Is Joe Mauer a Hall of Famer?

[TS Garp]

Stats to date:

.309/.392/.447
130 hr
804 rbi
885 rbi
1826 hits

6 time all-star
2009 MVP
3 Gold Gloves
5 Silver Sluggers
3 time batting champion

[mjl]

compare:

(one extra season, but 900 more AB)

.307/.358/.471
222 HR
1099 RBI
1007 R
2153 hits

6 time all-star
one MVP, three more top-ten finishes (same as Mauer)
9 Gold Gloves
3 Silver Sluggers

127 OPS+ (Mauer 128)

Played in a major market
Only broke 20% on HOF ballot on his first year of eligibility

Granted he wasn't a catcher, but if that guy didn't get in, I don't see how Mauer does

[TS Garp]

Granted he wasn't a catcher, but if that guy didn't get in, I don't see how Mauer does

But you can't exclude that from the argument. There's no way that Gary Carter would've sniffed the HOF if he'd played first base. It's apples and oranges.

[revo]

Not even close.

[overkill94]

If he could've stayed behind the plate and put up perennial .300/.380/.400 lines he'd have a decent chance but now that he's fallen all the way down the defensive spectrum he would have to replicate his MVP year stats to get consideration.

[mjl]

I don't think this is a reasonable stance to take. It's not even close to being "not even close", imo.

JAWS measures a player's Hall of Fame worthiness. Joe Mauer has the 9th highest JAWS score in the history of major league catchers - http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/jaws_C.shtml


Obviously he's at least close, for a catcher. But now he's not a catcher anymore so perhaps his counting stats should be dinged accordingly. Still, his career has essentially been that of Mickey Cochrane so far and that's really freakin' good for a catcher.

compare to:
.297/.365/.452 (129 OPS+)
252 HR
1185 RBI
996 R
2342 hits

9 time all-star
one MVP
one Gold Glove
didn't have Silver Sluggers when he was playing, but he would have gotten some
played 10 seasons at catcher (907 games vs Mauer's 920), then moved to CI
7 more career WAR in 600ish more games
got about 10% votes every year he was eligible except the last one, when he got 20%

[Sour Masher]

I say close, but no. But man, was he great for a good while there. If he could have stayed behind the plate, even just putting up the numbers he has been putting up at 1b/dh, I'd say he'd have been a HOFer.

[Hornsby]

No, once upon a time, he was as close to a lock as there was. Three time Batting champ, solid catcher, with a decade career ahead of him. Then the concussion happened and he had to leave the plate, and he became an ordinary hitter with little power for his new position. I really wish that we could have seen what he could have done healthy...it could have been epic.

[revo]

I don't think this is a reasonable stance to take. It's not even close to being "not even close", imo.

JAWS measures a player's Hall of Fame worthiness. Joe Mauer has the 9th highest JAWS score in the history of major league catchers - http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/jaws_C.shtml


Obviously he's at least close, for a catcher. But now he's not a catcher anymore so perhaps his counting stats should be dinged accordingly. Still, his career has essentially been that of Mickey Cochrane so far and that's really freakin' good for a catcher.

...and the catcher he's tied with in JAWS got 3.7% of the vote one year, was booted off the ballot and was never heard from again.

[Riff Raff]

No. He wasn't dominant long enough to justify his lack of counting stats.

[revo]

Yes.....in eight more years of playing time than Mauer.

Mauer probably isn't quite there but he's pretty damn close. Too bad injuries derailed his career.

He was a phenomenon who became a rich man's James Loney at age 30. That's no HOFer. The hall doesn't like players who fall off cliffs. If he's a HOFer, then so is Michael Young.

[ironfist]

He was a phenomenon who became a rich man's James Loney at age 30. That's no HOFer. The hall doesn't like players who fall off cliffs. If he's a HOFer, then so is Michael Young.

Maybe Don Mattingly's career is a good comparison.

[In the Corn]

No, once upon a time, he was as close to a lock as there was. Three time Batting champ, solid catcher, with a decade career ahead of him. Then the concussion happened and he had to leave the plate, and he became an ordinary hitter with little power for his new position. I really wish that we could have seen what he could have done healthy...it could have been epic.

[TS Garp]

Interesting piece on Mauer's HOF chances, given that he appears to be retiring:

https://www.cooperstowncred.com/joe-mauer-2000-hits-future-hall-of-famer/

[onejayhawk]

He was a phenomenon who became a rich man's James Loney at age 30. That's no HOFer. The hall doesn't like players who fall off cliffs. If he's a HOFer, then so is Michael Young.

Pick someone further from realistic. Young is better than several MI in the HoF.

No, once upon a time, he was as close to a lock as there was. Three time Batting champ, solid catcher, with a decade career ahead of him. Then the concussion happened and he had to leave the plate, and he became an ordinary hitter with little power for his new position. I really wish that we could have seen what he could have done healthy...it could have been epic.

Bill James said similar things about Gary Carter back in the day. In Carter's case, it was that he would have been seen as the best ever. Then he realized the same was true of at least five other catchers, Mickey Cochrane, Gaby Hartnett, Johnny Bench, etc. It's a tough position.

Given the brevity of Mauer's career, it might be useful to compare him to other Cs with shortened careers: Bill Freehan, Thurman Munson, Roy Campanella, Cochrane, etc.

J