Joe Mauer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joe Mauer
Mauer with the Minnesota Twins in 2017
Catcher / First baseman
Born: (1983-04-19) April 19, 1983 (age 42) Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Batted: Left Threw: Right
debut
April 5, 2004, for the Minnesota Twins
Last appearance
September 30, 2018, for the Minnesota Twins
MLB statistics
Batting average	.306
Hits	2,123
Home runs	143
Runs batted in	923
Teams
Minnesota Twins (2004–2018)
Career highlights and awards
6× All-Star (2006, 2008–2010, 2012, 2013) AL MVP (2009) 3× Gold Glove Award (2008–2010) 5× Silver Slugger Award (2006, 2008–2010, 2013) 3× AL batting champion (2006, 2008, 2009) Minnesota Twins No. 7 retired Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	2024
Vote	76.1% (first ballot)

Joseph Patrick Mauer (born April 19, 1983) is a former American professional baseball player. He played his entire 15-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins. Joe Mauer was known as one of the best hitters at the catcher position. He is the only catcher in MLB history to win three batting titles. He is also the only catcher to ever win a batting title in the American League (AL). Mauer also played for the United States in international games.

The Twins chose Mauer as the very first player picked in the 2001 MLB draft. He was selected for the All-Star Game six times. He won three Gold Glove Awards in a row (2008–2010). He also won five Silver Slugger Awards and the 2009 AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. Mauer was the most recent catcher to win the MVP award in the American League. In 2024, Mauer was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He made it in his first year of being eligible.

High School Sports Star

Joe Mauer played football, basketball, and baseball at St. Paul's Cretin-Derham Hall High School. In his final year, he became the only athlete ever to be named the USA Today High School Player of the Year in both football (as a quarterback in 2000) and baseball (as a catcher in 2001).

Baseball Skills

Mauer went to the same high school as Baseball Hall of Famer Paul Molitor. Molitor later became Mauer's manager with the Twins. Molitor said Mauer had "the best swing he had ever seen." Mauer's high school baseball coach, Jim O'Neill, said Joe was ready for baseball from a young age. Joe's dad, Jake, even made a special hitting machine called the "Quickswing" for him. Mauer was so good that he was asked to leave his T-ball league at age four because he hit the ball too hard!

Mauer almost never struck out during his four years in high school. He only struck out once in a game. He hit an amazing .605 during his senior season. Mauer's batting average was over .500 every year in high school. He also set a Minnesota high school record by hitting a home run in seven games in a row. Mauer played for the Team USA Junior National team from 1998 to 2000. He was voted the best hitter at the World Junior Baseball Championship in Canada in 2000.

Basketball Talent

Mauer was also a great basketball player. He averaged more than 20 points per game as a point guard for Cretin-Derham Hall. He was named to the All-State team in his last two years on the basketball team.

Football Achievements

Mauer had a very successful high school football career. In 2000, he was featured in Sports Illustrated. As the Raiders' quarterback in his senior year, Mauer completed 66% of his passes. He threw for 3,022 yards and 41 touchdowns. He led the Raiders to two state championship games, winning the title in 1999.

Mauer received many honors for football. He was named the 2001 Gatorade National Player of the Year. He was also named to the USA Today All-USA high school football team and was USA Today's Player of the Year.

Professional Baseball Career

Starting in the Minors

Joe Mauer had planned to play football at Florida State University. But he decided to enter the Major League Baseball Draft instead. The Twins picked Mauer as the first overall pick in the 2001 draft. He was chosen before college pitcher Mark Prior. Mauer played in the All-Star Futures Game in 2003. He then joined the Twins' main team in 2004.

Early MLB Seasons (2004–2005)

Mauer played his first major league game on April 5, 2004. He got two hits in that game. However, a knee injury in April 2004 needed surgery. This kept him out for over a month. After playing some games with the Twins' minor league team, the Rochester Red Wings, Mauer returned in June. But knee pain ended his 2004 season early. In 2005, Mauer played his first full season in the major leagues. He batted .294 with 144 hits, nine home runs, and 55 RBI in 131 games.

Becoming a Star (2006–2008)

Mauer swinging the bat in 2006

In 2006, Mauer became the first catcher in American League history to lead the league in batting average. He finished with an average of .347. His great play in May and June caught national attention. He hit .452 in June. On July 2, Mauer was chosen by the players for his first All-Star Game. He also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Mauer's .347 average in 2006 was the highest in all of Major League Baseball. He was the youngest player to win a batting title since Alex Rodriguez in 1996. Mauer won his first Silver Slugger Award in 2006.

Mauer catching during the 2008 season

In 2007, Mauer signed a four-year, $34 million contract with the Twins. This deal kept him in Minnesota. On July 21, Mauer hit his first career inside-the-park home run. He finished the 2007 season batting .293 with seven home runs and 60 RBI.

In 2008, Mauer became the first American League catcher to win the batting title twice. He led the AL with a .328 average. He also had nine home runs and 85 RBI. On July 6, Mauer was named the starting catcher for the American League in the 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Mauer won his first Gold Glove award in 2008.

MVP Season (2009)

In 2009, Mauer became the first catcher to lead the majors in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage in one year. His .365 average was the highest for a catcher since 1901. It was also the highest for a Twin since Rod Carew in 1977. Mauer also won his second Gold Glove in a row in 2009. He was named the American League's 2009 MVP.

Mauer in 2009

Mauer missed the start of the 2009 season due to a back injury. He returned on May 1. After his return, Mauer had the best month of his career. He batted .414 with 11 home runs and 32 RBI in May. He was named MLB Player of the Week and Player of the Month. Mauer appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated for a second time. He was chosen for the 2009 MLB All-Star Game as the starting catcher.

