The real deal Joe Mauer

Pitchers and catchers. If there are three more joyous words than those in the dead of winter I’ve never heard them. Forget the fact that some overgrown rodent saw his fury shadow in Pennsylvania. Forget the cold, the snow, the sleet and the freezing rain. Pitchers and catchers have reported and soon all of the spring training camps will be up and running in earnest.

It’s the best time of the year for baseball fans. Everybody is undefeated and as optimistic as a six-year-old on Christmas Eve. The "hot stove" is cooling down and the real heat is about to begin. As the dust settles on the A-Rod deal and teams begin to settle into their warm weather homes in the south and west, people are slowly beginning to notice that there is actually more to baseball than just the Yankees and the Red Sox.

Yes, it is the most storied rivalry is sports, but it isn’t the only one. And there are several other dramas being played in out in the great America game this year.

One of the major questions the baseball press and fans everywhere are asking is, "can Joe Mauer make the jump from New Britain to Minnesota?" Most believe he can and will. Mauer, who grew up literally in the shadow of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and was one of the most sought after high school quarterbacks in the country picked baseball over Florida State football and wound up here last season after a brief stint in A-ball. The Twins’ number one pick easily lived up to expectations with the New Britain Rock Cats, batting .341 while playing catcher like a seasoned veteran.

Mauer is the complete package. He can hit. He can run. He can field the toughest position in the game. Pitchers instinctively trust him behind the plate and base runners clearly fear his accurate arm. At the end of last season the Minnesota catcher was named the Twins’ top prospect and the Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America. When the parent club traded starting catcher A.J. Pierzynski (who had also come through New Britain) to San Francisco during the off season there was no mistaking the fact that Mauer would by-pass Triple A and start the season in the majors.

Even the fantasy baseball magazines have taken note. John Sickles of ESPN.com calls Mauer "The best overall hitting prospect in the game," in Fantasy Baseball Index.

It’s been reported elsewhere that the kid from St. Paul always made himself available for autographs while here and that he remains grounded and genuinely humble despite the "can’t miss" tag.

Gordon Wittenmyer of the Pioneer Press, a Minnesota newspaper, caught up with Mauer at the recent TwinsFest and clearly came away as much impressed with his "aw shucks" humility and old-fashioned values as his unquestioned on-field ability.

Wittenmyer wrote: "Twins rookie catcher Joe Mauer faced 15 minutes of questions from young fans during the second day of TwinsFest on Saturday. Such zingers as: ‘have you ever met Ron Gardenhire?’ ‘What’s your favorite food’ and ‘Joe, will you hit a home run for me on Opening Day?’

"For now," the reporter noted, "the answers are ‘yes,’ ‘Mom’s lasagna’ and ‘I’ll do my best.’"

The Pioneer Press story says Mauer was one of the most popular players at the annual TwinsFest event and that even before heading to Fort Myers, let alone back up to the bigs, expectations are high for the youngster who was also very popular here during his summer sojourn with the Rock Cats. "I’ve had guys already predict rookie of the year and stuff," Mauer told Wittenmyer. The player’s response? "I say, ‘I’ve got to make the team first.’ It’s fun to see all the people excited."

People in central Connecticut are excited too because they got to see Mauer’s sweet swing and exceptional arm before most baseball fans had ever heard his name. It’s not an easy thing to make the jump from Double-A to success in the majors. But area fans have seen it happen before and most if not all of them believe Joe Mauer has a very good chance of doing just that.

Jeff Dooley, who does the Rock Cats games on radio, and Ken Lipshez who covers the team for this family newspaper, probably saw more of Mauer than anybody else during his stay. They’re both convinced he has all the tools needed to make that jump.

Think spring and let the games begin!