Mauer is minors' top player

After watching Joe Mauer throw out two Clinton baserunners as they attempted to steal in 2002, LumberKings manager Dave Machemer just shook his head.

“The kid’s got a gift. That arm is something special," Machemer said after a Midwest League game that season.

Friday the former Quad-City River Bandits catcher earned a special honor.

From a group of 10 finalists, Baseball America selected Mauer as its minor league player of the year for 2003, the first alumnus of the Quad-City Midwest League franchise and the first Minnesota Twins prospect to earn the honor.

Of the award’s 20 previous recipients, all have reached the major leagues and 12 have become All-Stars.

A first-round pick in the 2001 draft, Mauer batted .302 with four home runs and 62 RBIs in 2002 for the River Bandits.

Chosen as the Midwest League prospect of the year, Mauer also threw out 42 percent of the 108 runners who attempted to steal.

Splitting time between high-A Fort Myers and AA New Britain this season, Mauer batted a combined .338 with five home runs and 85 RBIs. He thwarted 52 percent of steal attempts.

He helped lead Fort Myers to a 44-26 record and a division title in the first half, then was joined by former River Bandits J.D. Durbin and Jim Abbott in midseason promotions to New Britain.

That team was 25-37 at the time but went 44-31 the rest of the season. Rock Cats pitchers saw their team’s earned-run average improve by 0.61 when Mauer was behind the plate.

Twins scouting director Mike Radcliff told Baseball America that Mauer “doesn’t have to improve any of his tools or skills to jump in and impact the game at the major league level. He’s not a normal prospect."