Thursday night marked the Class AA managerial debut for Jake Mauer, who reached the same level as a player in the Minnesota Twins organization before that career was cut short.
Mauer's Chattanooga Lookouts opened their 140-game schedule with a 2-0 loss to the Mobile BayBears before an announced crowd of 2,956 at AT&T Field. The 38-year-old spent the past four seasons managing Cedar Rapids (Iowa) of the Single-A Midwest League to an impressive 316-241 record.
"These guys are a little further along, so it's a little less babysitting and a little more having to create that mental edge," Mauer said. "The baseball is going to be the same. This field is the same size as it is in Minnesota."
The Lookouts managed just three hits against Mobile, with BayBears starting pitcher Tyler Carpenter allowing two hits in six innings while striking out five. Mobile took a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning when Caleb Adams scored on a throwing error, and the BayBears made it 2-0 in the ninth on Luis Tejada's home run to right field.
Mauer replaced Doug Mientkiewicz, who managed Chattanooga the past two seasons to a 151-126 record and the 2015 Southern League title. Mientkiewicz is back managing the Fort Myers Miracle of the high Single-A Florida State League, where he can be with his family.
"We're excited to have Jake in Double-A this year after spending the last several years in Cedar Rapids and taking that team to the playoffs a number of times," Twins player development director Brad Steil said. "It's an interesting comparison with Doug. They are both very smart, intelligent baseball guys, but Doug probably has a little more fiery personality than Jake, while Jake is a little more laid-back."
Said Lookouts outfielder Travis Harrison: "They're a little different, but they're both great dudes and both great coaches. Jake will stand up for his guys, too, and he'll tell you when you've done wrong, but it's a little different temperament. He's just as passionate, but in a different way."
Mauer managed Fort Myers for three seasons before his four-year stint in Cedar Rapids. He struggled to a 187-225 record with the Miracle but believes he has learned from those years in a business that continually puts more weight on development than victories.
"Every year you learn something that hopefully makes you better, and you're always trying to grow," Mauer said. "The personnel is always going to change depending on what the parent club will do. You just try to prepare each group of guys that you get the best that you can.
"Wins and losses are nice, and they are important, but it boils down to us trying to get these guys ready to play in Minnesota."
Mauer - the older brother of Twins player Joe Mauer, a six-time All-Star - harbored hopes of playing for Minnesota. He hit .319 with Fort Myers in 2005 and was promoted to Double-A New Britain (Conn.) of the Eastern League, where he hit .250.
He hoped to continue that ascension in spring 2006, but those hopes were snuffed quickly.
"It was kind of decided for me, to be honest with you," Mauer said. "I had an elbow injury that I'm still dealing with to this day. I came into spring training that year and couldn't throw, and on the last day of spring, I took my stuff out of the players' clubhouse and into the coaches' side. It was a whirlwind day, going from a player to a coach.
"I got released and got another job in like five minutes."
Mauer became hitting coach for the Gulf Coast League Twins and became their manager two years later.
"You're more at peace with it when you can't physically do it, but I was still only 26 years old," he said. "Everybody says I would have made it if I didn't get hurt, but I don't know if that's true or not. I would like to think I would have had a chance.
"The surgeries just didn't work out."
Baseball, however, has. Just in a different light, including 139 more games this season.
"I'm probably not as animated as Doug, but I like to compete," Mauer said. "That's the reason we're all here."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.