As a boy growing up in Minnesota in the 2000s/2010s, Joe Mauer meant everything to us. As the local boy from St. Paul, he could not have been a better representative of the franchise, both from his on the field success and his off the field character. Regardless of if Mauer gets into the HOF or not, he will always be meaningful to me and arguably the greatest Twin of all time.

He will eventually. 3 batting titles. one of the best hitting catchers of all time. Good hitter at the sports hardest position.

Kirby Puckett and Joe Mauer mean more to the Minnesota faithful than words can express. The twins are the only major Minnesota sports team to have won a championship since the Vikings before the Superbowl. These guys were the reason that we fell in love with the Twins from our earliest memories.

As a Minnesotan Mauer and Morneau are the reason I learned to love baseball as a kid. I went to and watched their games, I collected their cards, and I wore their numbers for my jerseys. I sincerely hope Mauer makes it in, he definitely deserves it in my opinion.

I feel like he'll eventually make it, just not in the first ballot. The only real gripe any voter can point to is his lack of durability, but that didn't stop them from putting in other guys with shorter primes. Him and Jason Kendall were really the unicorns of their position. Contact first hitters who could get on base and have some sneaky speed. Not to mention good defense.

I worked for 8 years in an analytical MLB team’s front office (TBR for most of it) in R&D. Mauer’s career peak was relatively short, but if the HOF were about player value, including opportunity cost, then Mauer is absolutely deserving. First-ballot even. Also, baseball reference defensive WAR is invalid and a misdirection. It means almost nothing in terms of predictive weight, particularly for catchers and corner infielders. Also, in terms of player value, home runs are predictive, but are still only one of many variables. Mauer was one of the most productive offensive players at his peak, better than a large chunk of HOFs at the bottom of the defensive spectrum, because he got on base, put the ball in play effectively (.341 BABIP), struck out far less than league average, and walked more than league average. In terms of pure hitting ability, he was arguably the best in the AL at his peak, and definitely in the top percentiles of all-time. Plus, Mauer was one of the best defensive catchers at his peak. Having an elite offensive player at catcher, especially one who is a defensive asset, adds tens of millions in value out of opportunity cost. Rosters and lineups have a fixed size. Mauer was a far better catcher than any of the Twins’ opponents catchers, and a better hitter than most of the Twins’ opponents best hitters at any position. And his name at catcher, gave the Twins the opportunity to add cheap runs at positions like first base and DH-where offensive output is cheapest to procure. Having an elite first basemen or right fielder or DH on the other hand, forces teams to spend MORE when they need to add runs, as the only way to add more would be at positions that come with a more expensive defensive premium. So Mauer, HOF, hands down.

6 time all star, MVP, 5 time SS, 3x batting champion (which is impressive for a catcher) - he’s no doubt a Hall of Fame

I grew up in Northwest Wisconsin, mom was a Twins fan, and dad was a Brewers fan, and we got both games on tv growing up and Joe Mauer was one of my favorites even though I’m a Brewers fan, in the late 2000’s early 2010’s it was hard to find many catchers better than Mauer, I think he’s a slam dunk hall of famer

Please do a Rick Ankiel video, he was a inspiration to cardinals fans. His story is so crazy I’ve never heard another one like it! And some of the throws he made from the outfield are mind blowing!!!

WOW I made the video! Didn't expect such a quick turn around. Thank you so much. He was a hero of mine growing up and I love seeing recognition for a Minnesota legend. You bring up a lot of great points for and against him getting inducting. I think the injuries preventing him to play more as a catcher will be the overall deciding factor. Still, I'm really hoping he'll make it in.

Joe Mauer Career accolades: * Drafted #1 overall * 5 time Silver Slugger * 3 time Gold Glove * 2009 AL MVP * 6 time All Star * Career batting Average of .306 * Career OBP of .388 * Career OPS .827 * 2nd all time in hits for the Twins * Only American League cather to ever win a batting title (he did it 3 times) * over 400 Doubles * the only catchers with more career WAR than Mauer are either in the HOF or are Joe Torre and Josh Gibson. * in Terms of WAR again, Mauer has the best 10 year stretch ever for a catcher. *from 2006-2010, no AL hitter had more fangraphs WAR than Mauer. * all time leader in Batting Average as a Catcher at .328 * Only Micky Cochrane has a Hugher career OBP than Mauer as a Catcher. * According to Baseball Prospectus, only 5 catchers saved more runs from 2004 to 2011. This man VERY CLEARLY deserves HOF.

