Joe Mauer celebrates unveiling of his statue at Target Field

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Joe Mauer became a permanent part of Target Field and Minnesota Twins baseball on Sunday.

"This will be around forever. Bronze never goes away. Everything can go away, you can have a war and that thing will still be there," artist Bill Mack said.

Joe Mauer statue unveiled

Local perspective:

The 8-foot statue means a lot to Twins fans who believe Mauer earned every bit of it. 

Mauer spent his entire career in Minnesota and collected 3 Golden Gloves, 5 Silver Slugger awards, and a 2009 AL MVP award. His jersey number seven was later retired, and last year he was enshrined in Cooperstown’s Hall of Fame.

"He was humble. He was competitive. He was kind, and he was the best catcher to ever put on a Twins uniform," Mauer's longtime teammate Justin Morneau told Sunday’s crowd.

"For all that Joe Mauer accomplished on the field, he never lost sight of who he was, or where he came from," fellow ’17 statue honoree Tom Kelly added. "He carried himself with humility and grace no matter how intense the pressure."

Mauer on statue

What they're saying:

Mauer hopes his bronze likeness will inspire the next generation of great athletes.

"To be here as people walk in to watch our current Twins, it means a lot to me… to see it cemented here at Target Field is very special to me," Mauer said. "It means more to me than you guys will ever know… very special for me to kind of put a bow on the career here in Minnesota."