Minnesota Twins: Joe Mauer using new technology to improve
Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins has been using new technology in the form of glasses to make a comeback in 2016.
The Minnesota Twins have had a rough beginning to the 2016 season. After an 0-9 start the Twins currently sit with a record of 5-13.
The record may be disappointing, but there are some positives among the negatives in Minnesota.
Joe Mauer is having a resurgent season after dealing with so many struggles since suffering a concussion during 2013. He is leading eligible Twins hitters with a .328 batting average and a .450 on-base percentage.
A recent story by Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press explains how Mauer has been using a new technology to work on his hitting.
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The technology comes in the form of glasses with small strobe lights attached. Those who have been in a room with strobe lights, for whatever reason, know that it isolates an image and seems to slow it down, producing small images as if one if looking at a series of pictures.
Berardino explains that these are used in batting drills instead of against actual live pitches, but they have done wonders for Mauer. He is able to isolate the ball and slow things down, which translates to doing the same thing against live pitches in a game.
A successful Joe Mauer is good for Major League Baseball. He is only 33 years old, but his concussion in 2013 seemed to make the star a shell of his former self.
He was the American League MVP in 2009, is a six-time All-Star and a three-time Gold Glove winner. All of these honors came in 2013 and earlier, which makes Mauer’s success this season a step toward him returning to his prior form.
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His struggles stemmed from blurred vision at the plate, so the strobe light glasses help to correct that exact problem. Mauer’s use of the glasses may lead others facing similar problems to try out the technology.