is batting .462 during this stretch. I really think that we have seen Mauer flip on the switch again.
There is no doubt in my mind that I trust a player with a .324 career batting average. He is making life much more enjoyable in Minnesota right now. I’m not sure how much longer Mauer will be able to keep up this high of an average, but he could make sure that the Twins don’t lose 95-100 games in 2013.
It would save the job of manager Ron Gardenhire, which I’m sure Mauer would love to do. It is looking like Mauer is back to his old self and that has to be great news for the entire Twins organization. There just might be some hope for this season in the Twin Cities.
Andy Schmidt is a columnist/writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @ASchmidtSports, like his Facebook page or add him to your network on Google.
