Twins' M&M Boys: Mighty? Maybe

Joe Christensen
Star Tribune

FORT MYERS, FLA. -- Heading into a season that rests heavily on their young shoulders, Twins sluggers Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau would love to tell you what it's like to hit together in the same lineup.

But there's one problem: It has never happened before.

Outside of spring training and the 2001 fall instructional league, where none of the results counted, Mauer and Morneau have never played in the same game.

It's almost uncanny, really, because the Twins' talent evaluators had visions of everything working out this way from the start.

From the moment they laid eyes on Mauer, they saw a prototypical No. 3 hitter, just as they saw a prototypical cleanup hitter in Morneau.

The two soft-spoken giants -- each standing 6-4 and swinging a lefthanded stick -- became the crown jewels of a thriving farm system.

Now, after winning three consecutive division titles, the Twins are ready to let these two children of the 1980s anchor their starting lineup.

Batting third: the 21-year-old Mauer. Batting fourth: the 23-year-old Morneau. Combined major league experience: 149 games.

But even under that pressure at their age, they have carried themselves with a quiet confidence that has endeared them to the team's veterans. Spend two weeks in the team's clubhouse, and you barely hear them make a sound.

"Both of those guys came up with no chips on their shoulder, no cockiness -- it was all respect," Twins center fielder Torii Hunter said. "And as far as hitters go, these guys are 10 times better than I was when I came in."

Twins General Manager Terry Ryan spoke a bit more cautiously, especially at the suggestion that Mauer and Morneau could become the Twins' own version of the M&M Boys, like the Yankees once had with Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris.

"It's a little premature to anoint both of these guys All-Star-type players, until they get a track record," Ryan said. "But they're capable of being very good players at the major league level."

Groomed for stardom

For Mauer, those expectations have been there for years.

Born in St. Paul on April 19, 1983, he became a three-sport star at Cretin-Derham Hall and turned down a scholarship to play quarterback at Florida State after the Twins made him the first overall pick in the 2001 draft.

Mauer became so good so fast that the Twins made room by trading former All-Star catcher A.J. Pierzynski.

By last year at this time, every decision the Twins had ever made about Mauer -- from the Pierzynski trade, to letting Mauer jump from Class AA to the big leagues, to picking him ahead of Mark Prior in the draft -- looked brilliant.

Mauer dazzled the scouts last spring, offensively and defensively, and the Twins couldn't wait to unveil him as their starting catcher.

But their euphoria was soon dashed. In the season's second game, Mauer went back to catch a foul ball and wrenched his left knee.

He had surgery, returned to action for six weeks, and then had to shut it down again in mid-July. It was a terribly frustrating ordeal, but there was the promise of a healthy return for 2005.

In 35 games, Mauer had left a sample size for his potential -- batting .308 with six home runs and 17 RBI -- that only left the organization hungry for more.

Talk to Twins officials about Mauer and Morneau these days, and it's tough to keep them focused on both subjects. Inevitably, their thoughts shift directly to Mauer.

Even Morneau gushes: "He doesn't hit like he's 21 years old. The way he takes pitches. That quiet confidence he has. It's a confidence, not a cockiness. It's like he knows something we don't know."

The ringmaster

While Mauer's every move was chronicled through the minor leagues, Morneau's rise has had its jaw-dropping moments, too.

He was born on May 16, 1981 and played goalie in hockey growing up in New Westminster, British Columbia. The Twins drafted him as a catcher in 1999 with their third-round pick.

"He was one of those guys who kind of gained steam in the draft room," said Rob Anthony, Twins director of baseball operations.

After at first considering Morneau a lower-round pick, the Twins decided they couldn't pass on his power potential.

Before long, they were thanking their lucky stars for that decision. He signed his contract and donned a Twins uniform for a ceremonial batting practice at the Metrodome.

At age 18, swinging a wooden bat instead of aluminum, Morneau began launching balls into the right field upper deck. Anthony called it the most amazing batting practice display he'd ever seen from a draft pick.

