Joe Mauer Says Concussions Blurred His Vision, Impacted His Hitting

Joe Mauer hasn’t suffered a concussion since he stopped playing catcher 2013, but the 32-year-old six-time All-Star has faced lingering symptoms from those head injuries in each of the past two seasons. Mauer told the Twin Cities Pioneer Press that he has suffered blurred vision at the plate in both 2014 and 2015 and that it impacted his hitting.

Mauer says sunlight often triggered the blurred vision and as a result he will try hitting with sunglasses on during spring training later this month.

"“I’ve always been kind of weird about my routine when it comes to stepping into the (batter’s) box, but it’s something I’ll give a shot this spring and see if it helps.”"

Mauer suffered his last concussion in August of 2013 after taking several foul tips off his mask while catching. He moved to first base full-time the following season for his health.

Since the concussions, Mauer hasn’t been the same player at the plate. The three-time AL batting champion and five-time Silver Slugger hit just .277 in 2014 and .265 in 2015. He also struck out a career-high 112 times last season.

Clearly something is up with Mauer. He claims he is now symptom-free so maybe things will get better for him at the dish in 2016.

While we often only focus on football when it comes to concussions, it’s clear they are an issue across all sports. Luckily baseball has been more proactive in diagnosing and treating head injuries over the past few seasons.