Final Card Friday: 2018 Joe Mauer

Joe Mauer was a modern day Mickey Cochrane. I urge you to compare the two and see their similarities. In 2024, Mauer will debut on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. Though I’m not sure if Mauer will be a first-ballot selection, I’m confident he will one day see his plaque hanging in Cooperstown.

During his fifteen year career, Joe Mauer was a six-time All-Star, three-time AL batting champion, three-time Gold Glove Award winner, and .306 career hitter…primarily as a catcher. Even though he spent the final five seasons of his career as a first baseman, Mauer ranks statistically as one of the top ten catchers of all time. Eight times he hit over .300. Mauer’s best seasons were his batting title years of 2006 (.347), 2008 (.328), and 2009 (.365).  With such accomplishments, there’s little argument that he was one of the greatest hitting catchers to ever play.

Without a doubt, 2009 was Mauer’s greatest season, and it was one of the finest seasons any catcher has ever had. Not only did he win the batting title with a .365 mark, but he also set career-highs in home runs (28) and runs batted in (96). He posted career and league-leading bests in SLG (.587), OBP (.444), OPS (1.031), and OPS+ (171). Other than Mike Piazza’s 1997 season, it’s the second greatest offensive season any catcher has ever had.

The 2,000 hit plateau seems to be a benchmark for Hall of Fame voters. Joe Mauer reached that mark in 2017 and finished his career with 2,123 knocks. That feat, along with his .306 career average, and his All-American public personae, will serve his candidacy well.

Joe Mauer’s final seasons should also help his candidacy. There’s something to be said for declining gracefully in your career, and that’s what Mauer did. His final APBA card exemplifies this. For the season, Mauer hit .282. I project this card to produce a .281 average. It’s a typical double-column Mauer card, producing singles and doubles. Impressively, Mauer is a First baseman (4) for the season, and he even managed to get a Catcher (5) rating because he played his last big league inning behind the plate. For those who have Mauer in their APBA leagues, Mauer should produce a fine swansong season.

As a Tigers fan, I was able to see Joe Mauer tear up my team for fifteen years. Though I found other Tiger Killers more annoying (Nelson Cruz), I never minded Mauer’s success against my club. He was so classy, I found myself appreciating his greatness. I hope that in the near future he will be enshrined in Cooperstown so every generation can appreciate that greatness.