I had him on my fantasy baseball team his breakout year.. he helped me win the whole thing and I didn't know him before that, instant fan

I watched him from high school to retirement my boy belongs in the hall!

Can you please do a video about the 2011-2015 Detroit Tigers. It was crazy they never accomplished anything with that loaded roster and rotation

Man I miss and love this mid to late 2000's baseball.

As a Tigers fan I was always worried going against Mauer and Morneau. I also really really hated going against Grady Sizemore, Hafner and Martinez before we got him.

Sneaking a Brandon Inge mention into my life in 2023? I love it. Not only would he be a great RefGuess Hard tier, but a video wouldn't be half bad either. Started as the Tigers catcher, but then they signed Pudge. Was able to transition to 3B and hang on, but then they traded for Cabrera. Lucky for him a 3B Cabrera didn't pan out, and he held on for those early 2010s playoff runs

I personally think Joe Mauer is going to benefit from the fact that pretty much all the baseball writers like him personally, that goes much farther than it probably should.

Honestly, I hope Joe does make it to the HOF. I believe he has the accolades despite of the argument against him that you brought up. It might not be 1st ballot but hopefully eventually he does make it.

Like so many others here in Minnesota Joe Mauer is my favorite player of all time, I think he deserves to be a hall of famer and it was an absolute joy growing up watching him and being able to model after a guy like that. Thanks Jolly for making this video!

Just discovered your videos recently and have enjoyed them a lot. Joe Mauer was before my time as a baseball fan but man did he have a hell of a career. Would love a video on my favorite player of all time and a teammate of mauers in the same boat Torii Hunter.

I hope so as a twins fan who moved to Minnesota after his prime, the impact he had on the twins was huge. So I think he should be

Hear me out…. Dustin Pedroia should have HOF votes. Maybe not a first rounder but he should have some votes

8:04 "Granted, it's tough to hit a lot of bombs in Minnesota, especially target field" unless the year is 2019 ;)

Another banger, jolly. Best channel on KZfaq

Loved thee video! You should really do one of these for Buster Posey. His candidacy is very interesting.

I’m a Yankees fan but joe mauer will forever be one of my favorite players

He can definitely get in. He is 1 of 8 catchers to get 2000 hits as a catcher which is pretty amazing. And In his prime he was definitely one of the faces of baseball. He was on the cover of MLB the Show 11. Even if he doesn’t get in to the HOF he will certainly go down as a great player. I grew up in CT and I remember he was briefly with the AA new Britain Rock Cats and I was young but I remember seeing him. I mostly remember Justin Morneau… man those are wonderful memories

Another excellent video! Joe Mauer was one of my favorite players growing up in the 2010s. It will be a travesty if he doesn't make the hall. Also a video idea could be about Edgar Renteria. He hits the walkoff in game 7 of the 1997 world series and then 13 years later he wins world series MVP.

He should. One of the greatest offensive catchers of all time

There was a time this was a no brainer. I truly hope so, eventually. There's going to be an interesting logjam of players coming up

He should be a hall of famed, Im not a twins fan but I have lots of family that are and watched him play tons of games and he was really good

wow its just crazy how old i feel lmmfao. I saw mauer come up when i was like 10 and watched him his whole career. And now hes up for the hall of fame.... damn times flies!

Met Joe in spring training one year. Stand up guy. Amazing player. Might not make it on the first ballot but he 100% deserves to be in the HOF. Even though he did fall off toward the end of his career due to injuries, I don’t count the lack of milestones as harshly on him

Great video. Loved watching Mauer. It would be pretty cool to see a video about Mike Bordick. Not known for his hitting but was one of the best fielders. He set Major League records for most consecutive errorless games (110) and chances (543) by a shortstop.

Would like to see a video on Micheal Young

Joe Mauer is one of the best hitting catchers of all time and the face of the Twins franchise for many years, of course he is a hall of famer

Thanks for making this. Very insightful. I have a couple of questions from your video since I'm still learning a lot about the game. Why are first basemen usually considered great hitters on offense? And why are catchers usually considered poor hitters on offense?

Great video Jolly! Maybe I missed something but I think you repeated the same stat about Mauer's 2009 WAR value twice at 4:40 then again at 5:27. Looks like the same table both times too, just displayed differently

Mauer NEEDS to be in the hall no doubt!!! love your content Jolly could you cover Roy Halladay’s career in a solo video?

