A Month-By-Month Retrospective of Joe Mauer’s 2009 MVP Season

The 2009 season was a crossroads for Joe Mauer. His years of team control were quickly dwindling, and fans had seen this story play out in the not-so-distant past. Torii Hunter left via free agency, and the front office felt forced to trade Johan Santana before his team control ran out. Mauer was under contract (on the first, now-forgotten extension he signed with the team) for 2009 and 2010, but the risk that the team would feel compelled to move him between those two campaigns loomed. That’s when a final season of Metrodome Magic pushed him to a career-best year.

Mauer’s season failed to get off to a perfect start, as he missed the month of April with a back injury. However, he claimed the injury and minor rehab might have been a “blessing in disguise.” He was forced to do more core work on his abdominal muscles, which might have helped his in-season performance.

“In April, I couldn’t watch a whole lot of the games,” he told reporters after the season. “I’d watch for a little bit and I’d get so frustrated that I wasn’t out there.” Mauer turned that frustration into an MVP campaign when he returned to the field.

May (28 Games)
Stat Line: .414/.500/.838, 7 2B, 1 3B, 11 HR, 19 BB, 16 K
Best Game (May 23): 3-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, BB, 0.26 WPA
No player can win an MVP in his first month of the season, but Mauer gave it his best shot. Memorably, he hit a home run on his first swing of the season and never looked back. May would be the only month wherein he hit double-digit home runs, and it was one of three months in which he had more walks than strikeouts. In the middle of the month, he had a 20-game on-base streak, which included a 14-game hit streak. His hot start to the season earned him the AL Player of the Month, and it was just the first step toward his MVP. 

June (26 Games)
Stat Line: .353/.407/.490, 5 2B, 3 HR, 10 BB, 12 K
Best Game (June 2): 3-for-3, HR, 3 RBI, R, BB, 0.23 WPA
Mauer’s power numbers cooled off significantly when the calendar turned to June. However, he continued to hit for average and post an extraordinary OBP. Mauer had multiple hits in nine of his 26 starts, and two of his three home runs came at the Metrodome. His best game of the month included one of his most significant home runs. Minnesota needed all of Mauer’s hits to beat Cleveland 4-3. The Guardians scored three runs in the final three innings to make it close, but Joe Nathan closed the door in the ninth. 

July
Stat Line: .309/.377/.468, 3 2B, 4 HR, 11 BB, 15 K
Best Game (July 23): 3-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB, 0.26 WPA
July was Mauer’s worst month at the plate, but he still posted a batting average north of .300 and an .846 OPS. He was selected as the starting catcher for the American League All-Star team, and manager Joe Maddon penciled him into the third spot in the lineup. Mauer tied the game with a double in the fifth inning off Chad Billingsley. He finished the game 1-for-3 with a double, a run, and an RBI. 

August
Stat Line: .391/.449/.652, 6 2B, 8 HR, 12 BB, 9 K 
Best Game (August 13): 2-for-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, R, BB, 0.31 WPA
Mauer found his power swing again, as he posted an OPS of 1.100 or higher for the first time since May. He got the month off to a hot start with a 15-game hitting streak from August 2-18, and he stretched that to a 20-game on-base streak. His game against the Royals on August 13 was his highest WPA for the entire season, but the Twins ended up losing the game 5-4. Mauer was in the driver’s seat for his third batting title and was on a record-breaking pace for a catcher.

September/October (32 games)
Stat Line: .354/.471/.487, 9 2B, 2 HR, 24 BB, 11 K
Best Game (September 14): 3-for-3, R, BB, 0.18 WPA
Other teams feared Mauer and his bat in September, especially with the Twins hunting for a division title. Opposing pitchers were very careful pitching to him, and he drew a season-high 24 walks in the month, including six intentional passes. Justin Morneau suffered a season-ending back injury on September 12, and Mauer hit .378 for the remainder of the season. Minnesota and Detroit tied for the AL Central title, setting up an epic Game 163 at the Metrodome. Mauer went 2-for-4 in the game, and reached base four times in six plate appearances. It was a perfect ending to his MVP campaign, with the Twins winning in 12 innings.  

Mauer’s 2009 season was one of the best for a catcher, and the accolades started rolling in following the season. According to FanGraphs, Mauer accumulated the fifth-highest WAR total of any catcher in MLB history and the highest amount for any AL backstop. He set a major-league record for highest batting average by a catcher and won his third batting title--also a backstop record. He also became the first repeat batting champion in nearly a decade (Nomar Garciaparra, 1999-2000). Mauer finished the season with more walks (76) than strikeouts (63), a feat becoming even rarer in the modern game. 

Mauer finished one vote shy of being a unanimous MVP, with Miguel Cabrera, the fourth-place finisher, receiving the other first-place vote. New York’s Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter finished in second and third place. He was the second catcher in 33 years to win the AL MVP, and no catcher has finished first over the last 14 seasons. Mauer was a once-in-a-generation player, and his 2009 season was his magnum opus. 

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