Twins’ Joe Mauer added to 2024 Hall of Fame ballot, should he get in?
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) - The National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for 2024 is out, and one name on it will certainly catch the eyes of Minnesota Twins fans.
In his first year of eligibility, former Twins’ catcher and first baseman Joe Mauer has the chance to be put among the best baseball players of all time. To be eligible, one must play for 10 major league seasons and be retired for at least five years. Voting is done by about 400 Baseball Writers Association of America members, and to get into the Hall of Fame, a nominee must get 75 percent of the vote. Writers can put up to 10 games on their ballot.
Mauer is one of 12 new names – the others are pitchers Bartolo Colon and James Shields, catcher-designated hitter Victor Martinez, second basemen Chase Utley and Brandon Phillips, third basemen Adrian Beltre and David Wright, shortstop Jose Reyes, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and outfielders José Bautista and Matt Holliday.
There are also 14 names from the 2023 ballot that didn’t get in – Todd Helton, Billy Wagner, Andruw Jones, Garry Sheffield, Mark Buehrle, Andy Pettitte, Fransico Rodriguez, Jimmy Rollins, Alex Rodriguez, Omar Vizquel, Bobby Abreu, Carlos Beltran, Torii Hunter and Manny Ramirez.
Will Mauer get in on his first try? Should he. The short answer is probably not.
Mauer did as much for the Twins as arguably any player in franchise history. He spent all 15 major league seasons in Minnesota. He won three American League batting titles in 2006, 2008 and 2009 – all as a catcher. He won the AL MVP award in 2009, hitting a career-high .365 with 28 homers and had 96 RBI, which are also career-highs.
The St. Paul native is a Twins’ Hall of Famer and had his No. 7 jersey retired by the team. He retired from baseball in 2018 and spent his final five seasons at first base. But in his final game with the Twins, he put on the catcher’s gear one last time and caught one pitch before exiting his last game.
But one stat should and will impact his Hall of Fame chances: The number is zero. He didn’t lead the Twins to a World Series. In fact, despite an award-filled career, the Twins won just one playoff game with Mauer in the lineup. The Twins ended an 18-game playoff losing streak this year, and a 21-year series drought.
Mauer had a career record of 1-13 in the postseason, and that matters when you’re talking about the National Baseball Hall of Fame. What he did at the plate as a catcher was nothing short of amazing, but championships matter when you’re talking about being considered among the best to play the game.
We love Mauer, pretty much everybody in Minnesota does, but he’s not a first ballot Hall of Famer. It can be argued that he might never get in.