From hometown kid to Cooperstown: Mauer inducted into HOF

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Joe Mauer was a stoic, steady presence behind the plate for much of his 15-year career, all with the Twins. But the first sign that his Hall of Fame induction might test that came the night before his speech. As he stepped off the truck carrying him and his family through downtown Cooperstown in Saturday’s Legends Parade, a couple fans noticed the moisture on the corners of his eyes.

“I think it hit me at the parade, seeing all the Twins fans,” Mauer said Sunday after his induction speech, “And just baseball represented -- I mean, Texas Rangers fans, Colorado Rockies fans, Detroit, even the Marlins with Jim Leyland, just tremendous support. It’s not easy to get to Cooperstown, especially with the [travel-related] events that happened this last week, but to see this many Twins fans out there, I just felt the love.”

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The emotions became stronger later Saturday at a Twins party that included fellow Hall of Famers, former Twins and St. Paul natives Paul Molitor, Jack Morris and Dave Winfield. The pride of Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, from which he was selected with the No. 1 overall pick, Mauer dazzled for only his hometown Twins over 15 years as he won three batting titles -- making him the only American League catcher to win even one -- and the 2009 AL MVP Award as he hit .306 with an .827 OPS for his career with 2,123 hits in 1,858 games.

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“We had a moment where all of us were on stage together and taking pictures,” Mauer said, “And I think that hit me hard. Those guys, like I said in my speech, coming from Minnesota, growing up in Minnesota, they gave me hope that I could make it in baseball, too.”

Or as Mauer said in his speech, “It’ll never be lost on me that the same guys I pretended to be in my yard are men I grew up to know personally, and I even had one of them become my manager.”

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Mauer had been selected at No. 1 overall by the Twins in 2001, when they forewent the opportunity to select more highly touted talents like USC pitcher Mark Prior or Georgia Tech’s Mark Teixeira to pull the transformational talent from the organization’s backyard, coaxing Mauer away from the opportunity to play quarterback at Florida State.

It wasn’t an easy or universally popular pick, Mauer said, and he thanked former Twins general manager Terry Ryan and scouts Mark Wilson and Joel Lepel for watching his games and taking a chance.

Finally, as Mauer talked Sunday about his late grandfather, Jake Mauer, his voice cracked. And it became apparent how emotional this has been for him.

“Even at the end of my career, as my grandpa’s eyesight was failing, he would stand right next to his TV in a batting stance and go through my every at-bat as if he was swinging alongside me,” Mauer said.

While Leyland, whose induction speech preceded Mauer’s, wore his heart on his sleeve during his career, Mauer’s emotions were often behind a catcher's mask. But the emotions were on display during a heartfelt speech that showed the hometown kid behind the hometown hero and left a crowd grateful to have waited through a warm, sun-drenched afternoon in the open fields behind the Clark Sports Center.

“It was tough,” Mauer said afterward. “There’s a lot of emotions, even leading up to this. I mean, since I got the call, it was very emotional for me. I know back home, a lot of people know I lost my dad recently and my grandpa a couple years ago, both grandpas. They were able to watch my whole career, and I think they were with me today making sure that I could articulate the speech that I had. I knew they were here.”

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He was over a thousand miles away from the Twin Cities. But from Twins fans to Twins legends to family, induction weekend hit close to home. Mauer power was impossible to miss in Cooperstown this weekend between Minnesota license plates around town and Twins gear all around the streets. Mauer’s retirement in 2018 was so understated, much like him, and his post-playing career so quiet, that fans haven’t had many opportunities to express their appreciation. Turning Cooperstown into Twin Cities East was a show of gratitude, which he returned.

And with his placement in the Hall of Fame, his incredible career has a home here.

“To stand here today and say that I’m now a small part of baseball’s history is a statement that will never fully sink in for me,” Mauer said. “This moment is truly a dream come true. Thank you again to all who believed in me, supported me and helped me achieve this remarkable honor.”