Joe Mauer

Joseph Patrick Mauer (born April 19, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher and first baseman who spent his entire 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Minnesota Twins. Regarded as one of the greatest contact hitters at the catcher position in his prime, Mauer is the only catcher in MLB history to win three batting titles, and the only catcher to ever win a batting title in the American League (AL). Internationally, Mauer represented the United States. Selected by the Twins with the first overall pick of the 2001 MLB draft, Mauer received six All-Star selections, won three consecutive Gold Glove Awards (2008–2010), five Silver Slugger Awards (including three in a row), and the 2009 AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. As of 2025, he is the most recent catcher to win the MVP award in the American League, and one of only two catchers to win an MVP in the 21st century, along with Buster Posey. In 2024, Mauer was inducted into both the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility and the National High School Hall of Fame.