After a strong start that had the Twins organization and fans encouraged that Joe Mauer might be rounding back into pre-2014 (and pre-concussion) form thanks to improved vision and the chance to work harder in the offseason, he's been stuck in a slump lately that has plunged his numbers basically right back into the same mediocre territory they were in for the past two season.
That's not to say Mauer won't rebound — it's dangerous to write things when a player is at the bottom of a slump or the peak of a hot streak, as things have a way of evening themselves out — but it's at least troubling in the short-term.
Through 25 games, Mauer was hitting .337 with an absurd .459 on-base percentage. But in his past 14 games entering Thursday, he was just 7-for-50. His overall numbers entering Thursday — .266 batting average, .383 on-base percentage, .367 slugging, .750 OPS — now look all-too familiar.
Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. michael.rand@startribune.com.
