If there were a Twitter trend page* specifically for the Minnesota Twins, Joe Mauer and his quest for .400 would undoubtedly be at the top. Terms have been coined for the chase, and there are very few baseball fans who don’t want to see Mauer eclipse that elusive .400 mark.
*Unless you live under the biggest of rocks, you heard that Brett Favre signed with the Vikings yesterday. The whole process — from Favre getting off the plane in Minneapolis, to his riding shotgun in Childress’ SUV, to his signing a deal and heading right out to the practice field — was widely publicized throughout the country. Obviously, a Twitter trend yesterday was going to revolve around Brett Favre.
Millions of tweets were sent yesterday regarding the aging quarterback, apparently named #Farve. That’s right, F-A-R-V-E. One of the most recognizable quarterbacks in history can’t get people to spell his name right. I get that it’s pronounced F-A-R-V-U-H, but really? Farve? Anyhow, that’s my non-baseball talk of the month here at TwinsFix. If you want to read my entire take on the Favre situation, check out my other blog, VikingVigil.com.
With the postseason schedule falling into place, the main debate this year is “who will win the MVP?” The majority of baseball fans agree that Mauer’s flirtation with .400 this year is simply too good to beat, and he will undoubtedly win the award even if he falls short of .400. Others, (mainly Yankee fans), think that Mark Teixeira deserves the title.
Are you serious?
Mauer leads the league in batting average by 14 points, on-base-percentage by 24 points, slugging by 74 (!) points, and OPS by 112 (!!) points. Clearly, Mauer is having one of the best seasons by a catcher in baseball history. His OPS+ this year is a staggering 193. No, you read that right. An OPS+ of 193. In fact, if he keeps this up it’ll be the single greatest offensive season by a catcher since 1901.
And Mauer’s no slouch defensively, either. He’s almost a lock to win the Gold Glove this year.
Add in the fact Mauer’s having this season while playing the most grueling defensive position in baseball (the man squats behind home more than any bum I’ve met) and you get a truly memorable season.
How anyone can claim that Teixeira’s season has been better is well beyond my comprehension.
But…but…Teixeira plays for the Yankees!!
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