(Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Each MLB offseason there is one time that every fan looks forward to.
That is when the next class of Baseball Hall of Famers is announced.
It comes in January of each year and it is an honor that anyone who steps onto a major league field hopes for.
But not every deserving player gets in on the first ballot.
Sometimes it takes players a few years to get the votes necessary to become Hall of Famers.
One player who is being talked about a lot this offseason is former Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer.
He is on the ballot for the first time this year and has a shot at being a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
According to MLB Network, Joe Mauer has an incredible resume including three batting titles and an MVP award.
Joe Mauer put together a career full of accolades.
We’ll find out if the @Twins legend is a first-ballot Hall of Famer in less than a week pic.twitter.com/XrHwUVkY7n
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 17, 2024
When looking at a player’s candidacy, you have to compare him to other players in the same position.
Mauer is a catcher and across baseball history, not many catchers could hit as well as Mauer.
Mauer has a .323 career batting average.
That is the highest amongst all catchers with at least 3,000 career plate appearances.
The one knock against Mauer is that he spent more games at first base and DH than catcher.
He played 897 career games behind the plate, but he combined for 903 games at first base and DH.
That is one thing that could make it tough for some voters to choose Mauer.
While his numbers are elite for a catcher, they do not look as good compared to other first basemen.
Mauer only moved away from catcher later in his career due to constant injuries from behind the plate.
He was a catcher during his prime and that is why he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
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