MLB Playoffs 2017: 5 reasons Twins will make it

3. Joe Mauer’s recovery

At the start of the 2017 season, I believe it would have been fair to wonder where Joe Mauer’s $184-million deal with the Twins would rank among the all-time worst contracts in MLB history. Mauer had hit .288/.374/.407 for the first six seasons of the eight-year contract with his hometown team. Those numbers are perfectly respectable if Mauer had been able to stay behind the plate and catch, but he has been a full-time first baseman since 2014. A .781 OPS is abysmal for a $23-million first baseman.

Something has clicked for Mauer this year, and he is turning back the clock at the age of 34. He is on track to end the year with an average over .300 for the first time since 2013 when he made his last All-Star Game. Mauer is still not hitting for much power, but he has 32 doubles and has been on fire in September and August. He has hit .355/.423/.471 since August 1 with 15 extra-base hits and nearly as many walks as strikeouts.

Mauer’s resurgence this season has been one of the best-kept secrets around the game. A three-time batting champion battling back from years of injuries to help lead his hometown team to the playoffs should be a national story, but the Twins have only just recently been taken seriously as a playoff threat.