Second-half surge gives Kernels successful 2014 season

CEDAR RAPIDS – Jake Mauer unabashedly tells you about his career goal in baseball. It isn't to be a longtime manager in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

If the parent Minnesota Twins want him to return to town and lead the Cedar Rapids Kernels in 2015, he's cool with that. More than cool with that.

His offseason home is in the Twin Cities, and being a mere four hours away has allowed him to pop home on off days the past two summers to be with his wife and their three young children. Many members of the Mauer clan, including mom and dad, have been regular visitors to the City of Five Seasons.

But let's get real here. In the big picture, this is about the big leagues, not the Midwest League.

'My goal is to get to the majors, whether it's carrying the water out to the field or whatever,” Mauer said late last week. 'Whatever they think would be a good role for me (in 2015), that's fine. That's what I said when they offered me this job after being in (high-A) Fort Myers (previously). I asked them ‘Well, do you view it as a step backward?' They said absolutely not. My goal isn't to be an A-ball manager. I want to get to the big leagues, just like everyone else.”

Mauer managed last season's Kernels to the second-highest win total in Cedar Rapids' 124-year professional baseball history (88). The 2014 club went 75-70, including playoffs, eliminated Sunday night by Kane County in the MWL's Western Division championship series.

This was another good summer.

'Awesome, just like last year. Been rewarding, a lot of fun,” Mauer said. 'The complexion of our team was a lot different. This year, we were more pitching heavy than last year … These kids really had to grind out at-bats, we've got kids playing different positions than maybe what they're used to. But nobody said no, nobody was selfish, and that's a testament to them.”

It really was a tale of two halves, pardon the cliché, as the Kernels went 31-39 in the first half, 42-28 in the second. The reason for the improvement was pitching.

In its first 70 games, Cedar Rapids had the penultimate earned run average in the league but finished the season ranked ninth out of 16 teams. Additions from Rookie-level Elizabethton and the 2014 draft were key.

The bullpen featured power arms like Nick Burdi and Jake Reed, who seem certain to be big leaguers someday. The starting rotation also had its share of promising arms, such as righty Kohl Stewart and lefties Lewis Thorpe and Stephen Gonsalves.

Both Stewart (shoulder) and Thorpe (elbow) missed the playoffs because of injury.

Washington High School grad Chad Christensen had a terrific season back home, and is one of several Kernels slated to participate in Twins instructional league later in the fall. Reed, by the way, was invited to pitch in the prestigious Arizona Fall League, which features many of the top prospects in the minor leagues.

Catcher Mitch Garver distinguished himself as the Kernels' top position player, leading the club in virtually every major offensive category. Shortstop Engelb Vielma impressed everyone with his defensive abilities, reminding many of Los Angeles Angels shortstop Erick Aybar when he played here in the early 2000s.

Garver received a pair of concussions during the season because of foul tips off his mask, including one in the first game off the playoffs against Burlington.

'It was heartbreaking to see Garver get a concussion, considering all the work he has put in,” Mauer said. 'He's been in our (batting) order the whole year. The guys who have been here all year, the (Michael) Quesadas, the Christensens, guys like that, they were here when we were brutal and kept working and kept working. People stayed positive, and that's it. Then the guys that came in created a (winning) culture in the clubhouse, and that's why we were here in the playoffs.”

Mauer said he was proud of the job his staff (pitching coach Ivan Arteaga and hitting coach Tommy Watkins) did in improving players individually. The skipper even got to manage his brother, big league all-star Joe, who made a late-season injury rehab appearance in town with Twins pitcher Ricky Nolasco.

'When you set out to start the year, it's about how much did each of these guys get?” Mauer said. 'I'm sure Ivan and Tommy would tell that's our job, to get each of these guys better. They do all the work, so it's a complete credit to them. But I think each one of them can say they got better at something or maybe they learned something about themselves.”

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