St. Paul to the Hall: Joe Mauer joins exclusive first-ballot club
Joe Mauer has joined the exclusive first-ballot Hall of Famer club.
The Minnesota Twins great was elected as part of the Class of 2024 along with Adrian Beltre and Todd Helton on Tuesday. Mauer received votes on 76.1% of the ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Mauer and Beltre are just the 59th and 60th first-ballot Hall of Famers, and the 25th and 26th to get in on their first try since the turn of the century, joining David Ortiz (2022), Derek Jeter (2020), Mariano Rivera (2019), Roy Halladay (2019), Chipper Jones (2018), Jim Thome (2018), Ivan Rodriguez (2017), Ken Griffey Jr. (2016), Randy Johnson (2015), Pedro Martinez (2015), John Smoltz (2015), Greg Maddux (2014), Tom Glavine (2014), Frank Thomas (2014), Rickey Henderson (2009), Tony Gwynn (2007), Cal Ripken Jr. (2007), Wade Boggs (2005), Dennis Eckersley (2004), Paul Molitor (2004), Eddie Murray (2003), Ozzie Smith (2002), Kirby Puckett (2001), Dave Winfield (2001).
Mauer, Puckett and Rod Carew (1991) are the only first-ballot Hall of Famers who played the majority of their respective careers with the Twins. Others like Paul Molitor, Dave Winfield, Steve Carlton and Ortiz were first-ballot inductees after playing smaller parts of their careers with Minnesota.
Mauer was selected by the Twins with the first overall pick in the 2001 MLB draft out of Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, where he starred in baseball, basketball and football.
The catcher made his major league debut on April 5, 2004, finishing 2 for 3 at the plate with two walks and a strikeout. Mauer walked in his first major league at-bat, drawing four straight balls from Cleveland pitcher CC Sabathia.
Mauer finished his rookie season with a .308/.369/.570 slash line but missed significant time due to a knee injury, but that didn't slow him down as he earned the first six All-Star nods during in 2006 when he led the majors in hitting with a .347 batting average and won the first of five Silver Slugger awards in his career.
Mauer won the batting title again in 2008 and 2009, becoming the first American League catcher to win a batting championship and the only catcher in MLB history to win the batting title three times.
Mauer had the best season of his career in 2009 when he hit .365 and led the majors with a .444 on-base percentage. He hit a career-high 28 homers and drove in a career-best 96 runs en route to a .587 slugging percentage and 1.031 OPS, both of which were tops in the American League.
July 14, 2009; St. Louis, MO, USA; American League catcher Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins hits an RBI double during the fifth inning of the 2009 All-Star Game at Busch Stadium.
© John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
On March 21, 2010, Mauer signed the richest contract paid to a catcher in the history of Major League Baseball when he inked an eight-year, $184 million deal. He notched career hit No. 1,000 in Chicago against the White Sox on Sept. 14, 2010.
Ten games into the 2011 season, Mauer landed on the disabled list for what team doctors called "bilateral leg weakness." He returned to action in early June and made his first career start as a first baseman in early July. Due to the injuries, Mauer played in just 82 games during the 2011 season, the second fewest of his career.
After dealing with concussion issues throughout the second half of the 2013 season, Mauer hung up his catcher mitt and switched to primarily first-base duties for the final five years of his career.
Nearly eight years after collecting career hit No. 1,000, Mauer got career hit No. 2,000 off the White Sox at Target Field on April 12, 2018.
Apr 12, 2018; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer (7) singles in the seventh inning against Chicago White Sox for his 2000th career hit at Target Field.
© Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
After the 2018 season, Mauer announced his official retirement in an open letter on the Twins website, saying the decision "came down to my health and my family" and that the concussion in 2013 "forced me to look beyond baseball at what is best for me as a husband and father."
Mauer thanked the Twins and fans said that because of them he could "leave the game I love with a full and grateful heart."
Mauer finished his career with 2,123 hits, 143 home runs, 923 RBIs and a .306 batting average.
Sep 30, 2018; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer (7) salutes the fans after the game against Chicago White Sox at Target Field.
© Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
