Before Joe Mauer's father died last week, he was able to hear of one more baseball accomplishment from his youngest son: his impending induction into the Twins Hall of Fame.
Twins legend Rod Carew called Mauer a couple weeks ago to share the news, though the Twins didn't announce it publicly until Friday. Jake Mauer, Joe's father, died Jan. 17 at age 66 after battling lung cancer and LEMS, a rare disorder that affects the muscles.
Joe Mauer will officially enter the Twins Hall of Fame on Aug. 5 as its 38th member. Mauer, 39, is a St. Paul native who was the No. 1 pick in the 2001 draft. He played his entire 15-year MLB career with the Twins, becoming a six-time All Star and the only catcher in league history to win three batting titles.
He was also the 2009 American League MVP and won three Gold Gloves and five Silver Sluggers before retiring following the 2018 season as a first baseman, having switched in 2014 after struggling with concussions. His career average was .306, and the Twins retired his No. 7 in 2019.
"It's not just about what he did on the field, which is tremendous," said Derek Falvey, the Twins president of baseball operations, during a TwinsFest event at Target Field. "But it's who he is as a person and who he is as an ambassador for the Twin Cities, for Minnesota, for Twins baseball and hopefully for his whole family."
A 70-member panel of writers, broadcasters and team-affiliated personnel votes for the Twins Hall of Fame. He will be eligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame next year.
"In my mind," Twins President Dave St. Peter said, "this is just a pit stop Hall of Fame induction for Joe on his way to Cooperstown."
Ticket projections
The Twins' total attendance last season was 1,801,128, ranking 20th of 30 MLB teams and marking the lowest total since Target Field opened in 2010, minus the pandemic-impacted years. But St. Peter said he anticipates selling more than 2 million tickets in 2023, including the equivalent of 11,000 season-ticket holders.