It is hard for catchers to get in. I definitely think Mauer should get in. Likewise, i think Salvy Perez from my Royals should deserve to get in when he's done (5 gold gloves, 4 silver sluggers, 7 all star games, has a WS championship and a WS MVP Award, he's been the best offensive and defensive catcher his entire career, and had a record breaking 48 home runs in a season which is most ever by a catcher.)

He'll be Minnesota's version of Ted Simmons. He'll go in. It'll just be decades later. It'll be some kind of special selection like we've been seeing the last couple years. Was Mauer great? When he was healthy he was the best offensive catcher in the game. But if you look at his numbers post-2010, he'd be in the hall of very good. But the good thing for himself and Twins fans, is it is now the hall of very good. Thanks to as I mentioned before the special selections. I'm a diehard St.Louis Cardinals fan. But if you think Ted Simmons deserves to be in the HOF I got a bridge in Brooklyn for sale.

Based on recent criteria of letting guys in with short peaks and throwing counting stats out the window completely....sure...he'll probably get in

Good video. You should do a vid on the case of yadi. I know you said his case is less compelling, but I think him and Mauer are deserving of getting in

Jolly olive doesn’t miss 🎯another dope ass video. Can you do a video on Jose Reyes or Matt kemp?🔥🔥

Great video Jolly! I’d love to see one on Sammy Sosa!

I have zero interest in the Hall of Fame, too many awful choices and too many pathetic voters, but I like discussions about why players were great. Excellent video!

Him and Mourneau were my fav duo back then

You should do Paul Konerko. Or just the 2005 white Sox in general. I think it’s a great story

Im a born and raised Twins fan, Mauer as a C is a HOF. Mauer as a 1B is NOT a HOF. So it really comes down to how dominant his time as a C was

2:04 - He wasn't QUITE as local as Mauer was, but as a Nebraskan, Alex Gordon also grew up a Royals fan. The drive time from Lincoln to Kansas City is about the same as the drive time from Moorhead to Minneapolis - there just happen to be a couple state borders in the way for the former. As for the thesis of the video itself, I hope the voters don't overthink things. Mauer's career WAR is pretty much exactly typical for a Hall of Fame catcher, and he has as many batting titles as all other catchers combined. He belongs there.

He was fun to watch. I hope he gets in. I mean he was on the show cover two years in a row as a catcher there hasn’t been another catcher to grace the cover since

In a word: Yes. Mauer is one of if not the greatest hitting catcher of all time!

A little twist on the “remember how good this guy was” series: Field a playoff caliber 26-Man roster of guys with top tier names (since the wild card era). I’m talking guys like Coco Crisp, Boof Bonser, and Buck Farmer (just a good, strong name)

Idk man, I've had beef with the HoF voters ever since they disrespected Paul Konerko like they did.

the way i see it, he's a top 3 catcher of all time, and the greatest twin of all time, he inspired most, if not all baseball and softball players from MN, he's going in first ballot

it’s important to note just how few first basemen in the DRS era have even a single year of positive dWAR. the defensive spectrum hits that position _hard_

They need to fix the oversight of not having Andrew Jones in the Hall. What a bunch of nonsense. Mauer should be in for sure. The BBHOF is too exclusionary and the PFHOF is too easy to get in. One thing I am interested in is do post season numbers matter to the HOF?

I think Mauer gets in and deserves it. Catchers are always assessed differently precisely for the reason you stated-it's a tough, physically and mentally demanding position, and it's so important that teams prioritize the defensive part of the position first. He was not only one of the best defensive catchers of his era, but also a great game caller and an elite hitter. I think there's also something to be said for how humbly, graciously, and non-controversially he played the game; if that's something that's going to be held against some players, then it stands to reason that someone epitomizing the good virtues of baseball should be rewarded for it. I think there are comparison similarities between Joe Mauer's case for the Hall of Fame and Felix Hernandez winning the Cy Young in 2010. Hernandez went 13-12 that season, but was at or near the top of the league in pretty much every other relevant category. There was a lot of debate and talk about whether the player putting up amazing stats should be punished for their teams lack of success. There was real fear about the rangers of relying on statistics, and how winning is what really mattered. To me, Hernandez winning that award ushered in the sabremetric era. It proved that incredible individual performance could not only be seen, but recognized even if the team success wasn't there. It paved the way for players like Mike Trout to win MVP despite being on perennially abysmal teams. I think Joe Mauer presents a test ir case study of how stats vs wins will be viewed moving forward in the assessment of the totality of a career and impact on the game, and not just an individual season.

