Q&A with Joe Mauer

Jim Mcisaac, Getty Images

Joe Mauer's defensive highlight of the year came at Yankee Stadium in May, when he dived to tag out Brett Gardner to keep the Twins alive in a game.

Joe Mauer won his second Gold Glove this week, and he talked to the Star Tribune about the award and defense in general.

By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune

Last update: November 15, 2009 - 12:11 AM

Joe Mauer has already won three batting titles. He is a strong candidate to win his first MVP award when voting results are announced Nov. 23. He is in line to get a huge contract extension, even if Mauer said Wednesday that negotiations with the Twins haven't started yet. "It's going to happen when it happens," Mauer told the Star Tribune's Joe Christensen. But Mauer also had quite a bit more to say during that interview about an honor -- and a part of his game -- that might go overlooked. The catcher won his second Gold Glove this week, and he talked to Christensen about the award and defense in general.

Last year, Mauer said winning his first Gold Glove ranked among his proudest achievements. This one meant a lot, too.

Mauer: "Being a catcher, especially, taking a lot of pride on the defensive side of things. You're an on-field manager. I take a lot of pride on the defensive side. It's definitely cool to be voted by coaches and people that are watching you every day, that's a good thing."

Mauer remains one of the best defensive catchers in baseball, but this year's numbers were down. According to Baseball-Reference.com, Mauer had a career-high nine passed balls (after having four in 2008) and caught 26 percent of opposing baserunners, compared to 36 percent last year and 53 percent in 2007.

Mauer: "I think I might have said this last year -- it was kind of a struggle, to tell you the truth. We had a very young staff. With a young staff, it gets tough to control the running game, calling out pitches and trying to put them in situations where they can succeed. I wish I would have been a little better at throwing out runners and stuff, but I think we all know that takes a little more than the catcher. It was a frustrating year, but it was a very rewarding year also, to see those guys improve, definitely toward the end."

Mauer is said to have led AL catchers in range factor. Not sure that's the most important stat for a catcher -- though, if you remember Mauer's game-saving tag of the Yankees' Brett Gardner on May 17, it comes in handy. It was one of the most unbelievable plays I've ever seen, and it's interesting hearing Mauer describe what went through his mind.

Mauer: "One of the things I like to do is kind of envision myself in different situations, so when they come up, it's nothing new and I'm not overly excited or anything like that. That play, just in general, was one of those kind of plays that I've never seen before or even thought of, but just kind of reacting to the situation, knowing what the situation of the game was -- if that guy scores, we're done. I knew who was on second base before it happened, so you're thinking, 'OK, our outfielders are going to be in to have a chance to throw this guy out.' So you know what kind of speed you have on second. When I saw the ball coming my way, my first thing was try to get an out at first. But it was a long run out there, and the guy Gardner was in the back of my head, too, that he's probably going to score from this. It all happened pretty quick, but you've got to know the situation going in, and if I can get that out at first [as the second out of the inning], the game's over anyway."

Recent Twins stories

Mets' Johan Santana throws off mound for 1st time since elbow surgery - November 15, 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