Joseph Patrick Mauer...2001 graduate of Cretin-Derham Hall (MN) High School where he played baseball, basketball and football...led football team to two straight appearances in the Minnesota Class 5A Championship Game, winning the state title in 2000...named Gatorade's National Player of the Year, Parade and USA Today Player of the Year and Reebok/ESPN High School All-American in football...signed a letter of intent to play football at Florida State University...was All-State in basketball in junior and senior seasons...tied a national high school record by homering in seven consecutive games...was District V Player of the Year and Gatorade Player of the Year in 2001...was a member of the Team USA Junior National Team, 1998-2000...voted Best Hitter at the world tournament in Panama in 2000...became the seventh Minnesotan to be selected in the first round and the first to be selected first overall...designates time and effort in support of Twins' Rookie League and R.B.I programs...is an active member of the Minnesota Action Team, an expanding national youth volunteer initiative run by the Major League Baseball Players Trust and Volunteers of America.

Had 11-game hit-streak, going 16-for-43 (.372), April 15-29...hit first home run of season, June 2 vs. New York (AL)...hit second home run, June 4 vs. Baltimore...was 11-for-20 (.550) in six games, May 2-9...hit safely in nine of 10 games, May 11-21...was 10-for-21 (.476) with two home runs in six games, May 31-June 6...fourth three-hit game on June 6 at Chicago (AL)...three straight two-hit games June 17-19...eight-game hit-streak from June 29-July 9, hitting .397 (11-for-29)...finished the first-half third in the AL in batting (.322), behind Ian Kinsler (.337) and Justin Morneau (.323)...became the first Twins catcher to start an All-Star Game, July 15 at New York (AL), going 1-for-1 with a walk...career-high 16 game hitting-streak from August 4-24, hitting .349 (22-for-63) with one home run, 10 rbi and 13 runs scored...second career five-hit game tying his career-high on August 29 at Oakland, season-high four rbi...had a 12-game hitting streak, going 18-for-47 (.383), September 10-23...11th three-hit game of the season, September 25 vs. Chicago (AL)...recorded 11 multi-hit games in September...his .362 batting average with runners in scoring position ranked seventh in the American League...recorded his fourth triple of the season, matching his career-high...was one of just four catchers to log 1,200-or-more innings behind the plate and ranked second in the league by throwing out 36% of potential basestealers...finished the season four points ahead of Dustin Pedroia (Boston) to win his second batting title in three years (2006)...it was the 13th American League batting title by a Minnesota Twin in the 48 year existence of the team, and he joined Tony Oliva and Rod Carew as the only Twins who won multiple titles...joined Buddy Myer (Washington, 1935) and Joe Cronin (Washington, 1931) as the only players in franchise history to hit over .300, score over 95 runs, record 30-or-more doubles, drive in 80-or-more runs and walk 80-or-more times in a single season...was given the Dick Seibert Award for Upper Midwest Player of the Year and the Carl R. Pohlad Community Service Award by the Twin Cities Baseball Writers Association...won first ever Rawlings Gold Gold Glove Award becoming the second Twins catcher to win the award (Earl Battey in 1961 & '62)...first American League player to win the Batting Title and Gold Glove in the same season since Ichiro Suzuki in 2004...won Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award.