I hope Mauer gets in. He was so much fun to watch growing up, he still does a ton of charity work, and he will always be classy in my eyes. A player I’d love you to talk about Chone Figgins. He was my favorite player growing up. Doesn’t get a lot of talk about his style of play but he influenced me. He was a speedster. Played a good shortstop.

as a minnesotan (not bias haha) i think he deserves the HOF no questions asked

Could you please make a video on the 1999 diamondbacks? A very interesting & underrated story

At every position , the top-15 players in career fWAR are either HOFers or barred for cheating. The only current exceptions are 2B and CF, which both will be fixed when Jones/Utley get elected and Whitaker/Grich/Edmonds/Lofton get in through Veterans Committee, and C. Mauer is 15th among catchers in fWAR. It would truly be a disservice to the catcher position if Mauer doesn’t get in, along with Posey, McCann, Molina, and Martin

This video aged beautifully like a nice liquor. SO HAPPY the man made FIRST BALLOT HALL OF FAMER!

Even though he doesn’t have the gaudy career totals, Mauer’s a hall of famer for how good he was when he played. His peak was incredible.

Wsp my guy love ur content

Growing up the two catchers I cared about were Joe Mauer and Buster Posey

Mauer's one of those guys that I WANT to see get in the Hall, but isn't a certainty to actually make it in. If he does, I feel like it'll come via the Larry Walker route: start off slow, then build up a loyal following who champions him each year til he gains enough momentum to get in. If people are going to ding Scott Rolen for not 'looking like a Hall of Famer', then Mauer should get props for being the undisputed face of his team and city and looking exactly like a Hall of Fame talent during his peak.

I find it hard to say that anyone who wins 3 batting titles doesn't belong in the HoF. Also, if Buster Posey is a first ballot HoFer (which most people think he is) i also find it hard to say Mauer shouldn't also get in, just not first ballot. (Also, is Posey such a sure thing for HoF if he's not on a team that wins multiple WS rings, doubtful) I think people genuinely forget how good of a hitter Mauer really was in his prime. He didn't have the flashy power numbers that some HoF catchers have but few, if any catchers ever were as good contact hitters as Mauer. He should absolutely get in the HoF, just not first ballot.

I forgot about Joe Mauer. Thanks for reminding me what kind of player he was. He'll get in at some point.

Please do a video on buster posey hall of fame odds

I would love to see a video on Jose Bautista, he had a very interesting career

I never understood why the Twins kept him behind the plate. HOF bat, "meh" catcher skills. They ground him down for nothing.

I hated joe Mauer as a tigers fan but I think he’s definitely a hall of famer

This video def shows me some things I didn't realize. I do think his skills are HOF worthy but idk if he played enough for them to vote him in.

Can you please make a video about Mallex smith, he led the league in SB back in 2019 and is out of the league now before he even turned 30

I need a short vid of how SF giants claim Cody Ross off waivers from the marlins and then just goes off for the giants and just wins the NLCS MVP

I think Yadi should be 1st ballot, Mauer and Posey should definitely make the hall too imo

can you please do a vid on josh bell he is so underrated also love this channel!

As someone that obsessively followed baseball in the late 00s and early 10s, Joe Mauer absolutely belongs in the Hall. Incredible stud catcher.

I agree Mauer is a better hitter than Yadier, but Molina had the better career running away imo. He was top 2 defensively for the better part 2 decades, won 4 Plat gloves and 9 gold gloves, is arguably the best framer the game has ever seen, was about 10% better than league average as a hitter over his ten year prime, making him far better than the league average catcher, and he hit a career .280 playing over 2200 games in 19 years, all at the catcher position. He finished top 5 in MVP voting twice and top 3 one of those times. That, plus the team success and maintaining a 20 yr stretch of defensive excellence while playing for one squad, Yadi certainly has the better case imo, although I think both certainly deserve to be in the hall and I think Buster is the best of both worlds and is basically the ideal version of a hybrid between Yadi and Mauer and is pretty much certain to make the hall if he has just a few more years at the production he’s had for the last decade, in fact even with out it I’d say he’s still got a great case and a stronger one than both of the other two as anything you can apply to them applies to him and then some except for the longevity which there is no reason to believe he won’t have at the end of the day

Can you do a video about Brandon Crawford? Love ur content

Once you put in rolen you have to put in a lot of B+ caliber players

Yes

As much as I’d love him to be a first balloter, it’ll take him a few years to get in. His lack of power is a minus, but the guy was a freaking monster when it comes to XBH. Not only was he a great ballplayer, but he is also an amazing human as well.

