That's fine. I can hear your arguement. They are both going to be great players, so the point of argueing is lame. There are so many "what ifs" to think about when comparing. IE could we of afforded Prior? Would we of traded AJ for Nathan, Boof, and Liraino if we didn't have a catcher coming up? Would of the Twins of treated Prior like Johan, thus making his arm stronger? Would of they been able to give Johan the big contract?
Have the Cubs really finished higher then the Twins lately? I don't have the Cubs history at my near reach, but I would think they were pretty similar to a slight advantage the Twins direction? I like the Cubs though, probably in my top 5 teams.
joeg24 wrote:That's fine. I can hear your arguement. They are both going to be great players, so the point of argueing is lame. There are so many "what ifs" to think about when comparing. IE could we of afforded Prior? Would we of traded AJ for Nathan, Boof, and Liraino if we didn't have a catcher coming up? Would of the Twins of treated Prior like Johan, thus making his arm stronger? Would of they been able to give Johan the big contract?
Have the Cubs really finished higher then the Twins lately? I don't have the Cubs history at my near reach, but I would think they were pretty similar to a slight advantage the Twins direction? I like the Cubs though, probably in my top 5 teams.
They've had similar records, but the Twins have been in the playoffs more because they have been facing crappy teams the past few years like Detroit, KC, and Cleveland. You probably could have signed Prior, if you signed him long term early. Sorta like they did with Santana. Extended his deal for a far cheaper price than his real value before he hit the market. Great move.
CubsFan7724 wrote:He can't play everyday. A catcher with a gimpy knee in his early 20s? Yikes. What were the Twins thinking when they took him over Mark Prior? Can you imagine Johan+Prior?
Hmm a pitcher in his early 20's with a few injuries already?
I don't think we should question any moves Terry Ryan has made in the last half decade. Especially a catcher that looks liek a 320+ hitter with solid power adn elite defense already!
PLus it's not like Prior + Wood + Maddux + Zam have equaled much
As much as I like Prior (drafted him in a keeper league his rookie season), I think the Twins made the right choice. Mauer will be as good as anyone at a very key position. He is also from the area so it made perfect sense. Injury has stunted his stardom but it will come soon enough. He may need to change position at some point but he will hit. Very well.
"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that." ~George Carlin
he is my catcher in my keeper money league an di absolutley love him. for two reasons:
1. he puts up great numbers when he plays.
2. since he doesnt play everyday and you dont have to worry about him going o-fer, he is always rested and hits very well when he plays. this keeps his average high for ya any given week. the stolen bases are just icing on the cake he doesnt have speed so if your lucky you get him.
It's really pretty simple. He will (like more than a few starting catchers) frequently sit in day games following night games. In fact, you can basically be almost positive he'll get the day off if the opposition is throwing a lefty.
There are three factors affecting Mauer's PT:
His knee-which may be the least of the factors since he says the knee is fine.
Lefty pitching-Slightly more of a factor than his knee, but wouldn't bench him were it not for the third factor
The Twins are carrying three catchers-So when there is a Lefty or a day game after a night game Gardenhose finds it too easy to give Redmond and LeCroy PT.
i think the further along the season we go, the less days of rest we can expect for mauer. he's going to keep hitting and the twins will be forced to play him every day.
CubsFan7724 wrote:He can't play everyday. A catcher with a gimpy knee in his early 20s? Yikes. What were the Twins thinking when they took him over Mark Prior? Can you imagine Johan+Prior?
they were probably thinking about signability. not sure who Prior's agent was, but he got close to a 15 million deal.
All of you criticizing the Twins for resting Mauer have obviously never had a knee problem/operation. I don't care how old (young) you are, it takes time to recover. The fact that he is able to do all of the squating, bending that a catcher has to do is pretty miraculous to me.
I have him on 2 teams and the production he gives my teams when he plays more than offsets the days he rests. You go Joe!
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by joeg24 » Sat May 07, 2005 9:18 pm 
