Joe Mauer announces retirement: HOF? Make Your Case:

[Peter_Spaeth]

Hall of the Very Good, IMO. Posada had significantly more power. Mauer probably hurt by playing in relative obscurity, but he just doesn't move me.

[dgo71]

This is exactly the kind of debate I had imagined would take place the minute he announced his retirement. I think Chase Utley will spark the same kind of debate to a lesser degree. Personally Mauer does not scream Hall of Famer to me, but I can certainly see the case for his enshrinement being made. As someone else mentioned I think he would be more likely to get in through one of the era committees than the writers ballot but I certainly wouldn't be surprised if he goes in one day, and I wouldn't be up in staunch opposition either.

[KMayUSA6060]

How the hell are we putting Mauer and Posada in the same discussion, with some people putting Posada above Mauer?

Mauer won 3 batting titles, WAS A LEAGUE MVP, 6x All Star, amassed 2123 hits in 15 years (1858 games), and played for the same team his entire career - something that will be taken into consideration with today's free agency climate.

Is Posada as highly thought of without the Yankees component? 500 less hits with 2 additional seasons, I don't consider him to have significant "power" with 275 HRs, and I think he largely benefited from the NYY factor in regards to his popularity.

I like Posada, and he was a good catcher, but hitting the ball is one of the biggest parts of the game and Mauer was consistently one of the best throughout his career. It's not the Hall of HRs.

I think Mauer is a late-ballot Hall of Famer.

[SetBuilder]

Originally Posted by KMayUSA6060

How the hell are we putting Mauer and Posada in the same discussion, with some people putting Posada above Mauer?

Mauer won 3 batting titles, WAS A LEAGUE MVP, 6x All Star, amassed 2123 hits in 15 years (1858 games), and played for the same team his entire career - something that will be taken into consideration with today's free agency climate.

Is Posada as highly thought of without the Yankees component? 500 less hits with 2 additional seasons, I don't consider him to have significant "power" with 275 HRs, and I think he largely benefited from the NYY factor in regards to his popularity.

I like Posada, and he was a good catcher, but hitting the ball is one of the biggest parts of the game and Mauer was consistently one of the best throughout his career. It's not the Hall of HRs.

I think Mauer is a late-ballot Hall of Famer.

His stats don't jump out as being truly great. Not enough for the Hall.

He had one Hall of Fame worthy season, in 2009. He was the MVP that year and won the batting title with an impressive .365/.444/.587.

He had another noteworthy season, in 2006, with an elite .347 average. Another batting title.

His third batting title came in 2008, when he hit .328. He won that batting title by sheer luck with such a low average. A well earned batting title is usually in the .330 range, pushing .340.

The rest of his career was average.

Average players shouldn't make the Hall of Fame.

If Larry Walker doesn't make the HOF, Mauer shouldn't either. Walker had better career stats and also won 1 MVP and 3 batting titles.

[nolemmings]

"His third batting title came in 2008, when he hit .328. He won that batting title by sheer luck with such a low average."

What a moronic statement. Sheer luck my ass. He finished second in offensive WAR and fourth in MVP, was that by luck? Was that well deserved? No one else was hurt--he finished ahead of Mags, Ichiro, Hamilton and the rest who won in other years.

Again, he was a catcher. ZERO catchers have won a batting title in the A.L. except for Mauer. Posey, Hargrave and Lombardi are the only other catchers to ever win one, with Lombardi doing it twice. BTW, Mauer also finished second, third and fourth in BA in other seasons. And his .365 avg in 2009 has not been topped since-- in either league.

I am a lifelong Yankee fan and Posada was one of my favorite players, but the comparison with Mauer isn't even close. One can only wonder how many HRs Joe would have hit in New York if he was able to develop his swing for the short porch and not the tall Hefty Bag wall of the Metrodome, which led him to focus on driving the ball the other way. He had nearly 50 more doubles and 20 more triples than Jorge, so he was hardly powerless. And the difference in defense between the two was substantial.

I predict Joe will go into the HOF on the second or third try.

[nolemmings]

Forgot to mention: Congrats to Joe and Maddie Mauer, who celebrate the birth of their third child and first son, Charles Joseph Mauer. Fantastic post-season award for Joe!

[packs]

You keep talking about his batting titles but he won those within the first 5 seasons of his career. He was pretty pedestrian after even with a few more 300 seasons. I don't think his peak surpassed Nomar's and Nomar is nowhere near the HOF. Nomar won 2 batting titles while playing a premium position. It was equally rare for Nomar to win an AL title as a shortstop. Only A-rod had won at the position before, unless I'm mistaken.

But Nomar isn't a serious contender for the HOF. Joe Mauer was a catcher. What he did with his bat was unusual but except for one single season, never otherworldly.

Piazza changed the position with his bat, as did Campanella and Pudge. Joe Mauer had a nice average but still only hit 306 over his career. I don't see that getting you into the HOF.

[SetBuilder]

Originally Posted by nolemmings

Again, he was a catcher.

Mauer was a fake catcher. More than half of his games were at positions other than catcher.

Originally Posted by nolemmings

And his .365 avg in 2009 has not been topped since-- in either league.

It hasn't even been 10 years. Not saying .365 isn't impressive, but it doesn't get him in the Hall.

[Pat R]

All the debate and no cards.

Here are a few of his T206 rookie cards.
Mauer.jpg

[nolemmings]

"Mauer was a fake catcher. More than half of his games were at positions other than catcher."

More idiocy. He put up his numbers as a catcher. He could have been hit by a bus after the 2010 season and we would be talking about his numbers as a catcher. Had he put up his "pedestrian" remaining seasons as a catcher he still would have shone as a catcher. A real one-- gold glover and defensive stud who could throw out baserunners and frame pitches; cf. Jorge Posada.

Ernie Banks played fewer games at shortstop than at 1b, although he won 2 MVPs and was an All-Star in eight seasons at short. Is he a HOF first baseman?