twins/mlb
Phil Miller covered three seasons of Twins baseball, but that was at a different ballpark for a different newspaper. Now Miller returns to the baseball beat after joining the Star Tribune as the Gopher football writer in 2010, and he won't miss the dingy dome for a minute. In addition to the Twins and Gophers, Miller covered the Utah Jazz and the NBA for six years at The Salt Lake Tribune.
Postgame: Heading into All-Star selection Sunday, Twins best hopes are Mauer and Willingham
Posted by: Phil Miller under Twins game coverage Updated: June 30, 2012 - 11:06 PM
The All-Star teams will be unveiled at noon Sunday, and with the Twins languishing in last place, they might only have one representative.
Nobody will be voted in -- Joe Mauer was on pace to finish a distant second among AL catchers behind Mike Napoli -- so AL manager Ron Washington could have a tough choice between Mauer and left fielder Josh Willingham.
There’s always a glut of strong-hitting outfielders, so Willingham could get squeezed out despite batting .268 AVG/.381 OBP/.532 SLG with 16 home runs and 52 RBI. At last check, his .913 OPS ranked fifth among AL outfielders, behind Josh Hamilton, Mark Trumbo, Austin Jackson and Mike Trout.
Mauer has just 31 starts at catcher, but he has played in 69 games overall, batting .325 AVG/.416 OBP/.448 SLG with four homers and 36 RBI. At last check, his .865 OPS ranked first among AL catchers, but the position has produced surprising power this year. Here are the AL catching home run leaders: Jarrod Saltalamacchia (15), A.J. Pierzynski (14), Napoli (12), Wieters (11), J.P. Arencibia (10).
Willingham, 33, has never made the All-Star team. Mauer, 29, has made it four times (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010).
Asked if he’d go if invited, Mauer said, “Absolutely I’d go. That’s an honor. As long as they keep wanting me to go, then I’ll go. Four days [off] would be nice for the body, but if anybody asks you to go to an All-Star Game, I think you should go.”
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