Home Schooling

NEW ORLEANS -- Nursing a cup of ice at a sports bar, too young to order a beer, baseball prospect Joe Mauer tries to think of a major difference between himself and LeBron James.

It's not easy.

Both were drafted No. 1 out of high school, ahead of college players with more seasoning. Both are millionaires with Nike deals and the kind of precocious talent that makes scouts choke on their Copenhagen. In the end, the difference may be more about style than anything else: LeBron had a Hummer in high school, Mr. Mauer says. "I had a Huffy."

In two months, Joe Mauer reports to spring training with the Minnesota Twins to compete for a job as the starting catcher. If all goes as planned, he'll be a household name by October. But whatever happens, he's already a test case for a larger sports-business strategy: betting the franchise on a local prodigy.

'A Natural Fit'

It also came at a price. In order to sign Mr. Mauer, the Twins had to pay him a $5.15 million bonus while passing up college players such as pitcher Mark Prior, who won 18 games for the Chicago Cubs last season, and slugger Mark Teixeira, who hit 26 home runs for the Rangers. This year, to make room for the star attraction, the Twins traded one of the team's most popular players, All-Star catcher A.J. Pierzynski.

So is Joe Mauer worth all the fuss? Probably. With a flat and effortless stroke similar to John Olerud of the Seattle Mariners, he batted .567 in high school. At double-A New Britain this season, he hit .344, walked as often as he struck out and led the league by throwing out 47% of base stealers.

He's an athlete of legendary gifts. In addition to starring in high school baseball and basketball, he was an All-America quarterback who was claimed by Florida State after leading his prep team to a state title. Had he chosen football, he may have started for the Seminoles as a freshman. Oh, yeah: He's a golfer, too, who shoots in the 80s.

When it came time for Major League club representatives to help pick the Olympic qualifying team, USA Baseball executive Dean Taylor says only one choice wasn't debated: Joe Mauer at catcher. This week in New Orleans, he picked up the Minor League Player of the Year Award from Baseball America. As for handling a Major League pitching staff, the kid says he's not intimidated. "I like to be in charge." Better yet, Mr. Ryan says, minor league teams have won more than 70% of their games with Mr. Mauer in the lineup, a number that suggests "this guy helps other people become better."

Still, there are warning signs. The prodigy hit only five home runs in 509 at-bats in the minors last year. And although scouts say the power will develop in time, most agree he could use another year in the minors.

Solid Numbers

So far, the kid seems oblivious to the pressure. While the Twins plot ways to build a new ballpark, he's living with his two brothers in Florida (all three are in the Twins farm system) to work on his conditioning. Everybody seems to forget, he says, "that I still have to make the team."