St. Paul Native and Former Minnesota Twin Joe Mauer Headed to Cooperstown as First Ballot Hall of Famer

(KNSI) — Joe Mauer, welcome to Cooperstown.

The former Minnesota Twins catcher was voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday as a first ballot nominee.

The St. Paul native was selected by the Twins with the first overall pick in the 2001 MLB Draft and went on to be the first catcher to lead the league in all four offensive categories in a single season, the first American League catcher to win a batting title in 2006 and the only catcher in MLB history to win three. He was a six time All-Star, five time Silver Slugger, three time Gold Glover, and AL MVP.

Mauer spent his entire career with his hometown nine and retired in 2018. His final home run was a grand slam against the Yankees at Target Field in September of 2018. It was a 3-2 count and his only swing of the at-bat. Watch the goosebump inducing footage by clicking here.

He became a member of the Twins Hall of Fame in 2023, and the club also retired his number, 7.

Mauer will be inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, and Jim Leyland on July 21st.

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