There’s an interesting crossing in the Venn diagram that aligns “Luis Arraez stans” and “Joe Mauer disparagers” amongst Minnesota Twins fans. And frankly, it’s far too large. You’d think that most fans of this team would have a fond appreciation for both players, especially given their strengths, many of which are eerily similar.
There was and continues to be a loud cry from an admittedly vocal minority that says the trade that sent Arraez to the Miami Marlins in exchange for Pablo López was a mistake. They highlight that the former Twin went on to lead the league in batting average with the Marlins, and Minnesota’s lineup sorely missed his high-contact approach despite his minimal power. They lauded Arraez for his prowess with runners in scoring position, stating he was exactly what the 2023 Twins needed to be effective.
Make no mistake, Arraez should be considered a standout player that every team should want on their roster. He brings many strengths to a lineup. But Mauer doesn’t get that same benefit, especially after the move to first base, even though he supplied many of the same strengths. Instead, some people see the last few years of his career as drawbacks to his Hall of Fame case.
When looking at the last couple of seasons of Mauer’s illustrious and Hall-bound career, it’s clear that he wasn’t the same player he was when lining his mantel with award after award. But there’s this perception that his post-catching years were a disaster. That both he and the team would have been better if he had retired after determining he could no longer catch.
But Mauer brought plenty to the table from 2015 to 2018, even if it didn’t quite live up to the paychecks that he received in those years. Oddly enough, he brought many qualities people think of when they think of Arraez.
For the sake of this comparison, let’s look at the last two years of each player’s career. Immediately, we should take these numbers with a grain of salt. Arraez was just entering his theoretical prime years at ages 25 and 26, while Mauer was in the twilight of his career at ages 34 and 35. That isn’t meant to be a strict comparison of their career or even their seasons. Instead, it’s some of the strengths that they brought to the table.
So how about that criticism that Mauer didn’t get hits when it mattered, but Arraez does?
One-half of that statement is accurate. Over the last two years, Arraez has been stellar with runners in scoring position, hitting .402 with 92 RBI. That translates to a level of production that is nearly 50% better than the league average. It shouldn’t be shocking to hear that a high-contact player like Arraez comes through in pivotal moments, even if it was at the expense of power (just two home runs).
So why do Mauer detractors scoff at his same ability in clutch spots? In his last two seasons, Minnesota’s native son hit .363 and drove in 106 RBI with runners in scoring position. That was roughly 70% better than the league average.
Again, this doesn’t mean that Mauer was better than Arraez in these date ranges. But so many people highlighted Arraez’s strengths — getting on base, hitting with runners on — being invaluable to a team. Still, those same strengths get swept under the rug when determining Mauer’s value.
Out of curiosity, I looked up Mauer’s Statcast data for those two years, and I was shocked at how much red they spread across most of the sliders. Of course, you need to take these with a grain of salt. They aren’t meant to show how valuable a player was on their own. Instead, they represent a player’s qualities compared to the rest of the league in any given year.
Arraez also had a good amount of red, and his strengths were mostly a step up from twilight Mauer’s. But he also wasn’t as well-rounded as you can see in the blue waves.
Both players were/are incredibly impactful for their teams. Their star power comes from high contact rates and spectacular situational hitting. But one of these guys gets a lot more respect from a vocal tangent of Twins fans regarding their shared strengths.
However, that could change when the Hall of Fame inductees are announced on January 23rd.
