Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins is one of the most talented and exciting players in Major League Baseball today. He is a native Minnesotan, born April 19, 1983 in St. Paul, MN and raised there along with older brothers Jake III and Billy. Joe’s legal name is Joseph Patrick Mauer.
He graduated from Cretin-Derham High School (St. Paul, MN) in 2001. Cretin is the alma mater of other notable alumni including Matt Birk (NFL Offensive Lineman), Josh Hartnett (Actor), Paul Molitor (MLB Player), Steve Walsh (NFL Quarterback).
By the age of 27 Joe Mauer was already the 2009 American League MVP, AL Gold Glove awards in 2008, 2009, 2010; MLB All Star in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, Batting Champ in 2006, 2008, 2009 and has received the Louisville Slugger® Silver Slugger Award in 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
In 2010 he signed the 4th largest baseball contract in major league baseball history for $184 million with the Minnesota Twins. It is an eight-year, no-trade clause contract that began in the 2011 season and will extend through the 2018 season. It is the richest contract in the history of major league baseball for a catcher.
Joe Mauer Fun Facts
- Joe Mauer was the first player selected in the 2001 MLB draft. He was only 18 years old and was a senior at Cretin-Derham High School.
- In 2010, Joe received the largest number of votes of any MLB player for the All-Star Game. He had a total of 5,372,606 votes.
- Joe has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated twice – on August 7, 2006 and June 29, 2009.
- He has made four appearances in the MLB All Star game.
- Mauer is the only American League catcher to win the batting title.
- Joe Mauer’s dad, Jake, was a baseball coach by profession and gave his sons (Joe, Jake III, and Billy) as much baseball tutoring as they could handle.
- Joe was a star quarterback for his high school team (Cretin-Derham in St. Paul, MN) and as a junior, led them to the state championship in football.
- He was considered a better football player than baseball player in high school.
- Joe started his professional MLB career at age 20.
- On August 10, 2006, the Minnesota Twins held “Joe Mauer Sideburns Night” in honor of the catcher’s recognizable sideburns. The first 10,000 fans were given replica sideburns to wear and share Mauer’s trademark look.
- Joe’s parents (Jake Jr and Teresa) met on a baseball field. Teresa’s softball teammates dragged her to a baseball field to meet her future husband.
- On July 21, 2007, Joe Mauer hit the team’s first inside-the-park home run since 2001.
- In the last regular season game of 2006, Joe Mauer became the first catcher to win the American League batting title.
- Joe Mauer’s Girlfriend? In 2006 it was Chelsea Cooley. In December 2011, he became engaged to former high school classmate, Maddie Bisanz.