I was out at the bars in Eau Claire last night, and ran into several people coming up for the series this weekend. With the mix of Brewer and Twins fans in the
bar, after a few beers, the back and forth started. I thought one of the debates that I heard was pretty good. Pretend that contract issues wouldn't
matter.....for the next three years would you rather have the combination on Fielder/Braun or Morneau/Mauer on your team? While the Brewer fan in me wanted to
defend the twosome, it was tough to not like the idea of the catcher hole filled with a Mauer in Milwaukee. Just wondering what others thoughts on this
are..........
0 Kudo
Brewer vs Twins Debate
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 Viva La Grinch |
Brewer vs Twins Debate |
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Posts: 380 May 22, 2009 3:13 PM |
Last Edited By: support May 29, 2009 7:51 PM.
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nate82 |
#1 | |||
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Posts: 1050 May 22, 2009 3:26 PM |
I'll take Fielder and Braun over Mauer and Morneau. The Twins get an advantage though since they can rest Mauer and still play him otherwise if the Twins
didn't have the DH rule it wouldn't even be close. Having to sit Mauer at least once a week wouldn't be an ideal situation with the DH rule the
Twins can sit Mauer and have him play DH. Playing as a catcher really diminishes a players offensive ability over time.
It is a hard decision to make if Mauer played a different position. It is very close to a wash as it is right now but I would still take Fielder and Braun over them. 
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TheCrew07 |
#2 | |||
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Posts: 2799 May 22, 2009 4:13 PM |
Can I keep Braun and dump Fielder for Mauer? Both Morneau and Mauer were more valuable than Fielder... Mauer was worth 5.9 wins and Morneau 3.5... In
Mauer's case it's amazing what happens when crappy defense doesn't offset premium offense.
"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation."
- Plato "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." - Plato |
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 Invader3K |
#3 | |||
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Posts: 5036 May 22, 2009 4:14 PM |
It's a tough one...but out of the four players I get the feeling Braun has the highest ceiling, so I would stick with our guys. Of course, I'm a bit
biased on this.
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Houlie24x |
#4 | |||
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Posts: 738 May 22, 2009 4:17 PM |
I'd rather have Mauer and Morneau easily. I think it basically comes down to the fact that Mauer plays catcher and Braun plays LF.
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Brewer Fever |
#5 | |||
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Posts: 1707 May 22, 2009 4:33 PM |
All I'll say is this...
If this question were asked to fans in all the other 28 MLB markets, I'd be pretty confident that all 28 would give the same answer. |
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cwolf2012 |
#6 | |||
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Posts: 399 May 22, 2009 5:48 PM |
nate82 wrote:Mauer playing catcher makes him WAY more valuable than any other position. Not only is he a very athletically gifted catcher, he hits the cover off the ball. He was worth 6(!) wins last year. The reason this would be somewhat difficult is that Morneau is not nearly as good as the media thinks he is. I think I still have to go with Mauer/Morneau simply because Mauer is an absolute beast and he plays the most valuable position on the field. EDIT: According to fangraphs, Braun and Fielder combined to be worth slightly more than 6 wins. Morneau and Mauer were with more than 9 wins combined. You remove defense from the equation, and Mauer and Morneau are still worth significantly more than Fielder and Braun. This is a no-brainer.
Last Edited By: cwolf2012 May 22, 2009 5:54 PM.
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Ennder |
#7 | |||
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Posts: 7679 May 22, 2009 7:44 PM |
Hitting wise it is pretty close but positions and defense put this pretty clearly in the Twins favor.
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BrewCrewIn2004 |
#8 | |||
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Posts: 9122 May 22, 2009 7:50 PM |
People that give the edge to the Twins mostly do because of Mauer playing catcher. The question is, how long will he actually play catcher? At some point you
figure with how good his bat is he will be moved to a corner OF spot? At least that is what I have heard in some Twins circles.
