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Mauer is clearly better defensively.. I don't think anyone would argue that.

But, who's the better hitter & who would you rather have?

Mauer

Mauer is clearly the better hitter.. I don't think anyone would argue that.

Mauer

I should have made this McCann vs Vic

Or Joe Mauer vs. Jesus.

Mauer

Mauer

Joe Mauer in a landslide

Can't believe that Mauer wins this in a landslide when it is actually Martinez that is having the far better season. If anything it should have been Martinez in a landslide.

TheOUTLAW wrote:Can't believe that Mauer wins this in a landslide when it is actually Martinez that is having the far better season. If anything it should have been Martinez in a landslide.

Mauer is the more talented player and he's younger. Vic Martinez would scare me defensively if I were an Indians fan

34Celtic wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



Mauer is the more talented player and he's younger. Vic Martinez would scare me defensively if I were an Indians fan

why?

Martinez is not your ideal defensive catcher but his offensive number are way way way better than those of Mauer's. Better batting average and ten times better power numbers. Yeah, Mauer is younger, but younger doesn't mean better. By the way, Martinez is not a bad defensive player as some you seem to believe. I don't really know how you measure more talented, but it's not being shown on the field this season.

Mauer's got OBP in his favor and can run a bit. 6 SB versus 0 is kind of embarassing for Martinez, even at that small a gap.

Mauer's ability to leg out triples (he's already got 2 this year and has been good for 2-4 so far each year but his first when he had only 1) is significant.

They're generally about even in terms of doubles. Martinez has more power, certainly and his average is better by about 20 points right now but I'd bet on Mauer's average over the long haul, despite Martinez's upward trend. Mauer's a more patient hitter, has a bit of a better eye. He sees more 3-0 counts, for example, and more 3-1 counts. Fewer strikeouts furthers this trend.

Who's better defensively? That's tough to call, I mean they're both marginally above the league average in field percentage. Theoretically, you'd call it Mauer because he's got a higher Range Factor, I guess.

And yeah, he's a half decade younger.

That's a lot more significant than you make it out to be, TheOUTLAW. 5 years is a LOOONG time.

Martinez's power is advantageous, sure, but it all depends on your offensive strategy, really. Mauer fits at the front or back of a lineup; Martinez is more of a middle guy and that generally conflicts with traditional power-type players (DHs, mirage 1B power hitters, corner outfielders, it all depends on the team). Does he hit ahead of or behind your cleanup hitter? How much batting protection does he get from the hitters around him?

It's not really a BAD thing to have to worry about where to put more power, of course, but it's something to consider. His power is good but Mauer's the same age as was Martinez in his second year in the league; he has time to develop enough power to off-set Victor's advantage.

It may not happen, of course, but it's still possible.

good post; i just have one small nitpick:

having a career high of 4 triples doesn't exactly mean someone has an "ability" to leg out triples, so that really isn't significant.

mets87 wrote:good post; i just have one small nitpick:

having a career high of 4 triples doesn't exactly mean someone has an "ability" to leg out triples, so that really isn't significant.

That's a blatant lie and you know it... being able to post that many triples in a season is significant because many, MANY players (particularly power players) are unable to put ANY on the board.

He may not be Tony Fernandez but he can still get to the third bag.

huh? you're going crazy over the fact that he's got a career high of 4 triples. 4. come on. if some outfielder misplays the ball of a wall you get a triple. it really isn't "significant."

I had one triple in my sophomore year of high schoole but only hit .300 on jv....doesnt mean I was better than the kid that hit .450

he had an inside-the-park homer tonight. should we go crazy about that?

mets87 wrote:huh? you're going crazy over the fact that he's got a career high of 4 triples. 4. come on. if some outfielder misplays the ball of a wall you get a triple. it really isn't "significant."

No, it's significant because he's consistently getting to the third bag on his own, without the need for stolen bases or to be advanced by another runner.

He's not Tony Fernandez but it's still more than what Martinez has got and you're downplaying it because you don't want me to be right.