It is not often that a player gets the chance to play one season with their hometown team, let alone their entire career, but that's exactly what Joe Mauer got the chance to do. He put an end to that on Friday when he announced his retirement after 15 major league seasons with the Minnesota Twins. The catcher turned first baseman gave part of the reason behind his retirement that "the risk of concussion is always there." The 35-year-old made his announcement with a letter to the Twins' fans, which was released by the team and will be run in the The Minneapolis Star-Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
The team also tweeted out the letter on Friday to reveal the news, as Mauer stated that he was reminded of the concussion risk "after missing over 30 games as a result of diving for a foul ball." The long-time Twin went on to thank the fans and organization in the letter, and he will return home, nearby, just 10 miles down the road from downtown Minneapolis.
In his 15 seasons, Mauer made six All-Star teams, won three Gold Gloves, three batting titles, and 2,123 hits. The Hall of Fame conversation continues to follow him, although, he is one of 22 former MVPs to play at least 15 seasons with one team. The other 21 to do so are all in the Hall of Fame.
He was the first overall pick out of Cretin-Derham Hall High School in 2001, and made his debut at the Metrodome on April 5th, 2004 at 20 years old. He came in as a catcher, which lasted until August 19th, 2013, when a foul tip off his mask caused a concussion. He would move over to first base in 2014, until the final game of the 2018 regular season on September 30th, when he received one more pitch behind the plate in the ninth inning. He would then wave an emotional goodbye to the Twins' faithful, a goodbye that he finalized on Friday.
The team also tweeted out the letter on Friday to reveal the news, as Mauer stated that he was reminded of the concussion risk "after missing over 30 games as a result of diving for a foul ball." The long-time Twin went on to thank the fans and organization in the letter, and he will return home, nearby, just 10 miles down the road from downtown Minneapolis.
In his 15 seasons, Mauer made six All-Star teams, won three Gold Gloves, three batting titles, and 2,123 hits. The Hall of Fame conversation continues to follow him, although, he is one of 22 former MVPs to play at least 15 seasons with one team. The other 21 to do so are all in the Hall of Fame.
He was the first overall pick out of Cretin-Derham Hall High School in 2001, and made his debut at the Metrodome on April 5th, 2004 at 20 years old. He came in as a catcher, which lasted until August 19th, 2013, when a foul tip off his mask caused a concussion. He would move over to first base in 2014, until the final game of the 2018 regular season on September 30th, when he received one more pitch behind the plate in the ninth inning. He would then wave an emotional goodbye to the Twins' faithful, a goodbye that he finalized on Friday.
