Mauer’s valuable hitting often prompts discussion about moving him to another position such as third base or left field, positions where his body wouldn’t be subjected to constant crouching. That speculation comes from outside the organization and was commonplace this spring when Mauer missed nearly the entire month of May. Plus, Mauer didn’t play for almost two months of the 2004 season because of a knee injury, and he had a quad injury in high school.
But Ryan is adamant about Mauer remaining a catcher. “It’s very difficult to find a good catcher, first off,” Ryan said. “Secondly, it’s difficult to find a guy that can lead a pitching staff. Third, there’s no doubt when you can find an offensive catcher, you’ve got one of the few assets in the game, in the industry in general, because everybody’s looking for catching. …And then on top of it, Joe can run.
“So it’s very difficult for me to hear and respond to people that just want to get him out from behind the plate. The reason he’s so good and valuable and talented is because he can do everything that a catcher is supposed to do. Consequently we’re blessed with having one of the good ones in the game.”
The complexities and challenges of baseball leave any player with opportunities to improve. “It’s always a little bit of a transition every year for a catcher to get comfortable with a pitching staff, but you know there are a lot of things that Joe is learning as he goes,” Ryan said. “There’s no question in my mind that he’s got his best days ahead of him. He’s just scratching it right now to the point where it’s situations moving runners, and when to pull the ball, and when to try to loft a ball, and when to hit a ground ball.
“All that stuff comes. He’s just a kid. …Like everybody there are all kinds of things to learn in the game. …This is a tough racket here, and there aren’t any shortcuts here. …”
In a hypothetical exercise the Sporting News selected Mauer to build a team around. In the 2001 free agent draft the Twins chose Mauer as the first player taken by any major league team. Ryan said it wasn’t an easy decision as management evaluated who to choose including super star high school pitcher Mark Prior, the oft-injured Chicago Cub. But Mauer was the pick and six years later it looks right on to a lot of people.