Concussion-Free, Joe Mauer Could Bounce Back in 2016

Joe Mauer had, by far, the worst season of his 12-year career in 2015, not just from a fantasy standpoint, but in real life, as well. The permanent move to first base has negated the defensive skills he showed behind the plate for so long, and his career batting average and on-base percentage dipped significantly. Over the last two years, really, his averages have not been in the same stratosphere as his numbers from even 2013. Recently, it has been reported that the concussion Mauer suffered in 2013 has led to blurred vision over the last two seasons. If his poor vision really contributed to his sub-par performances and can be fixed, the former American League MVP could potentially bring his numbers back up towards what they had been for so long. Mauer is an incredibly risky option in most leagues, especially being surrounded by a ton of exciting, power-hitting first basemen, but he can be a sneaky sleeper with bounce-back potential in very deep leagues as well as AL-Only leagues.