Twins' Mauer: 'This was a tough year'

Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer was forthright on Saturday as he assessed a decidedly disappointing season for both himself and his team, which is headed for a fourth consecutive 90-loss campaign.

"This was a tough year," Mauer told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "A lot of firsts. It was a grind for me personally. Seemed like once I did start to get going, something came up. Playing first, I thought I'd be more healthy, but this year was a grind for me physically."

Mauer's inaugural season as a full-time first baseman did not go as planned, as the 31-year-old suffered an oblique injury that limited him to 119 games and struggled to replicate his past success at the plate. The six-time All-Star hit .277/.362/.373 with just four home runs in 514 plate appearances, managing the 17th-highest weighted runs created plus (106) among the league's 24 qualified first basemen.

The Twins, meanwhile, are poised to finish last in the American League Central for the third time in the last four seasons.

"Yeah, I'm disappointed," Mauer said. "We're in last place in our division. If things are bad or good, you've got to look at it collectively. This year we weren't very good."