Mauer's monster month is historic

Marlin Levison, Star Tribune

Joe Mauer after one of his 11 May home runs.

From his very first swing in May, the catcher put on an unprecedented offensive show.

By LA VELLE E. NEAL III, Star Tribune

Last update: June 1, 2009 - 12:30 PM

Print this story

More from Twins

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. - Joe Mauer's first swing of the season sent a ball flying over the left-field wall for a homer on May 1, which stunned Twins teammates and thrilled a Metrodome crowd eager to see the St. Paul native after he missed April recovering from a sore lower back.

A fan at the Dome held up a sign that reflected the moment: "April Showers Bring Joe Mauers."

And in May, Mauer brought power.

Mauer was baseball's most devastating force throughout the month, turbocharging a Twins offense that ranked among the best in the league.

"I think it's me trying to make up for lost time," Mauer said. "That's what everyone is going with."

His .414 batting average, .500 on base percentage and .838 slugging percentage all led baseball in May. He hit 11 homers, with his power stroke appearing out of nowhere, and had 32 RBI. He's the first Twins player ever to hit at least 11 homers and have at least 30 RBI in a month. He was a career .343 hitter in May before this season.

"That's high school numbers," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "That's not professional baseball numbers. Really, if you think about it ... that's not normal for Major League Baseball. And he's a catcher? That's pretty amazing."

Once again, Mauer insisted his batting approach has not changed, which the numbers dispute.

"I didn't think I was going to hit 11 home runs this month," Mauer said. "I'm not a guy who has a lot of stuff going on, so I wasn't worried about that timing issue, playing every day."

Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer weren't too shabby in May, either. Morneau batted .361 with nine homers and 29 RBI; Cuddyer hit .312 with eight homers and 26 RBI.

Mauer outdid both of them and should be the favorite to win the American League player of the month award. He sat out Sunday's 3-2 victory over Tampa Bay after getting hit with two foul tips and then fouling a pitch off his right knee in Saturday's game.

"What gets left behind here because of Joe is Justin Morneau," Gardenhire said. "He's had as good of a month. That's kind of amazing when you're talking about Joe, and rightfully so, but you have another guy who has been right there with him. Pretty amazing, really. ... Cuddy [is] another one [that] has had a month like that."

Already regarded as perhaps the best catcher in baseball, Mauer's status in the league has soared even higher in the past month. Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon raved about Mauer's catching skills, from his smooth delivery on throws to bases to his ability to block the plate.

"I don't know what they think of his pitch-calling ability, 'cause I just see him a couple times a year," Maddon said. "But offensively, as a catcher, he has no peer, to me. And that includes Pudge [Rodriguez].

"He's an incredible hitter. He's really young. He's going to keep getting better. He's quite a force. He's definitely a franchise-changing kind of player."

On to June, where Mauer is a career .315 hitter and entered the season with more homers in this month (14) than any other.

Recent Twins stories

Mets' Johan Santana throws off mound for 1st time since elbow surgery - June 1, 2009

Mets' Johan Santana throws off mound for 1st time since elbow surgery - New York Mets ace Johan Santana threw off a mound for the first time since elbow surgery last Sept. 1 and said he felt good. More