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Read Full BioJoe Mauer is one of the better offensive players in MLB history, but even so, he failed more than he succeeded at the plate.
Such is life for a baseball player, and Mauer said he gained mental toughness during his career that he can now transfer to other areas of life in retirement.
Mauer will lean into that next month when he participates in the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Nevada next month.
“You fail seven times out of 10 as a hitter, and you’re considered a really good hitter,” Mauer said in an exclusive interview with Casino Beats. “You can’t do that in any other sport, or at least that I know of, but I think it transitions well because of that.
“You’ve got to be mentally tough and mentally strong to keep working, and to keep the processes, to hopefully get better results. So, yeah, sometimes I tell people, ‘Maybe I’m just a glutton for punishment, liking both sports so much because there’s so much failure in it.’”
While he continues to work on his golf game, Mauer still keeps a close eye on the Minnesota Twins.
The Hall of Fame catcher believes the Twins have a “ceiling” as “high” as any team in Major League Baseball.
The Twins are having a surprisingly solid start to the season, going 36-31 through their first 67 games and would make it into the playoffs as a wild card if the playoffs started today. Their plus-25 run differential is actually the fourth-best mark in the American League. Entering the season, many observers had Minnesota pegged as the fourth-best team in the AL Central.
Instead, the Twins have surpassed expectations thus far.
“I think their ceilings is as high as anybody’s,” Mauer said. “They got a good group of guys and got a lot of experience last couple of years with being in the postseason and getting a taste of that. Right now, they’re kind of dealing with that injury bug with Pablo (Lopez) going down for a little while doesn’t help. But that just creates more opportunities for others to step up.”
Mauer: I Like The Twins’ Vibe This Year
Pablo Lopez recently suffered a Grade 2 muscle strain and is expected to miss a minimum of two months. The former All-Star pitcher was off to a strong start this season with a 2.82 ERA to go along with a 5-3 record while posting nine strikeouts per nine innings, the second-highest mark of any Twins starting pitcher.
Despite the injury to their All-Star pitcher, Mauer is still high on the Twins and believes they can weather the storm. It’s worth noting Minnesota missed the playoffs by only four games last season and have made it to the playoffs in three of Rocco Baldelli’s six years as manager.
“I feel like they got a good vibe, a good group of guys in that clubhouse that can kind of weather the storm until some of those big boys get back healthy,” says Mauer. “I think there’s a lot of games to be played left, so a lot can happen this summer. I like the team, I like the vibe that they have. I was down there at Spring Training for a couple days, and hopefully the boys can get it rolling again and going in the right direction.”
The Twins have generally been a winning team under Baldelli, posting winning records in four of his six seasons as manager. They were on their way to another playoff appearance last season after starting out the year 70-53. However, they faltered down the stretch with a 12-27 record.
Mauer: Rocco Baldelli Has Right Balance Of Analytics, Game Knowledge
Minnesota will look to avoid that same type of slide this season. Mauer — who matched up frequently against Baldelli during their playing careers — speaks very highly of the 43-year-old manager, saying he’s very “knowledgeable.”
“Rocco’s very knowledgeable, he’s embraced the analytic side of it, but also has the experience to go along with it as well,” says Mauer. “I think he’s got a good demeanor. I think the guys respect him. Those are all good things that you play in to being a good manager. I hope he can get those guys going here and they have an exciting summer for the fans here in Minnesota.”
The 42-year-old Mauer is arguably the greatest hitting catcher of all time. The Minnesota native played his entire career with the Twins (2004-2018) and made his mark almost immediately. At 23 years old, Mauer led the majors after posting a .347 batting average, becoming the first American League catcher to lead the league in the category and the first catcher since 1942 to do so. Mauer led the league in batting average three times, with one of those seasons resulting in an MVP in 2009.
“It was really special,” says Mauer of playing his entire career in Minnesota. “Growing up here at Saint Paul, just having dreams and aspirations to play at the highest level in the big leagues. When it came to being entered into the draft, my hometown team had the first pick. To be picked by your hometown team, and to wear one uniform was very meaningful to me.”
The Saint Paul native says his grandparents were basically at every one of his games during his MLB career. He says he was “thankful” to have that support throughout his entire career
“I had my grandparents, my parents at every home game,” says Mauer. “Over my 15 years, I think my grandparents missed maybe two or three ball games — 81 a year — that’s a lot of ball games to be there. To have that support, family and friends and to be able to put on the Minnesota Twins jersey, I never took it for granted. So was thankful that it all played out that way.”
Mauer was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame during his first year of eligibility in 2024. He is still the most recent catcher to win the AL MVP and one of two catchers this century to win an MVP.
“It just happened so fast,” says Mauer of his career. “Fifteen years in the big leagues and 17 years overall of pro baseball. It seems like it went by really quick. But I put everything that I could into it and really the ride. We had some really good teams here in Minnesota, just came up a little short, with the ultimate goal winning the World Series. Built some really good relationships and met a lot of great people and really enjoyed my time with the Twins.”
Mauer will join multiple other baseball greats such as John Smoltz, Mark Mulder and Derek Lowe to participate along with 90-plus other celebrities and athletes in the American Century Championship.
The most prestigious celebrity golf tournament will feature a $150,000 first-place prize and $750,000 in total purse. Mauer says this will be the sixth American Century Championship for him and his best finish was within the top 20 last year.
He’ll be looking to improve upon that finish this time around.
“I gotta put in some work here this month leading up to it,” says Mauer while laughing. “The game is not in great shape. But that’s what’s fun about golf. You never can perfect it, but you sure can try. I’ll be out there. They’re rolling some putts and then working on my short game here and trying to get it ready for mid July.”
