Twins plan to retire Mauer’s No. 7

The Minnesota Twins on Tuesday announced that they will retire Joe Mauer's number sometime during the 2019 season. Mauer's No. 7 will be the eighth in club history to be retired, joining Harmon Killebrew (No. 3), Rod Carew (No. 29), Tony Oliva (No. 6), Kent Hrbek (No. 14), Kirby Puckett (No. 34), Bert Blyleven (No. 28), and Tom Kelly (No. 10). The catcher/first baseman retired after the season. "The Minnesota Twins organization has been blessed to have Joe Mauer part of our franchise since 2001," Twins Executive Chair Jim Pohlad said. "Few players have achieved more on the field, or given back more off the field than Joe. With Joe's storied career in mind, the Twins family is proud to bestow our highest honor with the retirement of his jersey -- number 7. We are excited to celebrate Joe's excellence, commitment to this community and special relationship with Twins Territory." Mauer, 35, was selected No. 1 overall by the Twins in 2001. The St. Paul native would go on to play all 15 major league seasons with the Twins. Mauer is the only catcher in major league history to win three batting titles, retiring with a career average of .306 with 143 homers and 923 RBIs. His 2,123 hits rank second in Twins history behind Hall of Famer Puckett, and he is the all-time franchise leader in doubles with 428. Mauer's eight-year, $184 million contract expired after the 2018 season. He batted .282 with six homers and 48 RBIs in 127 games during his final season. The 2009 American League Most Valuable Player was named to the AL All-Star team six times and won three gold gloves. --Field Level Media