Joe Mauer’s Cooperstown Case: Assessing Value

Yes - it was important that he continue and get past the 2000 hit mark for voters, but his 1B years diminish his stardom which is a shame because at the time of the concussion he was a sure fire HOF catcher.  I think national press will be kinder than many MN fans.

I personally think he's in. Won't be first ballot but he'll get there.

I posted in a similar article not too long ago.  I believe he should be in, but think it will take the vets committee to do it.  The problem with the hall of fame is that it makes unfair comparisons to others in other eras, but does not look at the era the player played in.  One reason many starting pitchers will have issues for awhile.  Also, voters look at other things, like personality, which Joe had none of in the media.  He lacked leadership and post-seasons success, which will hurt him as well. 

However, he was one of the best hitting catchers ever.  Sure, no power compared to some, but he still was one of best hitting catchers ever.  The position eventually hurt him late in his career.  Which will hurt his candidacy, for some, but other will accept it is hard for catchers. 

Now, I do feel he was greatly overvalued as a defensive catcher.  He was league average overall, and depending on the defensive evaluators you look at they agree. He was above average at throwing out runners and general covering his position.  However, he never tried to pick off runners, and was terrible at blocking balls in dirt.  His lack of blocking pitches led to the average defense.  Sure, you can point to times he made great snags on wild pitches, every catcher does.  However, so many times he would not get low and block a ball in dirt and would get under him. 

I also had personal issues with his approach with runners on base, but he was still a great hitting catcher, and considered top catcher for most of the years he was catching and that should be HOF worthy.   

Correct me if I'm wrong in how I think about this. Up to his first concussion he was having a near MVP year. Whatever the bilateral leg weakness thing was must have been something (We joked about it at the time). He's won 3 batting championships which is 3 more than all of AL catchers in modern era Defensively.Piazza had as many Passed Balls in 2001 than Mauer had in 10 yerars of catching (Not trying to cherry pick stats, but that's impressive). He should have had a Gold Glove at 1B (I know, that's the Homer-ism shining through) Yes, the teams post season record was terrible, but at least they were in post-season. I don't think he'll be first ballot, but for sure in years 3 or 4.

Mauer should absolutely be in. Even if you're a "small hall" proponent. The peak is absolutely hall worthy with the MVP, three batting titles as a catcher and five silver sluggers. The longevity is just good enough; the 2000 hits is an important milestone.

No other AL catcher won a batting title; Mauer won three. Only catcher to do it in the modern era period. Only five catchers have won an MVP.

Mauer's HOF resume compares favorably/slightly better than that of Mickey Cochrane. He won't be first ballot, but he better get in within the first four years. 

I'd put Mauer in. I also think Posey is deserving.

Molina is a hard no. That's like voting for Omar Vizquel. Those people are voting by reputation, not reality.

While he missed time here and there, as most all players do, I believe he was a starting catcher for 9yrs. Now that's not 12-14yrs, but it's a long time. Multiple All Star games, MVP, THREE batting titles, etc. IMO his career behind the plate speaks for itself. And then you look at some of the other criteria posted in the OP, and the arguement for him in the HOF just continues to grow.

IMO, baseball writers are "smart enough" about all he did/was behind the dish before the move to 1B and won't hold it against him. In fact, his ability to still be a solid player and re-invent himself in to a Gold Glove worthy 1B should only enhance his resume. Again, IMO. A lot of guys may have faded away overnight or hung it up.

Don't see any way he's 1st ballot. But I think he's in.

He's in. If the concussion had ended his career, he would have been in like Puckett, cut short in his prime. Those IB years disappointed many who felt he was basically playing out his contract. Given his size, I expected him, like Ryne Sandberg, to learn to hit with power. Didn't happen. It took him too much time to learn how to beat the shift, which in his case meant playing the opposite field. But his lifetime stats survived his last years, which tells us how good he was in his prime. I think any voter aware of the concussion and what it did to his bat will vote for him. Unlike Puckett, of course, there are no WS rings. What we saw was what we got: no drama Joe. Consistency, work ethic, a solid soul doing good in his community, and HOF stats even after the last subpar years. He's in. And should be.

In 2009 he was the best baseball player in the world, and it wasn't a fluke. And in 2010 he would have been on a World Championship team if not for injuries to Joe Nathan's right ulnar collateral ligament and to Justin Morneau's brain.