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valpocrewsader |
#9 | |||
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Posts: 1898 May 23, 2009 12:01 AM |
Mauer and Morneau without a doubt. Prince is a DH temporarily holding down 1B, he's a distant fourth in this quartet. I love Braun, but no way can he alone
compete with M&M. Now, in time, Braun + Gamel maybe....
"You combine the fact that they're good at everything and we're good at nothing, it's not going to be a very pretty outcome."
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Jofis11ep |
#10 | |||
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Posts: 78 May 23, 2009 12:09 AM |
I would take Braun #1, then Mauer because he is a catcher, Morneau, then Prince is a distant fourth.
So to answer the question, I would take the Twins duo. But I think Braun is the best player overall. Also, I agree with valpo... Braun and Gamel may be a better debate in a year or two! |
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cwolf2012 |
#11 | |||
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Posts: 401 May 23, 2009 12:43 AM |
Jofis11ep wrote:I completely disagree. Mauer is, in my opinion, clearly the best of the 4 without a doubt. |
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BrewCrewIn2004 |
#12 | |||
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Posts: 9125 May 23, 2009 7:31 AM |
1.Braun
2. Mauer 3, Morneau 4. Fielder I do agree that Braun/Gamel could be a more dangerous combo in a few years then Braun/Fielder is currently. |
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azcheesehead |
#13 | |||
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Posts: 153 May 23, 2009 7:57 AM |
cwolf2012 wrote:Is that because he is having an abnormal outburst of power right now? Or because he is actually on the playing field? Fact is, Mauer is often injured. While he may have Braun in hitting for average and defense, Braun has Mauer in power, speed and I can even think you can say he has him in arm strength. Mauer is overrated as a defensive catcher in my opinion. Since he threw out 55% of runners in 2007, his percentage has dropped drastically to where it is at 22% right now. I would take Mauer and Morneau, but not because of either of them being great, it is just that Fielder is the odd man out in this conversation. |
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Invader3K |
#14 | |||
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Posts: 5046 May 23, 2009 8:08 AM |
BrewCrewIn2004 wrote:That's basically how I'd rank them. The thing that hurts Fielder is that he's fairly one dimensional and not a good defender. |
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strawbossisevil |
#15 | |||
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Posts: 2175 May 23, 2009 8:22 AM |
I would take Morneau in a heartbeat over Fielder.
For a Braun/Mauer trade I´d have to think about it. Although I´d probably go with Braun. If I was offered the trade straight up (and it wasn´t dependent on contract lengths etc.), I think it would probably be a pretty even trade.
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We want to be winners, but we are just a bunch of whiners. |
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Ennder |
#16 | |||
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Posts: 7686 May 23, 2009 8:26 AM |
I'd rank them...
1) Mauer 2) Braun Big Gap 3) Morneau 4) Fielder |
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brewjihad |
#17 | |||
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Posts: 351 May 23, 2009 8:31 AM |
Mauer was worth 5.9 wins and Morneau 3.5.
Realize that fangraphs does not measure catcher defense at all, they only account for the difficulty of the position. You can probably add close to a win to that number, because Mauer is by most accounts one of the best defensive catchers in the league. |
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Diskono |
#18 | |||
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Posts: 1702 May 23, 2009 7:33 PM |
I'd take Mauer/Morneau. But that's all, the rest of the Twins' lineup is terrible.
"Does this put more pressure on the Eagles?"
-Mike Greenberg, on the Philadelphia Phillies winning a championship |
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logan3825 |
#19 | |||
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Posts: 5125 May 23, 2009 7:48 PM |
The difference between the value of a catcher on defense and a LF is huge. Braun is relatively average for a LF and Mauer is by most accounts a very good
defender. If Mauer and Braun are anywhere close offensively, Mauer is far and away the better option.
Remember, fan is short for fanatic.
"My wife and kids force me to keep my moustache. I shaved it off once and didn't tell them and they got mad at me." - Doug Melvin |
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obsessedwithbrewcrew |
#20 | |||
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Posts: 1679 May 24, 2009 4:33 AM The Weatherman
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I'm taking Braun because Mauer is only signed through 2010.
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