Sunday's Standout

While it would have been easy to give the honors to Aaron Judge for the first grand slam of his career -- which brought the Yankees from behind in a game they won 9-5 -- I'd rather focus on someone from another contender. In this case, the Twins catcher-turned-1st baseman Joe Mauer, who got on base seven times (with four hits and three walks) in the Twins 8-6, 15-inning loss to Tampa Bay.
Now 34, Mauer isn't nearly the offensive threat he was between 2005 and '13. And he's not playing a "premium" position anymore. But with Minnesota one of this year's unexpected surprises as they lead the AL Central, take a good look. This Twin Cities native is again surrounded with the kind of promising young talent that could mean a Minnesota return playoffs this year for the first time since 2010.

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