Minnesota Twins’ Joe Mauer, left, hits a two-run single off Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jason Hammel in the second inning of a baseball game Friday, May 10, 2013 in Minneapolis. Orioles catcher Matt Wieters, right, looks on. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
The 2013 season changed Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins as a hitter, and not because Mauer altered his approach at the plate, or because he signed a new contract, or anything along those lines. Rather, Mauer suffered a concussion in the latter part of his 2013 campaign that markedly hampered his hitting ability during both 2014 and 2015. After routinely batting well above .300 and establishing himself as one of baseball’s most dangerous forces at the plate prior to his concussion, Mauer hit just .277 and .265 the past two seasons, and became almost a non-factor on the offensive side the ball.
That seems to have changed in the early-goings of the 2016 MLB season. While Mauer’s Twins have been one of the worst teams in baseball through the first month, Mauer suddenly looks much more like the player that terrorized opposing pitchers for ten straight years, made six All-Star teams, and even won the AL MVP award in 2009. But Mauer’s return to excellence hasn’t happened for no reason — in fact, Mauer contributes his success to a nifty pair of glasses that Nike sent him before the season started.
The glasses, which have since been taken off the market, are commonly referred to as “strobe glasses.” As Mauer says himself, “The strobes [on the glasses] can go faster or slower. We only [use the glasses] off the tee or flips — short toss. When you take them off, it seems to slow it down actually so you can focus in on the ball.” What happens is that, when Mauer uses the glasses with the strobe on, he only sees himself swinging and hitting a ball in short, picture-like fragments. This allows for augmented focus when Mauer then takes a pitch in real time, which is a huge bonus since Mauer’s focus is tainted following his 2013 concussion.
While Mauer has benefited most from the strobe glasses, he’s not the only one taking advantage of them. His teammates Byron Buxton, Eddie Rosario, and Byung Ho Park have all made use of the strobe glasses in efforts to enhance their hitting.
