Will Mauer be the first player with a Rookie Auto to make the Hall of Fame?

[Topnotchsy]

With Mauer's retirement, I was wondering whether he might be the first player with a rookie autograph to make the Hall of Fame?

If I had to guess, the first player who had an insert autographed card in their rookie season to make the Hall will be Roy Halladay (1997 Bowman Auto), and depending how the voters go, A-Rod might as well, but I can't think of any other player who has retired to this point who warrants induction. Mauer is top 7 all-time in catcher WAR (everyone else in the top 9 is in), is the first catcher to win a batting title since 1942 (and the only one to win 3) and was also a solid defensive catcher. Throw in 2000 hits, an MVP, 6 All-Star game appearances and 5 Silver Sluggers and I think he will get in pretty quickly (don't know if he's 1st ballot, but within 3-5 years IMO).

Is there someone I'm forgetting who might get in faster? I guess if someone like Pujols who is 1st ballot retires in the next couple of years he might beat him, but not sure anyone else has a real shot.

 

[Austin]

I don’t think Mauer is as slam dunk of a Hall of Famer as some people think.
His career is very similar to Don Mattingly’s, in that he had a 6-7 season peak of great seasons, except Mattingly was a much better all-around hitter.

Mauer hit for average and that was about it, except for one odd season when he hit 28 homers, and he never hit more than 13 in any other season, and he had more than 36 doubles only once.

He was a singles hitter, but he didn’t play long enough like Gwynn or Boggs or Ichiro to have any significant career numbers.

And he wasn’t a walk machine either, having more than 85 walks only once in his career.

He was a career .306 singles hitter.

His supporters claim since he was a catcher, his stats don’t need to be as high as other position players.
But unlike other great catchers like Fisk, Bench, Carter, Pudge and Piazza, Mauer only played 9 seasons at catcher, and of those, only 5 seasons he played more than 100 games at catcher. The rest of his career he played first base or DH, and was barely average offensively compared to other first basemen and designated hitters.

921 games at catcher
913 at DH and first base.

People remember his string of 3 batting titles in 4 years. But that was a short peak of excellence, just like Mattingly and other players who were great for a few years, then were merely just good the rest of their careers because of injuries.

Mauer won 3 Gold Gloves.
So did Mike Matheny, Sherm Lollar, Tony Pena, Benny Santiago, Salvador Perez, Bill Freehan, Earl Battey, Jim Sundberg, Lance Parrish, Charles Johnson, Del Crandall and Brad Ausmus.

Does Mauer get a pass just because he played catcher, even though he only caught over 100 games in five seasons?
Is that enough for a .306 career singles hitter?

 

[bstanwood]

I'm glad I wasnt the first to say it. mauer seems to be a good guy, solid teammate and was anvery good player but looking at his overall body of work...I don't see hall of fame. If he gets into coaching and does well maybe you can combine both halves and he gets in but I don't see it on his playing career.

 

[Mozzie22]

Mattingly is on the shortlist of greatest defensive first baseman of all time. He was also a better offensive player. Still kills me he isn't in but Kirby Puckett is. Check out their stats someday, very similar except for Puckett playing on better teams.

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[smapdi]

For the last few years I assumed Mauer was on path to reach the Hall if he could up his game for another 2-3 year stretch to some sort of a prolonged peak. His five-year peak 2006-2010 was really pretty great, but his last five seasons were not the sort of seasons that really round out a Cooperstown resume. It would not have taken a lot (easy for me to say) but something like an extra .050 in slugging. A few more doubles, a few more flyouts turning into homers, something. He never hit more than 13 homers except for one suspiciously anomalous 28-homer year, and all those single-digit homer years will probably speak a lot to the 2024 writers. But you know, hometown kid stays his whole career on hometown team also plays well with writers. So to answer the OP, "Maybe."