Minnesota Twins' veteran first baseman Joe Mauer does squats as his strength and conditioning coach, Roger Erickson, watches during a workout at Mauer Chevrolet in Inver Grove Heights on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. (Pioneer Press: Jean Pieri)

Mauer talks with his brother Jake in a workout room at Mauer Chevrolet. This is where Mauer has spent each week since mid-November, grinding through stretching and conditioning drills that helped him play a career-high 158 games in 2015 following several seasons short-circuited by leg injuries and concussions. (Pioneer Press: Jean Pieri)

Mauer, 32, says he feels stronger and healthier than he has in six years. He expects to report to spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., next week at about 230 pounds, slightly heavier but less bulky than he has been. (Pioneer Press: Jean Pieri)

Mauer has full faith in Erickson, the former Cretin-Derham Hall coach who worked with the Baltimore Ravens during their 2012 Super Bowl season.(Pioneer Press: Jean Pieri)

Mauer drinks water after a workout. Priority No. 1 is eradicating blurred vision that occasionally hampered his ability to track pitches after he suffered a concussion in August 2013 that ended his catching career. (Pioneer Press: Jean Pieri)



"Last year was a good year for me as far as staying healthy," Mauer said. "It's more maintenance to retain that flexibility. In 2011, I rushed back from knee surgery and that led to a lot of problems that didn't allow me to work on strengthening my legs. I'm excited this offseason that I've been able to make strides with that." (Pioneer Press: Jean Pieri)

Mauer loosens his laces after working out. (Pioneer Press: Jean Pieri)

"It's not the big things, it's the little things you can do daily," Erickson said. "That's hard to do. Joe's perfect for that. You tell him something and he does it. Three years ago we were dealing with his concussion. Last year we had a full offseason and made some pretty big gains. This year we started with no dings at all. Hes gotten so much stronger this offseason." (Pioneer Press: Jean Pieri)

Mauer walks through the service area at Mauer Chevrolet in Inver Grove Heights as he leaves after a workout on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. (Pioneer Press: Jean Pieri)

Getting to Joe Mauer’s private gym at Mauer Chevrolet is a workout itself.

The path leads through the Inver Grove Heights showroom, past the parts and services garage before one climbs a steel staircase, walks down a storage corridor and comes to a closet door.

On the other side, the Twins’ veteran first baseman and his strength coach, Roger Erickson, are into their Thursday regimen.

The makeshift room is the size of a studio apartment. There are mirrored walls, plus a handful of scattered weight machines and benches. Country music plays softly on a stereo. The room temperature is cranked high.

This is where Mauer has spent each week since mid-November, grinding through stretching and conditioning drills that helped him play a career-high 158 games in 2015 following several seasons short-circuited by leg injuries and concussions.

“Last year was a good year for me as far as staying healthy,” he said. “It’s more maintenance to retain that flexibility. “In 2011, I rushed back from knee surgery and that led to a lot of problems that didn’t allow me to work on strengthening my legs. I’m excited this offseason that I’ve been able to make strides with that.”

Mauer, 32, says he feels stronger and healthier than he has in six years. He expects to report to spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., next week at about 230 pounds, slightly heavier but less bulky than he has been.

“A different 230 this year,” he said.

Priority No. 1 is eradicating blurred vision that occasionally hampered his ability to track pitches after Mauer suffered a concussion in August 2013 that ended his catching career.

He plans to experiment with sunglasses early in camp to help cut down on glare.

“I don’t want that to be kind of an excuse. If I’m out there, I’m out there. That’s just the way I am,” Mauer said. “There are times I’ve gone up to the plate and I just couldn’t pick up the ball. That’s part of the frustration because I’m trying to do everything I can to get back. It just takes time.”

Mauer has been symptom-free during three months of offseason workouts, which include hitting soft toss in the batting cage. He is optimistic neck and eye exercises Erickson designed will provide consistent relief.

The real test comes when Mauer faces live pitching again. Early in camp Mauer will experiment with sunglasses at the plate to reduce glare.

“I’ve been really happy with where I’m at and excited to get better and better,” he said last week.

This is a pivotal season for Mauer to prove whether 2014-15 were anomalies or should expectations be recalibrated.

Mauer hit .324 and won the Silver Slugger award for catchers in his abbreviated 2013 season. The 2009 American League most valuable player was on a hall of fame path before his concussion.

Since then, Mauer has hit 50 points below his career average. His slugging and on-base percentages have plummeted while his strikeouts soared.

Mauer was renowned for opposite-field power and spraying hits, but defensive shifts have shrunken those holes. Moreover, the hitter who famously never struck out during his high school career at Cretin-Derham Hall, who averaged just 46 strikeouts his first eight seasons, fanned a career-high 112 times in 2015.

“The one thing he did last year that I didn’t anticipate — he struck out a lot,” Twins general manager Terry Ryan said. “I didn’t expect to see him strike out that frequently. Now, hopefully, he’ll adjust.”

Is it reasonable to expect Mauer to hit .300 again or hit at least 15 home runs?

“When I look at Joe Mauer, I still see such a great swing that he can still be one of the best hitters in baseball,” said MLB Network analyst Harold Reynolds. “The older you get, you have to maintain your health so you’re not getting beat on fastballs and can still put the ball in play.

“It’s a shame injuries moved him from being a catcher. It’s changed the perception of who he was. To be at first base and not have the production there, that’s the national knock on Joe Mauer. It’s hard to have a first baseman with less than double-digit home runs.”

Mauer believes sluggers like right fielder Miguel Sano and newly acquired South Korean designated hitter Byung Ho Park will protect him more in the batting order.

He also has full faith in Erickson, the former Cretin-Derham Hall coach who worked with the Baltimore Ravens during their 2012 Super Bowl season.

“His track record speaks for itself,” Mauer said. “I know he trained Matt Birk and Corbin Lacina. Matt played 15 years in the NFL. A light bulb went on and I figured I had to see what this was about. From the first meeting I had with Roger, I walked out of that feeling so much better.

“I don’t think I was addressing minor problems well,” he added. “By focusing on strength and flexibility, I was able to play through a lot of things, and hopefully that allows me to play longer.”

Mauer spends 90 minutes stretching before batting practice and another hour on postgame maintenance.

“It’s not the big things, it’s the little things you can do daily,” Erickson said. “That’s hard to do. Joe’s perfect for that. You tell him something and he does it.

“Three years ago we were dealing with his concussion. Last year we had a full offseason and made some pretty big gains. This year we started with no dings at all. He’s gotten so much stronger this offseason.”

Mauer is a shrewd and deceptively fast base runner who has transformed himself into a solid first baseman. But he is getting paid $23 million a year to produce big numbers at the plate.

Mauer is confident he can regain his hitting prowess. The Twins expect it.

“We’re looking for more,” Ryan said. “He’s got the ability to drive in more runs, more doubles, hit for a higher average. He had a (2015 season in which) you could at least depend on him being available. He didn’t have the type of year he was anticipating, and I would say we’re looking forward to a bounce-back year.”