Mauer Has a Real Shot at .400

Opponents don’t spend much time looking at the scouting report for Joe Mauer, because it shows that the Minnesota Twins catcher doesn’t strike out, doesn’t pop up, and has no holes in his swing—and that’s no misprint. That’s why Mauer, currently hitting .394, has a shot at being the first player to finish over .400 since Ted Williams, writes Tom Verducci in Sports Illustrated.

The odds are stacked against Mauer. In the past 68 years, only one player has taken a .400 average into September—George Brett, who finished at .390. Mauer is also historically a fast starter, with a .332 career average before Aug. 1 and a .305 after. Still, teammates think he has a shot. “This may sound crazy, but it’s not like he’s been hot,” says one teammate. “He’s just so consistent.” (More Joe Mauer stories.)