When reflecting on a player’s career, it often takes no time to distinguish the no-brainer Hall of Famers from the players that simply aren’t worthy.
However, some players are very hard to determine worthiness for one reason or another. Perhaps one of the best examples is 2024 ballot participant and longtime Minnesota Twins great, Joe Mauer.
Mauer burst onto the scene in 2004, when he posted a 138 OPS+ in 122 plate appearances for the Minnesota Twins. It may have been just 35 big league games, but the native of St. Paul, Minn. was already a fan favorite for Twins fans all over.
Mauer regressed a bit in 2005, slashing .294/.372/.411 with an OPS+ of 107. Even with the regression, and unwarranted lack of support from Rookie of the Year voters, Mauer ranked second among American League rookies with 3.4 fWAR.
But after that, Mauer went on a five-year tear in which he was one of, if not the best catcher in the MLB.
From 2006 to 2010, the Twins catcher slashed .334/.416/.491 (.906 OPS) with a 143 OPS+ and a 140 wRC+. He also held a 2.2-wins lead over the second-best total for catchers in that span (Brian McCann). Mauer also had nine defensive runs saved (DRS) and ranked fourth among catchers in frame runs with 19.
Injuries hindered Mauer’s performance over the next three seasons, as he missed nearly 30 percent of his team’s games. But the production was still there when healthy, slashing .313/.399/.439 and posting two seasons with a DRC+ over 130.
Mauer then converted to a full-time first baseman and posted roughly league-average numbers offensively for the remaining five seasons of his career, but all in all, he still posted 2.4 rWAR/150 in that stretch.
Overall, Mauer slashed .306/.388/.439 with a 123 wRC+ and a .358 wOBA, was a six-time All-Star, won three Gold Gloves, three batting titles, five Silver Sluggers, and an MVP award (2009). He also produced 56.2 wins above replacement (combining his WARP as a catcher with his rWAR as a first baseman), which is roughly 4.5 per 150 games played for his career.
Moreover, Mauer produced a net total of 37 defensive runs saved (14 as a catcher and 23 as a first baseman), had 2,123 hits, 428 doubles, and had 245.5 weighted runs above average.
All in all, a very impressive resume, but was it Hall of Fame worthy?
According to how Baseball-Reference measures a player’s career against the average Hall of Famer, the average Hall-of-Fame-caliber catcher has 53.6 rWAR, a seven-year peak of 34.8, and 44.2 JAWS. Mauer posted 55.3 rWAR, had 39 wins during his seven-year peak, and 47.2 JAWS.
Mauer may not have the impressive run production as Mike Piazza or the defensive prowess of a player like Yadier Molina, but he will go down as one of the better offensive catchers of all-time, and certainly as the best of his era.
Time will tell on if the St. Paul native will get his deserved support when it’s his turn to reach the ballot in 2024. However, one certain thing is that his career should be recognized as one of the best we’ve ever seen from a catcher.
One Response
Joe Mauer first as a catcher and later as a first baseman over a 15 year career with the Minnesota Twins in the American League was a highly effective baseball player. This comment is from a Chicago White Sox fan. Mauer was a dangerous hitter with men on base.
His overall playing ability on defense and more so on offense over 15 years clearly earned Joe Mauer induction into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
I would vigorously argue that Joe Mauer’s talent, effort and performance should earn him election into the Baseball of Fame in Cooper’s Town, Ohio.