Given his recent injury woes, namely his knee and leg issues, there has been much speculation surrounding whether or not the Twins will try to shift Joe Mauer to a different position other than behind the plate. Some have suggested putting him at first base, some have suggested moving him to the outfield either in left or right, and yet others have said that maybe given his skills at the plate with a bat, he ought to be a permanent designated hitter. Here's a little news flash for everyone making those suggestions: Joe Mauer is a catcher, nothing more.
After signing his mega contract back in the 2009-2010 offseason, Mauer's health has become the hottest topic surrounding the Twins. Understandably, the Twins' pathetic start in the 2011 season has quite a bit to do with the absence of their offensive leader, although one could point fingers at just about every aspect of this club to explain the lack of, well, everything. With the hometown boy shelved with an injury (or multiple injuries, depending on who you talk to), many thoughts have been expressed that maybe he belongs somewhere other than the catcher position.
There are many reasons you can't move Joe around the diamond to avoid injuries:
For starters, the idea of moving him to first base is one that can not take place unless the Twins decide to part ways with Justin Morneau. Given Morneau's own injury issues (concussion, neck), it's possible that we may never see the Justin Morneau from the first half of 2010 ever again, so perhaps parting ways with him may be more of a possibility than many would actually have thought. More than likely, however, number 33 will remain the staple at first base, for better or worse. What I will say, though, is that possibly trading Morneau to open up the first base position for Joe might be the best of the alternate position options for the Twins. If Morneau can get himself somewhere remotely close to the MVP he was a couple of years ago, his value might be enough for the Twins to either bolster their rotation or possibly even their bullpen...both having been issues this season, although the rotation has seemingly stabilized over the month of May. Although this wouldn't be the most popular decision in Twins Territory, it may actually be the best for the organization. Right now, however, I don't believe it's an option at all.
Moving Mauer to left field seems like it may be the best idea, but let me throw the closest analogy I can at this. Back in 2002, the Atlanta Braves moved perennial All-Star third baseman, Chipper Jones, to left field after Jones offered to move in order for the Braves to bring in Vinny Castillia to play third base. Jones wasn't the most agile person in the world to begin with, but worked out "okay" for the Braves in left for a couple of years, but eventually moved back to third base after only three seasons in left. Now, third base and catcher are two different positions. The reason this analogy works is because of the two players involved. If you look at both Chipper and Mauer, they both have similar body types (Jones is 6'4" and around 215 pounds, and Mauer stands 6'5" and around 220 pounds) and have a similar contractual impact to their two teams. Back in 2000, Jones signed a huge $90 million deal with the Braves, similar to the deal that Mauer just recently signed with the Twins. Ultimately, the only reason Chipper was moved to left was to make room for another power-hitting third baseman. If the Twins have plans to bring in another All-Star caliber catcher to replace Mauer behind the plate, then the move to left might make sense. But, let's be completely honest here. As has been the case with this organization in the past, it's a safe assumption that if Mauer were to move to left field, we Twins fans would be graced behind the plate by the likes of a Drew Butera-type catcher whom the organization would see as an "adequate" solution.
If Joe were to move to right field, now you have an even bigger dilemma on your hands. Replacing Delmon Young in left field is something that needs to be done right now anyway, whether it's Joe Mauer or Bob from Section 117. There are 12 year-old Little Leaguers that take better routes to the ball than Delmon, not to mention show more love for the game than he does. Now, if you opt to try Joe in right field, you have not one, but two people you would be replacing: Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel. In my opinion, Kubel has improved dramatically in the outfield, making him nowhere near the liability he was a couple of years ago. His ability to work hard and get himself to the fielding level he needed to be at to play every day in right could possibly even be rewarded with an All-Star selection this year, as he is the front-runner in my book for the Twins' lone representative at this year's game in Arizona. The other thing Kubel's improvement has done has allowed the Twins to put the Cuddyer band-aid on other positions needing help, namely first and second base. If you choose to make Mauer your every-day right fielder, then what do you do with Kubel and Cuddyer? Jim Thome will probably only play this year after being put on the disabled list for the second time in a month, so the DH spot might open up next season, but, is that the message you want to send to one of the hardest working players you have in Kubel? "Hey, thanks for busting your butt to become a better defensive outfielder. You've done great! We're so impressed, we're going to make you our permanent DH. Keep up the great work!" Yea...I don't think so.
Making Mauer the DH is also a suggestion that has popped up. This is also based on the assumption that the Twins might be able to find a suitable replacement on the defensive end behind the plate. What people need to realize here is that, the DH replaces the pitcher in the lineup, not the catcher. A suitable defensive replacement at catcher still has to put a bat in his hands and hit. So, what these people with lesser brain activity than a box of raisins are saying is that they'd rather have either Kubel, Cuddyer, or Thome sit on the bench so Mauer could DH and allow Butera to catch. Here's a thought: Put on your big boy hat, watch MLB Network for a full 24 hours, and come back to me when you seem to have enough knowledge to actually conduct yourself like an informed baseball fan. Having Mauer be your permanent DH would only work if the Twins' front office was willing to go out and grab a Buster Posey, a Brian McCann, or a Matt Wieters...and the last I checked, none of those three options are available, nor would the Twins' front office pull the trigger on a deal to make them available, so, let's move past the DH option.
Ultimately, what people need to remember is this: Joe Mauer is a catcher, plain and simple! He was signed to the mega-deal he was because a) he can hit the cover off the ball when he's on, and b) because he calls the best game in baseball behind the plate. If Tom Brady were continually hampered by injuries, would the Patriots consider moving him to place kicker to "save" his body? If Dwight Howard were getting banged up all the time playing center for the Orlando Magic, would the team move him to point guard to "keep him fresher"? If you answered "yes" or "maybe, you never know" to either of those questions, then you seriously need to consider watching "The Bachelorette" instead of sports, because you're clearly not intelligent enough to do so.
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