Joe Mauer elected to Baseball Hall of Fame: Watch best reactions
Former player Joe Mauer is honored as the Minnesota Twins retire his number prior to the game against the Kansas City Royals on June 15, 2019 at the Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Royals 5-4. ((Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Joe Mauer is officially going from Cretin-Derham Hall to Cooperstown.
The St. Paul native and former Minnesota Twins’ catcher and first baseman was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday, in a live announcement aired on MLB Network. It was Mauer’s first time on the ballot after retiring from Major League Baseball following the 2018 season.
Mauer needed 75 percent of the 385 ballots cast by the Pro Baseball Writers Association of America. He maintained 83 percent of the vote as ballots were slowly released over the last several weeks. As of late Tuesday morning, Mauer had 175 of 210 votes. He finished with getting 76.1 percent of the 385 votes. He'll join a class that includes Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton and Jim Leyland.
"On behalf of the Pohlad family and the entire Minnesota Twins organization it is our absolute pleasure to congratulate Joe Mauer on his deserved first-ballot election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame," Twins President & CEO Dave St. Peter said in a statement. "Few people have embodied the values and spirit of the Minnesota Twins like Joe Mauer; from the moment his name was called on draft day in 2001, Joe has been a true hometown hero and a cornerstone of our organization. His humility, leadership, kindness and care for others, paired with his unparalleled excellence on the diamond, have made him a role model for generations of youth across our region.
Mauer spent all 15 of his MLB seasons with the Twins after being drafted No. 1 overall by his hometown team in 2001. He could’ve pursued a college football career at Florida State, but opted to play baseball instead.
He spent 11 seasons at catcher before transitioning to designated hitter and first base due to concussion concerns. In 15 seasons, he collected a Wins Above Replacement stat of 55.2. That’s ninth all-time, and the other eight are already in the Hall of Fame.
In 1,858 career games, he had a .306 batting average with 143 home runs and 923 RBI. He was a six-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner and won the American League MVP in 2009. He won the AL batting title three times, all as a catcher. His only real blemish was that in six postseason appearances, Mauer won just one playoff game.
With Mauer’s election, the Twins now have a Hall of Fame player at every position. Mauer at catcher, Jim Thome at first base, Rod Carew at second, Paul Molitor had 54 starts at shortstop, Harmon Killebrew at third, Dave Winfield in left field, Kirby Puckett in center and Tony Oliva in right. David Ortiz is at designated hitter, and pitchers are Bert Blyleven, Jack Morris, Jim Kaat and Steve Carlton.
Mauer is already in the Twins’ Hall of Fame, and had his No. 7 jersey retired by the team. The 2024 National Baseball Hall of Fame class will be inducted on July 21 in Cooperstown. He'll be honored with a ceremony at Target Field on Aug. 3.