AL MVP

While we're on the subject of predictions, I just want to throw my hat into Joe Mauer's corner in the race for American League Most Valuable Player.

The Orioles just finished a series with the Twins, and it was a treat getting to see Mauer play. I never realized just how huge he is, how big his shoulders are. Along with guys like Brian McCann and the newly arrived Matt Wieters, Mauer seems to be spearheading a trend away from squat, slow catchers and towards sheer athleticism and size. Mauer and Wieters are both around six-and-a-half feet tall, with huge shoulders and little to no fat on them. During the mid-90's, shortstops went through a revolution as teams started playing bigger, stronger players at the position; instead of guys like Ozzie Smith or Luis Aparicio, players such as Derek Jeter, Miguel Tejada, and especially Alex Rodriguez were playing short and showing that you didn't necessarily need a tiny guy who could do backflips to man the position. Similarly, I think catchers are going to start looking more and more like running backs as time goes by.

Mauer lived up to his hype as "the best" during the series. He was a great receiver behind the plate and moved extremely well on a few balls in the dirt. The Orioles ran on him a little bit and he made a series of effortless, on-the-mark throws. He also picked up three hits and saw his batting average sit at .373 when the series ended.

A .373 batting average would be the highest ever by a catcher since 1900. Even if his average dips, it is extremely likely that he'll win his third batting title, making him the first catcher ever to win three.

Over the last few years, as he put up historic season after historic season, I've asked myself several times "Is Albert Pujols the best first baseman ever?" And after researching it, I'd say no: It's unlikely that Pujols will eclipse Jimmie Foxx and Lou Gehrig. It's possible, but Pujols has established the level he plays at; he isn't suddenly going to reel off a season (or two) that is well above what we expect, even for a superstar like him, that will suddenly close the gap and see him overtake Gehrig as "The Best Ever".

Since 2006, when he and Jeter were locked in an amazingly close MVP race (ultimately won by Justin Morneau, who was maybe one of the fifteen best players in the AL that year), I've followed Mauer more closely than I do most players. After 2008, I remember thinking "He could be one of the best catchers ever!" But it was only now, during this series, contemplating his impending third batting title, that I finally said to myself: Joe Mauer might be the best catcher ever. It was an amazing thought. I don't really know why it never crossed my mind before now. Joe Mauer might be the best catcher ever! No hedging it, no "best player since", no explaining away "different eras": Total package, no apologies, the best ever to play catcher. That's a thrilling notion.

I watched the three games of the O's/Twins series with a friend who isn't nearly as into baseball as I am. I was talking about Mauer and mentioned that he was a local sports icon, having grown up in Minnesota and been a superstar quarterback in high school. My friend was delighted that he'd given up quarterback to play catcher. "He's like a knight that gave it up to be a general." If that's not a great sports metaphor, I don't know what is.