By Monday he could be Joe MVP

The Twins have asked Joe Mauer to be stationed near the Twin Cities on Monday afternoon, when the American League's Most Valuable Player is named, in case he needs to hold a news conference.

No problem, Mauer figured. Though he has an offseason home in Fort Myers, Fla., he planned to be in Minnesota anyway for Thanksgiving. If he wins, the official word would come in a personal phone call from Jack O'Connell, longtime secretary of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

"That would definitely be a good phone call to get," Mauer said.

Mauer, 26, is a good bet to become the fifth Twin to win AL MVP honors, joining Zoilo Versalles (1965), Harmon Killebrew (1969), Rod Carew (1977) and Justin Morneau (2006).

The BBWAA voters -- two from each AL market -- cast their ballots at regular season's end. These votes are heavily scrutinized each year, with modern critics often lamenting the voters' seeming reliance on traditional statistics, such as RBI.

Mauer had a career-high 96 RBI this year, but that's not why he's favored to win the MVP. The Yankees' Mark Teixeira led the AL with 122 RBI and tied Tampa Bay's Carlos Pena for the league lead with 39 home runs.

But Mauer won his third batting title and was the first AL player since George Brett to lead the league in batting average (.365), on-base percentage (.444) and slugging percentage (.587). Some have dubbed this the modern triple crown, as stat gurus believe those categories -- particularly on-base and slugging -- are truer measures of a hitter's production.

Add the fact that Mauer is among the game's top defensive catchers, and his numbers take on new meaning. He won his second Gold Glove Award on Nov. 10.

"It's hard to find anyone that means as much to their team as he does," Morneau said. "I think it gets taken for granted a lot of times. I mean, you look at [Tigers catcher Gerald] Laird, with how good he is defensively, his offense doesn't even matter. Joe's that good defensively, and offensively he's one of the best in the league."

Orioles broadcaster Buck Martinez, a former big league catcher, said: "Joe might be the best player in the game. We had a debate on the radio the other day between Mauer and Pujols. And we love Pujols, but to have a catcher do what [Mauer] does, it gives you so many more options."

That logic also speaks to Derek Jeter's value for the Yankees. Jeter might not have Teixeira's power numbers, but power production is expected from a first baseman. Jeter's .871 OPS (on base-plus-slugging percentage) at shortstop gives the Yankees a huge boost.

Jeter and Teixeira might be Mauer's two biggest MVP challengers, and the teammates could split each other's votes. Jeter was runner-up in the MVP voting to Morneau in 2006, when Morneau had 130 RBI, overshadowing Jeter's .900 OPS.

Statistics tell part of the story, but the MVP is a subjective award. The official BBWAA ballot lists three main criteria: 1) actual value of a player to his team -- that is, strength of offense and defense; 2) number of games played; 3) general character, disposition, loyalty and effort.

Mauer missed all of April, recovering from a lower-back injury. He returned May 1, hitting a home run in his first at-bat, and wound up playing in 138 of the team's final 141 games. Though he started 28 games at designated hitter, he caught 939 innings, ranking fifth in the AL, according to www.hardballtimes.com.

The big change for Mauer was his ability to hit for power. He hit 28 home runs, more than doubling his previous career high of 13. The Twins went 11-11 in April without Mauer and 76-65 the rest of the way. In September, Morneau was out because of a back injury, and Mauer helped the Twins overcome a seven-game deficit to win the AL Central.

Last month, Mauer won the Players Choice Award for AL Outstanding Player, as voted by his peers. The writers' award would add to his ever-expanding trophy case.

"I think I'm kind of starting to realize what happened during the season," Mauer said. "When you're in the trenches and stuff like that, you're just trying to win. When these things come out, you start to understand the type of year you had."

By JOE CHRISTENSEN jchristensen@startribune.com The Twins have asked Joe Mauer to be stationed near the Twin Cities on Monday afternoon, when the American League's Most Valuable Player is named, in case he needs to hold a press conference. No problem, Mauer figured. Though he has an offseason home in Fort Myers, Fla., he planned to be in Minnesota anyway for Thanksgiving. If he wins, the official word would come in a personal phone call from Jack O'Connell, longtime secretary of the Baseball Writers Association of America. "That would definitely be a good phone call to get," Mauer said. Mauer, 26, is a good bet to become the fifth Twin to win AL MVP honors, joining Zoilo Versalles (1965), Harmon Killebrew (1969), Rod Carew (1977) and Justin Morneau (2006). The BBWAA voters -- two from each AL market -- cast their ballots at regular season's end. These votes are heavily scrutinized each year, with modern critics often lamenting the voters' seeming reliance on traditional statistics, such as RBI. Mauer had a career-high 96 RBI this year, but that's not why he's favored to win the MVP. The Yankees' Mark Teixeira led the AL with 122 RBI and tied Tampa Bay's Carlos Pena for the league lead with 39 home runs. But Mauer won his third batting title and was the first AL player since George Brett to lead the league in batting average (.365), on-base percentage (.444) and slugging percentage (.587). Some have dubbed this the modern triple crown, as stat gurus believe those categories -- particularly on-base and slugging -- are truer measures of a hitter's production. Add the fact that Mauer is among the game's top defensive catchers, and his numbers take on new meaning. He won his second Gold Glove Award on Nov. 10. "It's hard to find anyone that means as much to their team as he does," Morneau said. "I think it gets taken for granted a lot of times. I mean you look at [Tigers catcher Gerald] Laird, with how good he is defensively, his offense doesn't even matter. Joe's that good defensively, and offensively he's one of the best in the league." Orioles broadcaster Buck Martinez, a former big league catcher, said: "Joe might be the best player in the game. We had a debate on the radio the other day between Mauer and Pujols. And we love Pujols, but to have a catcher do what [Mauer] does, it gives you so many more options." That logic also speaks to Derek Jeter's value for the Yankees. Jeter might not have Teixeira's power numbers, but power production is expected from a first baseman. Jeter's .871 OPS (on base-plus-slugging percentage) at shortstop gives the Yankees a huge boost. Jeter and Teixeira might be Mauer's two biggest MVP challengers, and the teammates could split each other's votes. Jeter was runner-up in the MVP voting to Morneau in 2006, when Morneau had 130 RBI, overshadowing Jeter's .900 OPS. Statistics tell part of the story, but the MVP is a subjective award. The official BBWAA ballot lists three main criteria: 1) Actual value of a player to his team -- that is, strength of offense and defense; 2) Number of games played; 3) General character, disposition, loyalty and effort. Mauer missed all of April, recovering from a lower-back injury. He returned May 1, hitting a home run in his first at-bat, and wound up playing in 138 of the team's final 141 games. Though he started 28 games at designated hitter, he caught 939 innings, ranking fifth in the AL, according to www.hardballtimes.com. The big change for Mauer was his ability to hit for power. He hit 28 home runs, more than doubling his previous career high of 13. The Twins went 11-11 in April without Mauer and 76-65 the rest of the way. In September, Morneau was out with a back injury, and Mauer helped the Twins overcome a seven-game deficit to win the AL Central. Last month, Mauer won the Players Choice Award for AL Outstanding Player, as voted by his peers. The writers' award would add to his ever-expanding trophy case. "I think I'm kind of starting to realize what happened during the season," Mauer said. "When you're in the trenches and stuff like that, you're just trying to win. When these things come out, you start to understand the type of year you had."