Joe Mauer Clearly Deserves to Be Remembered as a Hall of Famer on His 37th Birthday

Instead of accepting an offer to play quarterback at Florida State after a legendary high school career that made him a 5-star recruit, St. Paul native Joe Mauer chose baseball, and was picked first overall by his hometown Minnesota Twins.

That began what would become one of the most accomplished careers in Twins history. As Mauer turns 37 today, it's important to note that his numbers put him up there with the greatest catchers in baseball history.

Mauer is a career .306 hitter with 143 home runs who made six All-Star teams, won five Silver Sluggers, and took home three Gold Gloves. His "prime" stretched from 2006-2013, a time period in which he hit .327, won three batting titles in four years, and took home an MVP after hitting .365 with 28 home runs and 96 RBI in 2009.

For 15 years, Mauer was as consistent as they came both at the plate and behind it, and that consistency coupled with a natural, sweet swing that put most catchers to shame places him above contemporaries like Yadier Molina and Buster Posey when it comes to HOF talk.

Injuries and a comparatively short prime might make it difficult for Mauer to enter Cooperstown, but the numbers show that Mauer was the best catcher in the game for the better part of a decade, and that should put him into the Hall if there is any justice in the voting process.