Spoke to Joe Mauer on Wednesday night. I know everyone’s biggest question is about his next contract, and he did address that , saying talks haven’t really started. But he was responding to a request made Tuesday, after he’d won his second Gold Glove.
Turns out, Mauer was in Chicago while we were there for the GM Meetings. I saw an item in the Chicago Tribune about how Mauer was there as part of a new product unveiling for Gatorade. Mauer said it was a deal where the soft-drink company brings in employees from all over the country and introduces its new products. Turns out, Mauer was invited to speak.
“They made it a little easier for me, with a Q & A, and it worked out real well,” he said. Today’s special guest will be Serena Williams. Later, in the conference, it’ll be Usain Bolt. “Some pretty good athletes and then me,” Mauer said.
Does that mean Mauer will be part of Gatorade’s next ad campaign? “Well, I hope to be,” he said. “It was a good thing for me to kind of get to know them.”
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GOLD GLOVE #2
Last year, Mauer said winning his first Gold Glove ranked among his proudest achievements. This one meant a lot, too.
“Being a catcher, especially, taking a lot of pride on the defensive side of things,” he said. “That's what we're out there for, to try to help running the game. You're an on-field manager. I take a lot of pride on the defensive side. It's definitely cool to be voted by coaches and people that are watching you every day, that's a good thing.”
Mauer remains one of the best defensive catchers in baseball, but this year’s numbers were down. According to Baseball-Reference.com , Mauer had a career-high nine passed balls (after having four in 2008) and caught 26 percent of opposing baserunners, compared to 36 percent last year and 53 percent in 2007.