Entry To Hall of Fame Gives Joe Mauer The Happy Ending His Career Deserves

Mauer only made it by less than a handful of votes, but at the end of the day, in is in and Joe is headed to Cooperstown

Twins great Joe Mauer talked Tuesday night about playing wiffle ball with his 5-year-old boy, Chip, earlier in the day. Not only did it function as fun for father and son, the activity helped Mauer pass the time until it was time to hear about the Hall of Fame.

Cooperstown called, sure enough, and informed Mauer he had been elected on the first ballot, getting 76.1 percent of the vote from baseball writers; he's only the third catcher in history after Johnny Bench and Ivan Rodríguez to reach the Hall of Fame on their first attempt. Mauer enters Cooperstown in a class that includes third baseman Adrian Beltre and first baseman Todd Helton, who also were elected by the BBWAA. The players, along with manager Jim Leyland, are scheduled to be inducted July 21.

The significance of the honor was not lost on Mauer, the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB draft in 2001 after growing up a Twins fan in St. Paul. Much of Mauer's life and most of his baseball career seemed like one dream come true after another. Except, perhaps, for his final five seasons with the Twins, after a concussion ended his time behind the plate. 

Mauer loved and appreciated hitting but he favored playing catcher because of the agency it allowed him on the field. For the same reasons he enjoyed excelling at quarterback in football and shooting guard in basketball while growing up, playing catcher in baseball allowed him to impact the game like few others.

"I loved having the baseball in my hands," Mauer told reporters in an online video conference.

And while he did his best to become the best first baseman he could from 2014-2018, the experience wasn't the same because Mauer couldn’t be the catcher anymore.

"I did miss catching," Mauer said. "I definitely missed the position. Catching is where my heart is. That's what I love to do. And I felt that we had the best chance to win when I was behind the plate."

Once a concussion diagnosis came, strapping on the catcher's gear  "wasn't in the cards anymore," he said.

Not looking for sympathy, Mauer added: "But I also was happy to be able to extend my career at first base and pass on the things I learned."

The concussion affected his vision and motor skills. Mauer in the final act of his career not only couldn't play catcher anymore, he wasn't the same hitter as before. Or when he could be, success was fleeting. Mauer hit .278/.359/.388 in his final 690 games — about 5 percent above league average when adjusted. In his first 10 seasons, Mauer hit .323/.405/.469 — about 35 percent above league average.

Further, in the final five seasons of Mauer's career, the Twins finished no better than second place, and twice came in last in the AL Central. It was time for Mauer to wrap it up. Mauer said he wasn't focused on making the Hall of Fame as a player, but he is aware how voters could have looked at the totality of his career, weighing the less-than-golden final seasons against the bulk of his prime, and not elected him.

"I'm glad enough writers did some digging," Mauer said. "The final years are not how you want to remember most players. My peak was who I was."

Right now, Mauer is busy being peak dad. Brain injuries, as they relate to parenting, surely factored into the decision to leave foul tips off the catcher's mask behind and switch positions. In retirement, Mauer is nearing age 41 in a relatively healthy state for a former pro athlete.

"I still feel it," Mauer said, speaking mostly of aches in his joints.

Retirement has been something of a mixed blessing overall, considering the recent deaths of his father and grandfather — two important individuals in starting Mauer on the road to the Hall of Fame.

Pivoting ahead, he is eager to take his kids to Cooperstown and show them the history of the "beautiful game" of baseball. A game that Mauer helped to make a little better. It's a proper way, a storybook way, for Mauer to top off his career.

"I can't wait to go," Mauer said.