Joe Mauer elected to Baseball Hall of Fame on first ballot

Joe Mauer is headed to Cooperstown.

If he needs directions, there are plenty of neighbors who can help.

Mauer became the 13th former Twins player, the 19th catcher, and most remarkably, the fourth son of St. Paul to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

“St. Paul, you know, it’s molded me into who I am today,” Mauer said after learning that he had been named on 289 of the 385 ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, a 76.1% plurality that cleared by just four votes the 75% necessary to receive the sport’s highest honor.

“The other Hall of Famers — Paul Molitor, Dave Winfield, Jack Morris — I know them all very well. St. Paul is a close-knit community, and I’ve learned from each of them, watching their careers.”

The other three all played briefly for their hometown team near the end of their careers, but only Mauer, drafted by the Twins with the overall No. 1 pick in 2001, wore a Twins uniform in every game of his 15-year career. He flourished just a few miles from his boyhood home, producing three AL batting championships, the 2009 American League MVP award, six All-Star appearances and three Gold Gloves.

Now he’ll be depicted wearing a Twins cap, the seventh Hall of Famer to do so, on a plaque permanently displayed at the museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., upon his induction on July 21.

“He’s what a Hall of Famer is all about,” said Bert Blyleven, a Hall of Famer himself who watched most of Mauer’s career from the broadcast booth. “He’s such a class individual, on the field and off the field. Of course he’d never say it about himself, but he’s very deserving.”

It’s beginning to sink in, Mauer acknowledged during a post-announcement press conference, that he’s now a permanent and prominent part of baseball’s history. He is only the third catcher ever to be elected on the first ballot, joining Johnny Bench in 1989 and Iván Rodríguez in 2017.

“I definitely don’t take that lightly. It’s an unbelievable honor,” Mauer said. “There are so many great catchers in the Hall of Fame — Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella. It’s not lost on me. … I’m still pinching myself to receive that type of news.”

He’ll get to meet many of those baseball heroes at his induction ceremony, where he will be joined on the dais by three other new inductees, two of whom were also elected Tuesday.

Adrián Beltré, a power-hitting third baseman who won five Gold Gloves and hit 477 home runs over a 21-year career with the Dodgers, Mariners, Red Sox and Rangers, was named on 95.1% of the ballots in his first year of eligibility. And former Rockies first baseman Todd Helton, who batted .300 a dozen times in his 17-year career, finished with 79.7% of the vote in his sixth year on the ballot.

Longtime manager Jim Leyland, chosen by a special non-player committee in December, will also be in the Class of 2024.

Narrowly missing election were Billy Wagner, a relief pitcher who saved 422 games over 16 seasons with five teams and received 73.8%. Slugging outfielder Gary Sheffield also fell short in his 10th and final year on the ballot, receiving 63.9%.

Mauer’s former Twins teammate, outfielder Torii Hunter, attracted the votes of 28 voters, or 7.9% of the electorate in his fourth season on the ballot. By surpassing 5%, Hunter qualified for the 2025 ballot.

Perhaps someday Hunter will experience the thrill that Mauer did on Tuesday, nervously waiting in his home with a small group of family and friends for a phone call from Cooperstown that might not come. Ballot-trackers had predicted a much larger margin than the four-vote cushion he finished with, but Mauer said he was far more nervous than confident.

“I really didn’t know. … I don’t really react to rumors or anything until they actually happen,” Mauer said of his wait for the phone call welcoming him to baseball immortality. “So to receive that call was amazing. The emotions started to really flood after receiving that call.”

That’s saying something for Mauer, whose gee-whiz demeanor rarely betrayed strong emotions during his career. But when the Hall of Fame called and those present began celebrating, Mauer said he thought about who wasn’t there to join in.

“Most people know I lost my dad about a year ago. Actually, it was a year and seven days, to the day,” Mauer said of his father, Jake. “When you think about the position that I’m in, he’s obviously been a huge part of that. And my grandpas, too. I’m thankful they got to see my last game. I would love to have him here, celebrating with him, but I know he’s smiling up there and looking down. That makes me feel good.”

Mauer will travel to Cooperstown to hold a press conference in a Hall of Fame jersey and cap at the museum Thursday. He’ll return to Minnesota in time to attend TwinsFest at Target Field on Saturday and sign autographs for fans. And he’ll begin thinking about what to say in his induction speech in July.

By then, perhaps his life will be back to normal, the “craziness” of becoming a Hall of Famer, as he put it, behind him. How crazy was it?

“I usually do school pickup” for his three children, Mauer said. “I didn’t do school pickup today. Just say that.”