The Twins were seven games behind the Detroit Tigers in September. But they won 17 of their last 21 games to tie for the division title. On October 6, the Twins beat the Tigers in a special playoff game to win the division. In 2009, Mauer led the American League in batting average (.365), on-base percentage (.444), and slugging percentage (.587). He became the first catcher to lead the league in all four offensive categories in one season. He also set career highs in hits (191), home runs (28), and RBIs (96).

Mauer continued to hit well in the playoffs against the Yankees. On November 23, Mauer was named the 2009 American League Most Valuable Player. He also received both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award again.

Later Years (2010–2018)

On March 21, 2010, Mauer signed an eight-year contract extension with the Twins for $184 million. This was the richest contract ever for a catcher in MLB history. On July 26, 2010, Mauer hit a home run and had a career-high seven RBI. He got his 1,000th career Major League hit on September 14, 2010.

Mauer (left) catching for the Twins in 2010

Mauer had knee surgery after the 2010 season. He missed most of spring training in 2011. He was placed on the disabled list in April. He returned to play with the Twins on June 17, 2011. Mauer made his first Major League start at first base on July 7, 2011. He even played in right field on August 18, 2011.

Mauer struggled with injuries in 2011. He played in only 82 games and batted .287. He hoped to play better in 2012. On July 1, 2012, he was chosen for his fifth All-Star Game. By mid-July, Mauer had the second-highest batting average in the American League. On August 27, Mauer played his 832nd game at catcher for the Twins. This broke a team record.

Mauer (right) with Ichiro Suzuki at first base in 2018

Mauer was the Twins' Opening Day catcher in 2013. He also played first base and designated hitter. He was named to his sixth All-Star Game. On August 20, Mauer went on the disabled list with concussion-like symptoms. He did not return for the rest of the season. He finished the season batting .324 with 11 home runs. He also earned the 2013 AL Silver Slugger Award at catcher.

After the 2013 season, the Twins announced that Mauer would permanently move to first base. This was to protect him from more concussions. In 2014, Mauer played in 120 games. He batted .277 with four home runs and 55 RBI.

In 2015, Mauer struck out over 100 times for the first time. He played in a career-high 158 games. He batted a career-low .261 with 10 home runs. However, his defense at first base got better.

Mauer started his 13th Opening Day in 2017. This tied a team record. For the season, Mauer batted .305 with seven home runs.

On April 12, 2018, Mauer got his 2,000th career hit. This made him the 287th player in MLB history to reach this milestone.

In the last game of the 2018 season, Mauer played catcher for the first time since his concussion in 2013. He caught one pitch and then left the game. He received a standing ovation from the crowd. He officially retired from baseball on November 9, 2018. The Twins retired his No. 7 jersey on June 15, 2019.

MLB Records and Achievements

Joe Mauer holds several MLB records for catchers. He has the highest single-season batting average for a catcher (.365 in 2009). He also has the highest single-season on-base percentage for a catcher (.444 in 2009). His career on-base percentage is the highest among major league catchers who played at least 500 games. Mauer is the first AL catcher to win a batting title. He holds the record for the most batting titles by a catcher in a career (3).

Career Statistics Summary

In 1,858 games over 15 seasons, Mauer had a .306 batting average. He collected 2,123 hits, 1,018 runs, 428 doubles, 143 home runs, and 923 RBIs. He also had 939 bases on balls (walks). He finished his career with a .995 fielding percentage at catcher and a .996 fielding percentage at first base.

Baseball Hall of Fame

Joe Mauer became eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2024. He received enough votes (76.1%) to be inducted on his first try. He was only the third catcher ever to be elected on his first ballot. He was also the first Hall of Famer to play his entire career in the 21st century.

International Play

Mauer was chosen to play as a catcher and first baseman for Team USA in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

Other Activities

Mauer at bat against Baltimore in 2006

Mauer appeared in television commercials for brands like Head & Shoulders, Pepsi, and Gatorade.

Mauer's family made and sold a product called Joe Mauer's Quickswing. His father invented this device. It helps kids practice hitting on their own.

Joe Mauer's Quickswing Camp is held every winter. It teaches young players the basics of batting skills.

Video Games

Mauer was the cover athlete for Sony Computer Entertainment's MLB 10: The Show and MLB 11: The Show games. These games were for the PlayStation platform.

The game's slogan, "Well played, Mauer," was used in TV commercials. This phrase was even used by a Twins announcer during a real game. Mauer made an amazing catch, and the announcer said, "Oh, well played, Mauer!" This catch was then featured in MLB 11: The Show.

Mauer also appeared as a playable character in Backyard Baseball 2009.

Personal Life

Mauer in July 2008

Joe Mauer was known for wearing long sideburns throughout his career. On August 10, 2006, the Twins even had a "Joe Mauer Sideburns Night." They gave out fake sideburns to fans!

On December 11, 2011, Mauer announced his engagement to Maddie Bisanz. She was his girlfriend and also a graduate of his high school. They got married on December 1, 2012. The Mauers had twin daughters born on July 24, 2013. In November 2018, they welcomed a son.

Family Members

Joe's older brother, Jake, was also drafted by the Twins in 2001. Jake played in the minor leagues and later became a manager for Twins' minor league teams.

Joe's other brother, Billy, also played in the Twins' minor league system. He pitched for three seasons before shoulder problems ended his playing career. Billy now owns car dealerships.

Joe's father, Jake Mauer II, developed the Mauer Quickswing hitting aid. Joe, his brothers, and Paul Molitor appeared in videos promoting the equipment. Jake Mauer II passed away in January 2023.

Joe's cousin, Ken Mauer, was a referee in the NBA. Another cousin, Mark Mauer, was a college football coach and player.

See also

In Spanish: Joe Mauer para niños