Extraordinary Joe: American League MVP

With his bat and his glove, Mauer wowed Twins fans this year. That effort made him the American League's Most Valuable Player.

By LA VELLE E. NEAL III, Star Tribune
November 24, 2009

Jake Mauer received a text message from his son Joe around 12:50 Monday afternoon.

"Press conference at the Dome at 3 pm,'' it read. "And I'm wearing a suit.''

Dad replied: "I'll be there ... and I will NOT wear a hat.''

Jake Mauer threw his head back as he laughed and added, "He never told me that he actually won the award.''

Minnesota Twins' Joe Mauer hits a double in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers during their MLB American League Cental Division playoff baseball game in Minneapolis, Minnesota in this October 6, 2009 file photo. Mauer received 27 of 28 first-place votes to win the American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award on November 23, 2009. (Reuters)

Even as the news conference started, his son was still coming to grips with being named the American League's Most Valuable Player. Mauer's parents, brothers, grandparents -- and a couple of nieces -- took up a sizable section of the seating as he explained what it meant to be considered one of the game's elite players.

"My dream was always to be in the big leagues and to play in the big leagues,'' Mauer said. "Now to get an MVP ... I can't really describe it.''

Mauer knows that winning an MVP award can be a life-changing development. On the field, his credibility can't be any higher. Off the field, he will be in line for lucrative endorsement deals -- and possibly a precedent-setting contract that befits the only catcher in major league history to win three batting titles.

Even Twins General Manager Bill Smith referred to Mauer as a "once-in-a-lifetime player'' during the news conference.

Mauer is the fifth Twin to win the award, joining Zoilo Versailles (1965), Harmon Killebrew (1969), Rod Carew (1977) and Justin Morneau (2006). Of the quartet of great St. Paul-born players -- Mauer, Paul Molitor, Dave Winfield and Jack Morris -- Mauer is the only MVP winner.

Mauer, only 26 years old, is forging his status as the best pure hitter in the game. He led the league in batting average (.365), on-base percentage (.444) and slugging percentage (.587) -- the first American League player to do that since George Brett in 1980.

What fueled his MVP run was the uptick in power that fans have been hungry for. His first swing of the season on May 1 -- he missed all of April with an inflamed right sacroiliac joint -- was a home run to left off Kansas City's Sidney Ponson. Mauer went on to hit 28 homers (he hit 29 combined over the previous three seasons) and drove in a career high 96 runs.

High-profile career

Combine Mauer's high-level hitting with defensive excellence behind the plate and you have a rare player whose season can be compared to ones by past catching greats such as Mike Piazza and Hall of Famer Johnny Bench.

"His name is out there nationally for everyone to see, what he means to this team and how good of a player he is,'' said Morneau, who attended the news conference with his wife, Krista. "The baseball people know, the writers know. The people who cover it every day know. The diehard fans know. [The impact of the MVP award] is for the fan who doesn't watch 100 games a year and watches only that Sunday night game.''

Mauer received 27 of 28 first-place votes to finish with 387 points, well ahead of second-place finisher Mark Teixeira (225) and third-place finisher Derek Jeter (193), who both play for the Yankees. Balloting was conducted by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

The only writer not to give Mauer a first-place vote was Keizo Konishi of the Kyodo News; Konishi is based in Seattle. Konishi gave Detroit's Miguel Cabrera a first-place vote.

Mauer will receive a $100,000 bonus for winning the award, and it likely won't be the only spoils he will enjoy because of being the MVP. He recently signed with marketing powerhouse IMG, which represents football's Payton and Eli Manning, auto racing's Danica Patrick and hockey's Alexander Ovechkin. A sponsorship deal with Gatorade is in the works.

For advice on how to handle life as MVP, Mauer will lean heavily on Morneau, who once shared a St. Paul condo with Mauer.

Focused on next year

"It definitely changed for him,'' Mauer said of Morneau. "I think that's good for me to realize that, 'Hey, I've got to work out. I have to get ready for a season.'

"I have to remember this is my job and what I do for a living, my career. You have to take pride in what you are doing, and I definitely do that.''