Joseph "Joe" Patrick Mauer (born April 19, 1983) is an American professional baseball player. He has played as a catcher, designated hitter, and first baseman for the Minnesota Twins in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is the only catcher in MLB history to win three batting titles, and the only catcher to ever win a batting title in the American League. He also won three consecutive Gold Glove awards (2008–2010), and the 2009 American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award.

After committing to play football at Florida State University, Mauer ultimately decided instead to enter the Major League Baseball Draft. Mauer was selected by the Twins as the first overall pick of the 2001 draft, ahead of college pitcher Mark Prior, who was taken second overall by the Chicago Cubs. Mauer was part of the United States' roster at the 2003 All-Star Futures Game at U.S. Cellular Field before being promoted to the Twins' roster in 2004 after his predecessor, A. J. Pierzynski, was traded to the San Francisco Giants, in the 2003 offseason.

In his breakout 2006 season, Mauer became the first catcher in major league history to lead the majors in batting average, finishing with an average of .347. Mauer's performance during the months of May and June garnered attention from the national media. He recorded a .528 batting average over the first ten days of June and hit .452 over the course of the month. He was also the first player since Mike Piazza in 1997 to reach base four or more times for five consecutive games. On June 12, Mauer was named the American League Player of the Week by Major League Baseball for his performance the week of June 4–11, during which he hit .625 (15-for-24) with 5 doubles, 4 RBI and 2 stolen bases.

Mauer finished the 2006 regular season with a .347 batting average, edging the New York Yankees' Derek Jeter and Robinson Canó to win the American League batting title and become the first-ever American League catcher to win the crown and the first catcher to claim the title since Ernie Lombardi in 1942 with the Boston Braves. His .347 average was the highest in the Major Leagues, a feat not achieved by the previous three catchers to win NL batting titles.

In 2008, he became the first American League catcher to win the batting title twice when he led the AL with an average of .328.

In 2009, he became the first catcher to lead the league in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage in a single year, and the first player to lead the American League in all three since George Brett did so in 1980.

On March 21, 2010, Mauer agreed to an eight-year contract extension with the Twins worth $184 million, which took effect in the 2011 and will run through the 2018 season. It remains the richest contract in the history of major league baseball for a catcher.

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