Twins: Is Joe Mauer a first ballot Hall-of-Famer?
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) - In exactly two weeks, we’ll find out who is in the 2024 class for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
It’s very possible that one very popular Minnesota Twins legend might get one of baseball’s greatest honors in his first try on the ballot. Former catcher and first baseman Joe Mauer will find out on Jan. 23 if he’s gotten enough votes to be inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
So far, he’s more than on track. About 400 ballots are cast, and seven names are on each ballot. Nominees require at least 75% of the vote to be inducted to Cooperstown, with the greatest to ever play baseball. As of the afternoon of Jan. 9, Mauer has been selected on 83.1% of ballots cast.
There are 127 ballots that have been made public, and another nine that are anonymous or unverifiable. Mauer has 113 votes. With two weeks to go, Mauer needs 175 more votes, or roughly 70.6% of the remaining ballots, to get the call. There’s obviously a long way to go, but Mauer’s is promising.
Even if he doesn’t get enough votes to get in on the first try, it’s a good start to getting there sooner rather than later.
Mauer played his entire 15-year career with his hometown team, the Twins. He was a catcher for about 11 seasons before spending most of his last four as a designated hitter or at first base. 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.
Mauer, a St. Paul native and former Cretin-Derham Hall multi-sport star, retired from baseball after the 2018 season. 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 biggest downfall? In 15 seasons, Mauer and the Twins won just one playoff game despite being in the postseason six times. We’ll find out on Jan. 23 if Mauer is a first ballot Hall-of-Famer.