"I hit one ball off the facing [of the upper deck] and just kind of relaxed," Morneau said.

With concerns about Morneau's throwing arm, the Twins converted him from a catcher into a first baseman.

His defense was suspect, but not his bat. He helped teams at three minor league levels win championships.

"It was a standing joke with the managers," Twins minor league director Jim Rantz said. "They said, 'Hey, send this kid Morneau for the playoffs because we want to get a ring.' "

Growing pains

Thrilled with Morneau's power, the Twins cleared a permanent spot for him last July by trading popular first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz to the Boston Red Sox.

In a little less than a half-season, Morneau hit .271 with 19 home runs and 58 RBI.

But even in a season that saw Mauer establish himself as the team's best No. 3 hitter and Morneau as its best cleanup hitter, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire never wrote their names into the same lineup.

Morneau played all 74 of his games with Mauer out because of the left knee injury. They kept missing each other, just as they had through the minor leagues.

Morneau, who came up from Class AAA for a brief stint in May while Mauer was out, returned to the majors for good on July 16. Mauer had played his last game one day earlier.

They were two prospects passing in the night, but they stayed close, with a friendship that dates to their time together in the fall instructional league.

In fact, Mauer had an extra bedroom at his St. Paul apartment last year, so Morneau crashed there for a while. They were roommates but never lineup mates.

"Our goal now," Morneau said, "is to stay healthy all year."

It hasn't been easy. Mauer's left knee flared up again in early March, and he missed another week because of a gum infection. How much he'll catch this season remains to be seen. It could be just three or four times a week, with another couple of games spent as the designated hitter.

Then there's Morneau. His offseason could have been dedicated to medical science. He had an appendectomy and dealt with chicken pox, pleurisy and pneumonia. In March, he had minor surgery to have a lymph node removed.

At least the Twins can say this: Early in their careers, Mauer and Morneau have learned never to take their health for granted.

"I think we've both had everything you could possibly have," Mauer said.

First-time pairing

Ask anyone how good the Twins lineup will be with a healthy Mauer and Morneau, and it's pure speculation.

"I like him hitting in front of me," Morneau said. "He gets on base. He sees a lot of pitches, so I can get a good read on the pitcher, and we can kind of feed off each other."

Said Mauer: "It's pretty good to have a guy hitting behind you who can leave the park [with a home run] any time. That's a big bat you've got to worry about."

Gardenhire said he thinks Mauer will eventually surprise people with his power, just as Morneau will surprise by hitting for a high average.

But neither player has completed a full season in the big leagues yet, and therein lie the questions.

What happens when the Twins go through the inevitable teamwide offensive slumps? Will young players in crucial roles begin to press too hard, instead of relaxing the way veteran players could?

Toronto Blue Jays General Manager J.P. Ricciardi said it will help Mauer and Morneau that there will be experienced hitters such as Hunter, Jacque Jones and Shannon Stewart in the lineup.

"The Twins do such a good job putting players in a position to succeed," Ricciardi said. "I think [Mauer and Morneau] are going to be very good major league players for a long time."

Gardenhire and Ryan said they aren't overly concerned about Mauer and Morneau crumbling beneath the pressure.

In scouting terms, Mauer's compact swing, selective approach and ability to spray the ball to all fields make him less susceptible to prolonged slumps. Morneau takes bigger, more aggressive cuts.

"He's going to strike out a little bit," Gardenhire said of Morneau, "but when he's staying within himself, he's a pretty good hitter."

With their pitching staff returning intact from last season, the Twins are hoping an improved offense will help take them deeper into the playoffs.

Morneau and Mauer realize much of that burden now falls to them.

"If you don't have production from your 3-4 hitters, then you're not going to win," Morneau said.

"Obviously there's a lot of pressure. But nobody's going to put more pressure on us than we already put on ourselves."