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Michael Rand started RandBall with hopes that he could keep lies from conquering the minds of the weak. So far, he's only succeeded in using the word "redacted" a lot. He welcomes suggestions, news tips, links of pure genius, and pictures of pets in Halloween costumes here, though he already knows he will regret that last part.
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Wednesday (Mauer, A.J. and the convenient narrative) edition: Wha' Happened?
Posted by: Michael Rand under Professional baseball, Twins fans Updated: August 1, 2012 - 9:23 AM
We will try to be brief here. We do not want to get into a shouting contest over Joe Mauer and A.J. Pierzynski, two very different players with a strange shared history. We merely wish to point out a flawed narrative fueled by the types of players they are.
Pierzynski is a bit of a grinder. He is gritty. He is a good hitter, but he's never going to be thought of as one of the absolute best players in baseball. It would be a shock if he was ever serious MVP candidate. He also gets in people's faces and has an attitude that makes it seem as though he likes pressure. And when he delivers in a big spot -- as he did with a two-run homer last night to beat the Twins -- we tend to remember those things and forget about all the times he has failed. Because we expect a player like Pierzynski to fail quite a bit, and we forgive it.
Mauer is generally stoic. He is not gritty. He is a superstar, and he is paid like one. He is a three-time batting champ, an MVP. He rarely openly disagrees with umpires (last night's barking over a strike three was about as animated as he gets). He has a boyish face even as he gets older. His expression and attitude make it hard to distinguish whether he is hitting with two outs and nobody on base in a blowout or in a one-run game in the ninth inning. When he fails in that latter situation, we remember it and tend to forget about all the times he has succeeded. We expect a player like Mauer to succeed, and we have a hard time forgiving his failure.
The perception: Pierzynski is clutch, and Mauer is not.
But if you look at the numbers over the span of a career, Mauer is the better hitter in big spots. With two outs and runners in scoring position, the very definition of a big at-bat, Mauer is hitting .353 for his career with a .518 slugging percentage, both well above his overall career averages. A.J. is at .267/.432, the first below his career mark and the second barely above.
In the ninth inning of a big game, you want Mauer at the plate 10 times out of 10 for a clutch at bat, no matter what your heart or gut thinks it is trying to tell you. A.J. hits more homers? Well, he does homer once ever 38.5 at bats for his career. Mauer does it once ever 41.6 at bats. Almost the same.
We're not here to bash A.J. He's a very good player who has delivered some very big hits. We still cannot fathom why Twins fans boo him. We're merely trying to push people off the track of a convenient but false narrative.
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