A heralded prospect out of St. Paul, Minnesota, fresh-faced Joe Mauer became a star for his hometown Twins. In 2006, he became the first catcher in American League history to win the batting title, when he hit .347 with 181 hits. It was the first batting crown won by a receiver since 1942.
Quotes About Joe Mauer
"I watch Joe and he makes it look so easy. Everybody wants to hit like that. Everyone can kind of learn from the way he hits and his approach, as he doesn't seem to chase too much. Having a guy like that around helps me and everyone else, really." — Justin Morneau
Teams Joe Mauer Played For
Minnesota Twins (2004-2005)
Best Season: 2006 Hit a league-best .347, with 86 runs scored, 36 doubles, 13 homers, 84 RBI, 79 walks, a .507 SLG percentage, and an OBP of .429. Mauer also made great strides behind the plate, solidifying himself as a fine handler of pitchers, despite his young age. In July, he was named AL Player of the Month.
Where He Played Through his first two seasons (2004-2005), Mauer threw out 22 of 64 (34%) runners attempting to steal.
Born Joseph Patrick Mauer was born on April 19, 1983, in St. Paul, MN.
Batted: Left Threw: Right
Primary Position: C
Primary Team: MIN
College: None
Major League Debut April 5, 2004 ... Singled off Rafael Betancourt for first big league hit, vs. Cleveland at the Metrodome.
Similar Players Mauer has been compared to Johnny Bench, though as a young hitter, Mauer has not shown Bench's power.
Related Players Prior to his title in '06, the last catcher to win a batting crown had been Hall of Famer Ernie Lombardi... Justin Morneau... Jack Morris and Paul Molitor, two other products of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, who went on to fine major league careers.
Notes 2001 graduate of Cretin-Derham Hall (MN) High School where he played baseball, basketball and football . . . Led football team to two straight appearances in the Minnesota Class 5A Championship Game, winning the state title in 2000 . . . Named Gatorade's National Player of the Year, Parade and USA Today Player of the Year and Reebok/ESPN High School All-American in football . . . Signed a letter of intent to play football at Florida State University . . . Was All-State in basketball in junior and senior seasons . . . tied a national high school record by homering in seven consecutive games... Mauer batted .323 against right-handed pitchers in 2005, sixth in the American League...
Injuries and Explanation for Missed Playing Time Mauer was disabled with a medial meniscus tear in his left knee, from April 7-June 2, 2006. In mid-July, he re-injured that knee and missed the remainder of the season.
Best Strength as a Player Hitting to all fields, and his throwing arm.
Largest Weakness as a Player At least early in his career, he has yet tolearn to pull inside pitches for power. That will come.
