Thursday,
October 21, 2010
Playoff Perspective: Mauer
vs. Puckett
Joe Mauer has taken a
lot of abuse by many Twins fans since his 3-12 (with three singles, none
terribly important) performance against the Yankees in the ALDS. At the time, I
was frustrated by his lack of emotion, and the team’s lack of a big hit when
needed.
Last night, Giants rookie catcher Buster Posey notched four hits and has
really become a star in the playoffs. He has played pretty well, to be sure.
And like Mauer (and Matt Wieters), there was no question when
Posey came up that he would star.
I’ve received more text messages and Twitter
messages and e-mails saying that Buster
Posey is a better player than Joe Mauer and he can come through when it matters.
Now, as I’ve mentioned, I’ve been tough at
times on Mauer, wanting more, wanting to see emotion,
hoping for something big. But taking a step back, he
is the Twins most clutch hitter throughout his career with the Twins. He has
come up with a ton of big hits when they matter. He has won games, and started
huge rallies. He has also failed in a lot of situations. He’s about a career .325 hitter, and in big situations he is right around a .325
hitter. That still means he is going to fail over 60% of the time.
Michael
Jordan is known for all the big shots
he would hit at the end of games to give his team a win. We don’t mention all
of the big shots he missed at the end of games.
What Joe
Mauer needs is a defining playoff moment. Something that will let people forget the struggles.
Something like a walk-off homer, or a bases-clearing
double in the late innings of a playoff game.
If we know one thing, he will get plenty of
opportunities in his time with the Twins and at some point,
he’ll come through in a big way.
What he needs is a Kirby Puckett moment. Game 6 was Puckett’s time to shine in the
World Series, wasn’t it? In 1987 against the Cardinals, he went 4-4 in game
six. In 1991, he had the “carry the team on his back” game where he went 3-4
with stolen base, a triple and the walk-off, “we’ll see you tomorrow night”
home run off of Charlie Liebrandt and
the Braves.
But what if those series never got to six
games? How would we view Puckett? Would he still be a Hall of Famer?
Here is a quick look at his four playoff
series during his career, game by game:
1987
American League Championship Series versus the Detroit Tigers:
·
In Game 1,
Puckett went 1-4.
·
In Game 2,
Puckett went 0-4.
·
In Game 3,
Puckett went 0-5.
o
Let’s stop there
for a moment. Had that been the end of the series, he would have ended it 1-13
(.077).
·
In Game 4, he was
2-5 with a solo home run.
·
In Game 5, he
went 2-6.
1987
World Series versus the St. Louis Cardinals:
·
In Game 1,
Puckett went 1-5.
·
In Game 2,
Puckett went 1-4.
·
In Game 3,
Puckett went 1-3, with a walk and a triple.
·
In Game 4,
Puckett went 1-4 and was hit by a pitch.
·
In Game 5,
Puckett went 0-4.
o
So again, had the
World Series ended in St. Louis after just five games, Puckett would have been
4-20 (.200) with one extra base hit.
·
Then came Game 6,
back at the Metrodome, and he went 4-4 with a stolen
base.
·
In Game 7, he was
2-4 with a double.
1991 American
League Championship Series versus the Toronto Blue Jays:
·
In Game 1,
Puckett was 0-4.
·
In Game 2, he
went 1-3 with a walk.
o
I have to make my
point quicker in this case because this was quite the series for Puckett. But
through two games, he was 1-7 (.143).
·
In Game 3,
Puckett went 2-5 with a double.
·
In Game 4, he
went 3-4 with a home run.
·
In Game 5, he
went 3-5 with a home run.
1991
World Series versus the Atlanta Braves:
·
In Game 1,
Puckett went 0-4.
·
In Game 2,
Puckett went 0-4.
·
In Game 3,
Puckett was 1-4 with two walks and a solo home run.
·
In Game 4,
Puckett was 1-4.
·
In Game 5,
Puckett was 1-2 with A SACRIFICE BUNT!!
Maybe someone can go back in Archives and find out what the likes of Patrick Reusse
and Dan Barriero write about Puckett’s
sacrifice bunt attempt in Game 5 of the World Series!!
o
So here we are,
through five games of the World Series, and Kirby Puckett has gone just 3-18
(.167). How would Twitter be treating him!! Would Twins Nation have been
calling for Jarvis Brown to be taking
over centerfield duties!?
·
In Game 6, as we
all recall as if it was yesterday, he went 3-4 with a stolen base, a sacrifice
FLY, a triple and that walk-off home run to force a Game 7. Welcome to the Hall
of Fame, Mr. Puckett.
·
In Game 7, he
went 0-3 with a walk in the Twins 1-0, 10 inning win.
As I’ve said, I have no problem with people
being disappointed with the playoff production of Joe Mauer to this point in his career. I
have been greatly disappointed. But Puckett didn’t play Best
of 5 series. Puckett got to play more than three games. Why? Because
other guys stepped up when Puckett had an off game. People forget, these
games are magnified, but they are the same game as the regular season games.
You’re not going to
get two hits every single game. You are going to have 0-fers.
Players can be in slumps.
So far, the playoffs have not been Joe Mauer’s
time. But when you are that good of a hitter, it really is just a matter of
time before it evens out. As long as Ron
Gardenhire is at the helm, the Twins will find
themselves in the postseason frequently, and at some point, Mauer
will have his One Shining Moment too. People can talk about the $184 million
contract that kicks in in 2011, but that doesn’t
change the game, and thankfully, it won’t change Joe Mauer or his approach at the plate.
That approach at the plate is what has made him one of baseball’s best players,
and it is what will make him a Hall of Famer!
Feel free to Discuss and Comment
here.
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