MLB 21st century face of the franchise — Minnesota Twins: Joe Mauer
When the Twins had the first pick in the 2001 draft, they didn’t have to look far. They chose Joe Mauer out of Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul. It was a match made in baseball heaven.
Arriving as a 21-year-old in 2004, Mauer batted .308 in 35 games and has taken off from there. Quickly asserting himself as the Twins catcher, he won batting titles in 2006, 2008 and 2009 (the latter year at .365), and won the 2009 MVP. He is a six-time All-Star.
Mauer has played more than 1,800 major league games, all of them for the Twins, and more than half as their backstop, although the position’s wear and tear forced his move in recent seasons to first base or designated hitter.
At .388, Mauer is sixth in the 118-year history of the franchise in on-base percentage. Among those who made their names in Minnesota, only Rod Carew and Chuck Knoblauch rank ahead of him. He also ranks sixth all-time in games played and runs scored, where among Minnesota Twins only Harmon Killebrew and Kirby Puckett lead him.
Mauer ranks fourth in franchise history in hits, behind only Sam Rice, Puckett, and Joe Judge.
Mauer retired at the end of the 2018 season.
In the wings: If he can stay healthy, Byron Buxton is the obvious candidate. The Twins now have their talented but fragile center fielder under contract through 2028. Like Mauer, he’s a career Twin, drafted with the second overall pick in 2012. The problem is well-known: Buxton’s only taken the field for 100 games once in eight years as a major leaguer.