A number of lucky Minnesota Twins fans can claim ownership to an autographed baseball from first baseman Joe Mauer. Some might be happy enough to come across a jersey swatch in a pack of baseball cards.
But there’s one Twins fan who knew Mauer before he became a six-time All-Star and 2009 American League MVP.
Terrin Vavra and his dad, Joe, were there when Mauer was a 23-year-old in the major leagues on a league-minimum contract in his third season. Joe was the bench coach for the Twins, joining the team in 2006, and Terrin had the small task of setting up a batting tee.
“I was around so much that I made it kind of hard for them to forget about me,” Vavra said. “I tried to stay out of their way as much as I could, but they appreciated having a young presence around.”
When Vavra was selected by Colorado Rockies in the third round of the 2018 MLB draft, Mauer sent him a congratulatory text.
“My dad had a strong relationship with him and that relationship kind of carried over to us,” Vavra said. “Joe’s a family friend for sure.”
Terrin played high school baseball for the Menomonie, Wisconsin, Mustangs, a 30-minute drive west of his birthplace of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. After graduating in 2016, he went on to play three seasons at the University of Minnesota.
At the time, both of his brothers were pursuing professional careers as well. Tanner spent three seasons with the Twins organization and most recently played with the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball Sioux Falls Canaries. Treysen spent four seasons with the Twins organization and most recently played with the AAIPB’s Chicago Dogs.
Combined, the two had four spring trainings in Fort Myers, Florida, with the Twins. Meanwhile, Terrin was set for his first spring training with the Rockies in Scottsdale this season.
“I went down here and didn’t know what to expect. They’ve given me some helpful hints,” Vavra said. “They’ve done a lot of leading without saying.”
Simple conversations with is brothers helped, such as how to go about his day among nearly 100 ballplayers fighting for the same spot in the lineup.
“Showing up early each and every day being a competitor – while being a good person on and off the field – is something that you don’t really understand until your around people that don’t really do it,” Vavra said.
Vavra is playing with the Asheville (North Carolina) Tourists this season. He jumped in midseason with the Boise Hawks and managed to finish with a .302 average with 16 extra base hits in 169 at-bats. In his second season of professional ball, Vavra has already improved to a .341 average with a .442 on-base percentage just 23 games into the season.
“(He’s) just a kid fresh out of college who just has that hitting knack,” Boise pitching coach Bob Apodaca said. “He is an excellent young prospect who knows how to put the barrel of the bat to the baseball. That’s just a talent.”
The original article written by Andrew Rosenthal can be found here:
http://www.j500rst.dept.ku.edu/short-stop/before-terrin-vavra-was-a-rockies-shortstop-he-was-a-twins-assistant/