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Mauer looks to take home big prize

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By Kelly Thesier / MLB.com

11/21/09 12:51 AM EST

MINNEAPOLIS -- The wait is almost over.

On Monday, Twins fans will learn whether or not Joe Mauer will take home his first American League Most Valuable Player Award when the Baseball Writers' Association of America announces the balloting results.

Mauer is considered the favorite for the honor following the best season of his already impressive young career. The All-Star catcher led the AL in batting average (.365), on-base percentage (.444) and slugging percentage (.587). His career-high .365 average earned Mauer a third batting title -- making him the first catcher in Major League history to accomplish the feat. In addition to the batting title, Mauer also set career highs in home runs (28) and RBIs (96).

A front-runner for the MVP honor as he flirted with hitting .400 into the month of July, Mauer saw his candidacy surge thanks to the late-season run by the Twins which earned the club another AL Central title. It also didn't hurt that Mauer put up all of his impressive numbers after missing all of Spring Training and the entire month of April due to lower back inflammation.

If Mauer wins the AL MVP Award, he would become the fifth Twins player to achieve the feat. His teammate, Justin Morneau, captured MVP honors in 2006, while Zoilo Versalles won it in 1965, Harmon Killebrew in '69 and Rod Carew in '77.

When asked recently about the possibility of earning the honor, Mauer said the award, whether he wins it or not, won't take away from what the Twins accomplished as a team.

"Everything that happened this season and the year we had, it's just starting to sink in," Mauer said. "I'm starting to appreciate it all now -- the run that we made there at the end and me personally being able to stay on the field and produce. Now has been a good time to be able to reflect on all those things."

Mauer undoubtedly played a significant role in the Twins' success in 2009, and he's already claimed some impressive hardware this awards season to prove it. The catcher repeated as both a Rawlings Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner for his work behind and at the plate.

While Mauer has already earned his share of honors this fall, Minnesota saw its other award contender fall just a little short. For the second straight year, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire finished runner-up in the voting for AL Manager of the Year. Gardenhire was second behind Angels skipper Mike Scioscia when the award balloting was announced on Wednesday. It was Gardenhire's fifth second-place finish since he took over as Twins manager prior to the 2002 season.

Kelly Thesier is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.