Huge Twins fan here. I was 12 years old when Joe won his MVP. He’s the reason that thousands of minnesotans are baseball fans. The hometown kid who got a lot of flak for not hitting enough homers in spite of his excellence in every other aspect of the game. He famously only struck out once in High School baseball. Both he and Morneau had the primes of their careers cut short by concussions. Just a damn shame… I don’t see how he wouldn’t make the hall. If he doesn’t make it in 10 years on the ballot, the veterans committee will vote him in.

another thing to mention: he played a _majority_ of his career at either DH, first base, or pinch hitter. the mere fact it’s less than half might be enough to keep him off some ballots.

i know its kind of random, and if you don't do a video on him I completely understand, my favorite player of all time for me for some reason has always been Justin Turner and I think he is a very interesting player with how good he is with runners on base and as far as I remember last year (correct me if I'm wrong) he lead the league in batting average from may-august I know batting average istn every by any stretch of the mind but idk what I'm even saying anymore sorry :)

For me, it’s two things: 1. Mauer is arguably the greatest catcher in his era. 2. He is the greatest Twins player of his era. I think both of those can get you into the hall.

You're absolutely insane if you don't think he belongs. Outside of Yadi, name me another catcher from the 00s that matched both his level of offensive production AND defensive value. I don't buy the argument that his later years spent at first base harm his candidacy either - guys like Pujols and Griffey were objectively bad in the back third of their careers and yet both are first ballot or soon to be first ballot guys, all while playing less defensively taxing positions as well.

I'd say he deserves to get in. He was a great hitter, a great catcher, and a great person. He probably won't get in on the first ballot. He was a top 3 player at catcher. But the writers didn't vote in Fred McGriff over 15 years, so you never know. I don't think Piazza even got in on the first ballot and he's arguably the best offensive catcher of all-time. So, we'll see.

I lived in St. Paul for over 30 years less than a half mile from Cretin-Derham Hall. I worked 2nd shift at the Ford plant and often before work I would stop and watch Cretin-Derham Baseball games. Joe was a player from a different world. He had a swing like DiMaggio. He was a great MLB player, but I felt that he wasn't much of a leader. That and as great of a hitter as he was, teams started to figure him out and would shift leading Joe to hit into lots of double plays, many at the worst time. That said I do hope he makes it into the Hall.

I’d love to see a video on Billy Wagner and other similar caliber closes that the HOF committee seems to dislike

Mauer and Posey are the 2 catchers that should be in the hall, but of course the numbers arent all there, but look at their resume, they deserve to be in the hall, also they played in pitcher friendly parks

I sincerely hope so. Mauer was the main reason I kept watching baseball while I was dealing with the lost of my favorite team, the Expos.

Lmao FIRST BALLOT. Much deserved. Greatest hitting catcher of all time when he was in his prime. 3 batting titles, MVP, Gold glove winner, 5 slugging titles, and 6 all stars. If I’m taking a catcher in his prime on an all time team I’m taking 2009 Joe Mauer.

If the concussion ended his career entirely, instead of pushing him to first, he'd be put in on the first ballot like Kirby Puckett.

I don't know. The lack of durability and dingers hurts his case, without question. He is one of those guys where I would be fine with him getting in but it won't break my heart if he doesn't either. He's better than some players in but I think you can find better players who are not as well. However, not a ton of better catchers, so that is pretty big too. The black ink helps him a lot too.

Jared Weaver pitched for the San Diego Padres and also the California Angels.

Catcher is really the only position in baseball that kind of stands on its own when it comes to Hall of Fame voting in terms of looking at your stats in comparison to your position. I'm personally of the "only the best of the best of the best should make the cut" mindset and even then, I think he deserves it. Maybe not first ballot, but he'll get in for sure. The case that really piques my interest is Buster Posey. I've heard people (mostly Giants fans) say he's a slam dunk to make it and I just don't see it. Baseball values longevity and durability, neither things Buster had.