Joe Mauer enjoying retirement after legendary Twins career
MINNEAPOLIS (BVM) – A little over a decade ago, Joe Mauer was one of the best players in Major League Baseball. A solid catcher and feared hitter, Mauer became a fan favorite across the state of Minnesota as the face of the Twins’ franchise.
Mauer’s career came to a gradual end, and he retired in 2018. He has since stayed close to baseball but has also enjoyed his time away from the game.
Joe Mauer’s early life
Born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, Mauer starred in football, basketball and baseball at Cretin-Derham Hall High School. On the hardwood, Mauer averaged 20 points per game as an all-state player. On the football field, he led Cretin-Derham Hall to a state title in 1999. As a senior in 2000, the quarterback threw for 3,022 yards and 41 touchdowns while completing 66% of his passes.
Mauer was named the USA Today Player of the Year and 2001 Gatorade National Player of the Year, committing to play football at Florida State University.
However, Mauer’s elite talent on the baseball diamond was also evident. Hailing from the same high school as baseball legend Paul Molitor, Mauer was special at Cretin-Derham Hall, hitting over .500 each season, and reportedly only striking out once over his four years. As a senior, Mauer hit over .600, earning USA Today Player of the Year honors in baseball as well – becoming the only athlete to earn that distinction in two sports in the same year.
Joe Mauer absolutely dominated high school baseball pic.twitter.com/61BP5pg4me
— Kent (@RealKentMurphy) November 12, 2018
Joe Mauer’s Minnesota Twins career
Ultimately, Mauer decided to forgo playing football in college and enter the MLB draft. His home-state Minnesota Twins held the No. 1 overall pick in 2001, and they used it on the star catcher.
Joe Mauer, 2001 MLB Draft 1st Pick Overall. Cretin HS. #MLBDraft #MLBTwitter #milb #StPaul #twins #minnesota #hittingtwitter #doubles #basehit #MNTwins #joemauer pic.twitter.com/cEgzwnxXXy
— Lansky (@lansky_baseball) June 9, 2020
It took until 2004 for Mauer to reach the big leagues, getting two hits in his MLB debut. However, Mauer would play just 35 games in his first season due to a nagging knee injury.
After showing promise in 2005 with a .294 batting average, the 6-foot-5 catcher had a true breakout in his first All-Star campaign in 2006, leading the league with a .347 batting average, becoming the first catcher in American League history to do so. Mauer also added 13 home runs and 84 RBIs in the ‘06 season.
Following a down 2007 season where he battled through a few different nagging injuries, Mauer put together three consecutive All-Star campaigns in 2008, 2009 and 2010 while becoming one of the best players in baseball. Batting .327 or better each season, the highlight of the stretch was 2009 when Mauer hit 28 home runs with 96 RBIs, batting a ridiculous league-high .365. Mauer went on to win the AL MVP award, becoming the first catcher to ever lead the league in average, on-base and slugging percentage in one season.
#OTD in #MNTwins history in 2009, Joe Mauer won the American League MVP! pic.twitter.com/tdsDQSGDTY
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) November 23, 2021
Mauer signed an eight-year, $184-million deal with the Twins following his MVP season, sticking with his hometown team when he could have opted for a big market like New York. The catcher again put together All-Star campaigns in 2010, 2012 and 2013. Mauer remained the best catcher in baseball with an average of .319 or better in each of those seasons, with his only down year during that stretch coming in another injury-shortened campaign in 2011 as he battled back from arthroscopic knee surgery.
In 2014, as Mauer began aging, the Twins moved him to first base as knee injuries and a concussion suffered in 2013 began catching up with him. His numbers began declining in the home stretch of his career, but he was still impressive, batting .305 and .282 in his final two seasons in 2017 and 2018.
When it was all said and done, Mauer’s 15-year career had not only made a massive impact on the Twins, but all of Major League Baseball as a whole. Mauer set numerous hitting marks for catchers over his career, including becoming the first AL catcher to win a batting title and holding the most batting titles among catchers all time with three.
