Mauer elected to Twins Hall of Fame
MINNEAPOLIS — Joe Mauer will turn out to be the thirty eighth member of the Twins Hall of Fame in August — and contemplating his quantity has already been retired by the group, this honor was inevitable, arguably from the second the best catcher in membership historical past introduced his retirement following the 2018 season.
Now, because the Twins put together to rejoice Mauer’s accomplishments as soon as once more, they’re hopeful that this distinction would be the harbinger of a grander celebration on the nationwide stage; Mauer can also be slated to debut on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America poll for the National Baseball Hall of Fame subsequent winter.
“I think Joe Mauer is a Hall of Famer,” Twins president and CEO Dave St. Peter mentioned. “I feel a lot of the specialists imagine that he’s a Hall of Famer. I feel the query is, ‘Is he a first-ballot Hall of Famer?’
“So him being inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame creates a platform. We’ll see. I’m hopeful it will maybe carry some momentum into the Baseball Writers’ [election] nationally in December and January as they cast their votes.”
As is custom, Mauer was knowledgeable of his election to the Twins Hall of Fame in a telephone name from chairman Rod Carew following the vote from a 70-person committee, made up of different Twins Hall of Famers, media members, crew historians and members of the entrance workplace. He’s the second catcher chosen for the glory, becoming a member of Earl Battey, who was elected within the Class of 2004.
Locally, Mauer’s choice was a no brainer. The first general decide within the 2001 MLB Draft, the St. Paul native was within the large leagues by Opening Day ‘04, when he started a 15-year profession together with his hometown crew that positioned him first in membership historical past in doubles (428); second in video games performed (1,858) and hits (2,123); and third in whole bases (3,040).
Mauer and his spouse, Maddie, have additionally been energetic within the Twin Cities space by way of their work with Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare and the Twins Community Fund.
“I just think knowing the whole human being and what he represents, and how he represents this region — I hope this is an honor that kind of reflects all of that,” Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey mentioned.
The accolades marking Mauer’s enjoying profession have been properly combed-over at this level: He gained the American League Most Valuable Player in 2009, when he gained his third batting title, probably the most by a catcher. He’s a six-time All-Star, a five-time Gold Glove Award winner and a five-time Silver Slugger Award winner.
Soon sufficient, the query will flip as to if — and when — that might additionally result in Mauer’s enshrinement in Cooperstown.
Mauer will debut subsequent season on a poll that figures to be crowded on the high, and his Hall of Fame candidacy has been a degree of debate since he retired. At his peak, he was undoubtedly one of many all-time greats on the catching place when he was entrenched there from 2004-13.
During these 10 seasons when Mauer was primarily a catcher, he slashed a mixed .323/.405/.469 with 105 homers, 282 doubles and extra walks (616) than strikeouts (564). According to Baseball-Reference, he was value 44.6 WAR in that span, making up a major chunk of his profession 55.2 WAR.
That latter whole ranks Mauer tenth in AL/NL historical past amongst gamers with not less than 40% of their profession video games at catcher. All 9 gamers forward of him on that listing are within the Hall of Fame (although Joe Torre was enshrined as a supervisor) — as are the three gamers instantly behind him.
The level of debate, then, facilities round whether or not Mauer’s profession numbers needs to be considered in a distinct lens as a result of he made a mixed 913 appearances at first base and designated hitter — principally within the ultimate 5 seasons of his profession, when he moved off catcher as a result of concussions.
It may even be robust for him to debut subsequent season, when Adrian Beltre — who seems more likely to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer — may even seem for the primary time, with Todd Helton and Billy Wagner additionally serving as holdovers who completed on the cusp of choice within the Class of 2022.
That debate will ignite anew within the 12 months to return. But in Twins Territory, there’s no debate as to Mauer’s standing as one of many best to play for Minnesota. That legacy might be secured once more in August.
