Filling Joe's big shoes?

The guy in the middle of the action right there is Jose Morales. You might need to get to know him, especially if Joe Mauer leaves via trade or free agency in the next 12 months. We don't really think Mauer could ever leave the Twins -- he's the greatest player in the history of the franchise -- but guys like Jim Souhan keep writing/saying that everyone needs to plan for the worst and Mauer could, in fact, leave.

So...who is Jose Morales? Well, he's a former 3rd-round draft pick who was selected the same year as Joe Mauer. He can hit (.322 avg in 55 big league games) and he had surgery over the off-season to repair his banged up wrist. Oh, and he changed his jersey number to 26, making him the best Twins player to wear that number since Boof Bonser. There is a lot more about him that we don't know, but we aren't big on research around these parts so we will just go with what we know off the top of our head.

Long story short, Mauer stays here in Minny. The Twins can't let him walk away and we don't think he really wants to leave. Three batting titles, an MVP, and hopefully a World Series in a new stadium in your hometown, all by the time you turn 27, is something money can't buy.