Playing in over 1,800 games in his career, Mauer hit .306 with a .388 on-base percentage and .439 slugging percentage, adding 2,123 hits, 143 home runs, 923 RBIs and 1,018 runs. He was a six-time All-Star, earned three Gold Glove awards and won five Silver Slugger awards.
Joe Mauer’s endeavors during MLB career
Throughout his MLB career, Mauer was a popular figure in the league. Over the years, he was featured in commercials for companies such as Head & Shoulders, Pepsi, ESPN, Fox Sports, Gatorade and PlayStation 3. Mauer also appeared on the cover of the “MLB 10: The Show” and “MLB 11: The Show” video games.
Meanwhile, the star catcher’s family helped create a product called Joe Mauer’s Quickswing, allowing kids to practice hitting by themselves.
Mauer and his family have also held baseball camps and clinics through the years, creating Mauers Baseball School.
Mauer’s trademark sideburns were also something fans enjoyed throughout the years, and in 2010, the Twins decided to have a “Joe Mauer Sideburns Night” where the first 10,000 fans were given fake sideburns to mimic Mauer’s signature look.
Joe Mauer’s personal life, net worth
After living with teammate Justin Morneau throughout part of his MLB career, Mauer got married to fellow Cretin-Derham Hall grad Maddie Bisanz in 2012. The couple had twin daughters, Emily and Maren, in 2013, and another son, Charles, in 2018.
Mauer comes from a baseball family, as his dad, Jake Sr., was a longtime baseball coach, while his brothers, Jake Jr. and Billy, actually spent time with the Twins organization as well.
Joe made over $223 million in career earnings during his MLB career and is believed to have a net worth of around $100 million.
Joe Mauer’s life since retirement
Joe was always a beloved Twins player, but towards the end of his stint in the pros, some fans grew frustrated with his injuries and decreased production based on the big money he was making.
This shirt I swear to god
Hold me back guys hold me back pic.twitter.com/O4fhjNi35V— Bill_TPA, formerly (@BillTWIBH) August 25, 2018
Yet, the catcher always remained humble, showed little emotion, and stuck with the Twins through a lot of down years and a lack of playoff success. In his final game in 2018, Joe hit a double in his last at-bat. In a classy move, the Twins let him take one last pitch at catcher for the first time since 2013 in the top of the ninth, as Joe walked off to a standing ovation.
Now catching for the Minnesota @Twins, #7, JOE MAUER pic.twitter.com/gg9FDKVevX
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) September 30, 2018
While it hasn’t happened yet, since the day Joe retired, there has been speculation he would join Minnesota as a coach or become part of the Twins’ front office.
“No matter what happens, I’ll be here and be ready to help this team win in the future,” Joe said during his retirement news conference.
Joe Mauer has announced his retirement. Here's the letter the Twins have released to the fans from their long-time star: pic.twitter.com/YD6GqGE7Xf
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) November 9, 2018
It is likely Mauer officially finds a new role with the Twins at some point, but for now, he has kept busy in retirement. On June 15, 2019, Mauer had his No. 7 retired by the Twins, as June 15 was declared “Joe Mauer Day” across Minnesota.
The rest of Mauer’s retirement has been pretty standard thus far. He has spent plenty of time with his family, becoming an assistant coach for his daughters’ soccer team. He has also played a lot of golf and has teed it up in the American Century Championship since 2019, finishing 48th at the event’s most recent tournament in 2022.
Mauer has also begun giving back in his post-playing career. Last summer, he hosted the Mauer Friends and Kids Classic at Target Field, benefitting Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare. The home run derby featured former teammates and Twins fan-favorites like Morneau, Jim Thome, Trevor Plouffe, Brian Dozier and Nick Punto.
The Twins’ legend certainly has a Hall of Fame case when he first becomes eligible in a couple of years, and a debate has been going on since the final years of his playing career on whether he is worthy or not. Regardless of if and when that happens, the Minnesota kid got to live out his dream with his home-state team for 15 years and cemented a truly special legacy in the game of baseball.
