Fantasy talk: Joe Mauer status report

Joe Mauer used to be regarded as one of the premier catchers in baseball, but he has hit a few bumps in the road over the past few years and has had trouble staying on the field. When on the field, he is arguably the best catcher in baseball. When the Twins gave him a huge eight year, $184 million contract, he received an enormous amount of pressure. Before this season started, many thought that Mauer was a bust but he has proved his critics wrong this year after his solid performance.

Mauer was drafted by the Twins in the 1st round (1st overall) of the 2001 draft. He put up incredible numbers in the minor leagues, and breezed by every single level. He got the call to the big leagues in 2004, and made the most of it. Mauer hit .308 with 6 home runs in 122 plate appearances that season, but unfortunately his season was cut short due to a meniscus tear. In 2005 he had a great season, playing everyday and proving that he could hit major league pitching. 2006 was a big year for him, and he posted ridiculous numbers. Mauer become the first catcher in major league history to lead the Major Leagues in batting average (.347 batting average.) Along with that great batting average, he also had 13 home runs and 84 RBI. In February of 2007, Mauer signed a four year, $34 million contract extension with Minnesota. Mauer went on to quietly put up another great season. Many people thought Mauer was going to be a catcher who would hit for average and lack power, but in 2008, he completely changed his dynamic as a player. He hit .365 with 28 home runs and 96 RBI. He won the American League batting title and a Gold Glove award. In 2010 he had another successful season. Wow this must be getting pretty boring because every season has been great. The 2011 season, however, has different. He played well but missed a significant amount of time due to injuries. Some people began to think that he would have an injury prone career, and his value took a hit.

The 2012 season has been very successful for Mauer, because he has stayed healthy. He has hit .333 with 102 hits in 355 plate appearances. He also has a .420 on base percentage, which leads the majors. Assuming he stays healthy, Mauer is one of the best players in the game. It's sad that he plays for a team like the Twins because Minnesota doesn't really get much media attention. If Mauer doesn't get hurt his year, I can see him basically maintaining his numbers or even posting better ones.

Like I have mentioned about 100 times in this article, health is the key for Mauer. If he is healthy, he is a fantasy baseball owner's dream player. Unfortunately for him, he may have to prove that he can stay healthy for an entire season before he can prove to be a top catcher in the game. I could tell you to sell high on Mauer, but I have a hunch and I think he is actually going to stay healthy. Call me crazy, but it's possible that he might stay off of the disabled list this year. If you don't own him, I'd try to get him because of his awesome track record.