The secrets to Joe Mauer’s success
What makes Twins star so great? Let’s ask the experts
 | Joe Mauer was "the best amateur I've seen," says the scout who signed him. |
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Six views of Twins catcher Joe Mauer, who has a swing for every occasion — and three AL batting titles in the past four seasons.
Mark Wilson, the scout who signed Mauer
He's the best amateur I've seen. At times, it would look almost like it was in slow motion, he would do it so smooth and effortlessly. He was way ahead of the curve in every regard — physically, baseballwise with his skills and abilities, even how he handled all the attention and hype he was getting.
I saw him play baseball 20 to 30 times, plus I saw a half-dozen football games and a half-dozen basketball games. Watching him there gives you a gauge of his overall athleticism. One thing that stood out in basketball was how he could slow the game down in his mind and read the plays. In a one-minute span, I saw him pick off three passes and go down for layups. That was when I thought, Wow, this guy has some kind of instincts for athletics.
Shortly after we drafted him, I saw him close out a game. I had never put the radar gun on him as a pitcher. Just for fun, I did. It was 90, 91, 92, 93, and I shut it off there. I don't know if there's anything he can't do if he were to set out to do it.
Joe Vavra, Twins batting coach
You're not going to find two swings of his that aren't alike. It's controlled aggressiveness. It's balanced, ready to explode. He can make decisions on pitches later than most hitters. So when he gets in 2-strike mode, he's really comfortable. He understands the strike zone better than anybody I've been around.
This is the progression of a good hitter becoming great. You're seeing the power numbers come up as a result of understanding himself and the league a little better each year. Is the swing a little shorter? It might be, and that might be just enough to give him a little more pop.
His swing is designed to hit the ball gap to gap. But just when they think they can pitch him in, he turns on it. But he doesn't change his approach. He keeps it simple. He doesn't let the 6 inches between his ears get in the way of the 6 inches of the barrel that he's using to hit with.
Johnny Bench, Hall of Fame catcher
He loves the position. He doesn't want to switch — that's the catcher's mentality. You control the games. It takes five games at another position to equal one catching.
You've got to be blessed with arm strength, but it's his feet that help him throw. It's the transition, getting his feet underneath him, throwing the ball through the pitcher's head — he does all of it well.
You've got to be proud of guys like Joe Mauer. He's a credit to baseball. To watch him is a joy.
Bill Freehan, 11-time All-Star as a catcher
He is an outstanding receiver, the way he runs the game. I don't judge a catcher on throwing men out. There is a lot that goes into that; mostly the location of the ball can assist the catcher. Most bases are stolen on the pitcher. (But) Joe Mauer has an outstanding arm. I can't imagine hitting .364 as a catcher. That is flat-out outstanding.
Bobby Bowden, Florida State football coach, with whom Mauer signed a letter of intent to play quarterback before being drafted No. 1 overall by the Twins in 2001
When we recruited him, we took the same gamble we took on Chris Weinke. (After signing with Florida State, Weinke pursued professional baseball for six years before returning to play football.) We thought we had the same thing with Mauer. Only thing is, he's about as good as anybody in the country at baseball. I knew the odds were against us — I was hearing too many good things. I've been waiting six years, haven't heard a thing.
He was a physical, no-nonsense, take-charge type quarterback. He was the kind of a guy you would want leading your players. They would follow him physically. Not only was he a good athlete and a good player, he stood tall in the pocket. He had all the throws. He probably would've started before his freshman season was over.
Jake Mauer, manager of the Gulf Coast League Twins and the older of Joe's two brothers
I couldn't be prouder of all of his accomplishments. But if you ask my family, we're even more proud of the person he is and how he handles himself.
He doesn't really say a whole lot. He goes about his business. He has a quiet confidence; he's not going to be a look-at-me guy. But for how quiet he is, he's probably just as confident. He knows he's pretty good. But he also knows the work and things he has to do to stay at that level.
The first three of the five years I played in the minors, I was a teammate of his. I'm four years older, and he was dominating guys who are my age — guys from big-time programs, All-Americans and that stuff. That's when you start to realize, man, this guy's pretty good. But if Joe walked by you on the street, you'd never know who he is.
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