Twins prospect Mauer named Minor League Player of Year

Minnesota Twins catching prospect Joe Mauer continues to rake in the accolades, adding the title of Baseball America's 2003 Minor League Player of the Year on Friday.

Mauer, who turned 20 in April and began the season with the Class A Fort Myers Miracle, becomes the first Twins prospect to win the award after hitting a combined .339 with five home runs and 85 RBIs between Fort Myers and Double-A New Britain.

He joins an impressive list that includes the likes of Derek Jeter, Manny Ramirez, Frank Thomas, Andruw Jones (twice), Dwight Gooden and last year's recipient, Rocco Baldelli.

The Twins selected Mauer with the first overall pick of the 2001 draft out of Cretin-Durham High School in St. Paul, Minn., which is just a stone's throw away from the Metrodome in Minneapolis. He was back home staying at his parents' house Friday but could not be reached for comment.

After a solid spring training in Fort Myers during which he earned the praise of Minnesota's veteran pitching staff, Mauer helped the Miracle to a franchise record 44 wins in the first half of the Florida State League season and the Western Division first-half pennant. It was the first time the Miracle had made the playoffs in three years.

Mauer hit .335 with 44 RBIs and was named to the FSL All-Star team, then got called up to New Britain for the second half of the season. He helped turn around the Rock Cats by batting .341 with four homers, 17 doubles and 41 RBIs and getting them into the playoffs.

"We were 25-37 - games under .500 — before he got here and finished up 73-68," said Rock Cats manager Stan Cliburn. "Our pitching staff put together 18 straight quality starts in his first 20 games behind the plate with an ERA of 1.89. We won 15 out of the 18 to get back to .500 and we just took off from there. A lot of that was because of him, not only taking control of the pitching staff and calling a good game, but with the way he hit."

New Britain lost to New Haven in five games of a best-of-five series in the Eastern League semifinals, losing the decisive game by one run, 2-1. In the first inning of that game, Cliburn witnessed something he insists he never has seen in the minor leagues.

The Rock Cats had Twins left-hander Eric Milton on the mound in another rehab start, and when they came up to bat for the first time their leadoff hitter got on with a double. The next batter got out, but the Ravens opted to intentionally walk Mauer to pitch to cleanup hitter Jeff Dierdorf, who was hitting .316 with 17 homers and 73 RBIs. Terry Tiffee (.315, 14 homers and 93 RBIs) was batting fifth.

"It was almost like a Barry Bonds in the big leagues," Cliburn said. I've never seen that in all my pro years, to walk a guy in the first inning to get to the 4 and 5 hitter. It paid off for them because they wound up winning by a run, but that's a lot of respect for a hitter."

Mauer plans to attend the same conditioning camp in Arizona that current Twins catcher A.J. Pierzynski and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz attended. Then he will participate in the Arizona Fall League in preparation for his third spring training with Minnesota in 2004.

"I think if I return to Double-A next year I don't think I'll see Mr. Mauer at all," Cliburn said. "Maybe he'll start at Triple-A Rochester, because we don't like to rush players."