At one time in the 2000s and the early part of the 2010s, Minnesota Twins catcher Mauer was one of MLB’s best pure hitters.
He never had too much power, but his contact ability was unparalleled, especially for a catcher.
Historically, catchers don’t hit much and are expected to be defensive assets rather than middle-of-the-lineup producers.
But Mauer was a special hitter: a rare specimen.
During his career, he slashed .306/.388/.439 with an .827 OPS, 143 home runs, 1018 runs and 923 RBI.
For a catcher, that was very, very solid.
An Impressive List Of Achievements
If you look at his trophy case, it’s also quite populated.
He was a six-time All-Star (2006, 2008–2010, 2012, 2013), the AL MVP in 2009, a three-time Gold Glove Award winner (2008–2010), a five-time Silver Slugger Award winner (2006, 2008–2010, 2013), and a three-time AL batting champion (2006, 2008, 2009).
That’s quite a resume.
Joe Mauer boasts 3 batting titles, 3 gold gloves, 5 silver sluggers, 6 all-star appearances, and an MVP in '09 (he led all offensive categories including OPS+). He was also the first catcher to lead the American League in hitting. He deserves to be in the HOF. What a career. https://t.co/5CBP804Mhp
— Dan Slaubaugh (@DanSlaubaugh) January 28, 2022
The Twins retired his number 7, a sign of the utmost respect for him.
Mauer was, in addition to a great hitter, a good defensive catcher in the early part of his career.
He was then a good defensive first baseman in the final third of his brilliant MLB tenure.
But is he a Hall of Famer?
He will not be present on next year’s ballot, but he will be eligible for enshrinement in 2024, because he retired in 2018.
Several good and respected major leaguers will enter the ballot that year: Adrian Beltre, David Wright, Chase Utley, Jose Bautista, Matt Holliday, and Jose Reyes, besides Mauer.
Here is a list of players who are eligible for Hall of Fame voting in 2024 🗳️
Who is getting in? pic.twitter.com/boy4XklLbS
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) January 27, 2022
At first glance, Beltre looks like a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer.
The rest? Some of them have a strong case.
Mauer is certainly one of them.
First, he has the hardware: he wasn’t a perennial MVP as some of his peers, but did win the award once in 2009, and he was very, very good that year.
He batted .365/.444/.587 that year, with 28 home runs, 94 runs, and 96 RBI.
He also has the body of work: he accumulated 52.5 career Wins Above Replacement (WAR) per FanGraphs and 55.2 according to Baseball Reference.
He Belongs In The Hall
He ranks 15th all-time among MLB catchers with his FanGraphs’ WAR output, which is not too shabby and better than several Hall of Famers, such as Mickey Cochrane or Roy Campanella, for example.
Complicating matters is the fact he played only 15 seasons.
Most Hall of Famers play at least 18 or 20, sometimes more.
Certainly, had he played a little more, he could have surpassed Gabby Hartnett or Bill Dickey in the all-time WAR list.
But he came close.
Additionally, Mauer also had the peak performance.
Between 2006 and 2010, Mauer totaled 29.6 WAR, or 5.9 per season.
That’s quite impressive.
Known character issues that could potentially affect his image among writers? None: in fact, he was seen as a leader and a good teammate.
Steroid links? Also, none.
Mauer may not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer (maybe he will!), but he certainly has an excellent chance of entering eventually, perhaps sooner than later.
He belongs in the Hall of Fame and is, pretty clearly, one of the best offensive catchers of all time.
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Johnny Diamond says
Joe Mauer did have a hall of fame career it may take a Veteran’s Committee to get him in. If he is not up against a Adrian Beltre or other tremendous start he may get in. Larry Walker made it and his career years were in Montreal and Colorado.
Joe Mauer is a similar care dominant catcher for 8-9 years before the eventual first base move.
Steve Deckert says
He will be voted in by the writers. Probably not first ballot, but maybe second or third. Walker was the victim of a crowded ballot of very good players and steroid guys with inner circle HOF numbers as well as the writers not knowing what to do with Rockies players and the “Coors Effect” (see Helton, Todd).
Hugh McTavish says
I think he will be in on the first ballot. By Baseball Reference, he is better than the “average Hall of Fame catcher” in career WAR, 7-year-peak WAR, and WAR per 162 games. And most writers are on record as saying Buster Posey is a Hall of Famer, and Mauer is ahead of Posey in almost all measures.