Joe Mauer career timeline

High school star: Mauer was a three-sport athlete at Cretin-Derham Hall. He was the Gatorade national player of the year in football as a quarterback, Gatorade player of the year in baseball and all-state in basketball.

Decision time: Mauer committed to play football at Florida State, and was the No. 1 overall pick in the major league baseball draft in 2001. He signed with the Twins for $5.1 million.

The big time: Mauer made his major league debut in 2004, going 2-for-3 against Cleveland on April 5. He played 15 major league seasons.

History maker: In 2006, Mauer hit .347 to win the first of his three American League batting titles. He is the only catcher to win three.

The best: Mauer won the American League MVP award in 2009. He led the majors with a .365 batting average, hit 28 home runs and drove in 96 runs in only 138 games. He also won a Gold Glove at catcher.

Big deal: On March 22, 2010, Mauer agreed to an eight-year, $184 million contract, making him the fourth-highest-paid player in the major leagues at the time.

Sea change: Mauer hit .324 in 2013 and made his sixth All-Star team, but following the season he was moved from catcher — where he won three Gold Gloves — to first base because of concussion issues. From 2014-16, he never hit above .277.

Fitting finale: In Mauer's final game, on Sept. 30 against the White Sox at Target Field, he doubled in his final at-bat, then put on his catching gear for the first time since 2013 and caught one pitch.