Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, Joe Mauer Elected To Hall Of Fame
Third baseman Adrian Beltre, catcher Joe Mauer and power-hitting first baseman Todd Helton were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday, with both Beltre and Mauer getting in on their first ballot. Helton was elected on his sixth try. Beltre had 95.1% of the votes, Helton at 79.7%, and Mauer at 76.1%. Closer Billy Wagner (73.8%) fell just five votes shy and will have his last chance in 2025. Slugger Gary Sheffield (63.9%) didn't get the required support in his 10th and final ballot. Beltre is a member of the 400-homer club and was one of the best defensive third basemen of all time. Helton played his entire 17-year career with the Rockies and was a five-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger. Mauer was arguably the best catcher of his generation after being taken as the No. 1 overall pick in 2001. He was a six-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger and three-time batting champion.
Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer, who went 1-for-4 on Sunday in what could've been his final major league game, is still undecided on whether he will retire this offseason. "I'm not 100 percent sure [about retiring or not], and like I said, I want to make sure I have time just to take a deep breath and really be behind that decision. But I couldn't have asked for a better last day of the 2018 season, and I'm looking forward to just taking a breath and spending some time with my girls, my family, and we'll go from there. But with the emotions running right now, I don't want to say either way," Mauer said. Mauer has been a six-time All-Star, has won three batting titles and was the 2009 American League MVP. His .388 career on-base percentage is the sixth best in franchise history. He also has over 2,000 career hits and 1,000 career runs. It sure looks like this is the end for Mauer, who hit .282/.351/.379 with just six homer and 48 RBI in 486 at-bats in 2018.
Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer went 2-for-4 with two runs scored in his team's 4-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday. Mauer's two-hit game raises his season slash line to .278/.346/.375 with six homers, 57 runs, and 46 RBI in 461 at-bats. Mauer isn't providing much pop in fantasy but he gets on base frequently and has use in AL-only formats, especially OBP leagues. He will take on Tigers starter Matthew Boyd on Wednesday.
Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer is back in the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Detroit Tigers. Mauer received a rest day on Sunday, but will be back in the lineup for this contest. He'll lead off and play first base against righty Jordan Zimmermann. Mauer has been hitting well lately, so he's worth consideration in DFS contests.
Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer is back in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Kansas City Royals. Mauer was given a routine off day on Thursday, but the veteran slugger is rested and ready to go on Friday. He'll lead off and play first base against righty Jorge Lopez. Mauer is not the best DFS option on Friday, but he's worth considering while leading off.
Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer (rest) is out of the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Kansas City Royals. It appears this is just a routine day off for the veteran slugger. Tyler Austin will play first base and bat eighth against righty Heath Fillmyer. Austin has not played much lately and hasn't performed well when he does play. He can be avoided in fantasy leagues and DFS contests.
Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer may consider hanging up his cleats after the season. The 35-year-old will take his time after the season to consider a multitude of factors before deciding if he will return in 2019. The veteran is batting .274 on the season but has only seven home runs and 43 RBI as his career winds down. His career .306 average is the sixth highest among active players with at least 3,000 plate appearances. The 2018 season is also the final year of his nine-year, $184 million deal he signed before the 2010 season. A concussion in May also forced him to miss 25 games and move to first base full time. Mauer was once one of the great hitters of his time, but he's never had much power, never reaching the 30-homer mark and only hitting over 20 bombs once, back in 2009. The former MVP doesn't have much left in terms of counting stats and is really only an option for his average in AL-only leagues.
Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer went 2-for-4 with a grand slam in his team's 10-5 win over the New York Yankees on Tuesday. The veteran first baseman sent a fifth-inning offering from Yankees right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga over the fence for his fifth career grand slam. Mauer is now hitting .272 with six homers, 51 runs, and 43 RBI in 423 at-bats this season. He doesn't offer much power at this stage of his career but he can still be useful in AL-only formats. Mauer will look to stay hot against ace right-hander Luis Severino on Wednesday.
Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer went 2-for-4 with a double in his team's 8-1 loss to the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday. Mauer was one of the few Twins to figure out Cleveland starter Carlos Carrasco, who allowed just four hits over 7 2/3 innings of work. The veteran first baseman is now hitting .278 with a .729 OPS, five homers, 45 runs, and 39 RBI on the year. He doesn't hit for enough power to be a fantasy option in mixed leagues at this point of his career but he still gets on base often and has been hitting leadoff for the Twins. That puts him in play in cash games in daily fantasy when he has a good matchup.
Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer didn't draw the start against the Detroit Tigers on Friday but he certainly made his presence felt. With the Twins down 3-2, Mauer pinch-hit for Ehire Adrianza in the seventh inning and laced a three-run, go-ahead homer to power his team to a 5-4 win. Mauer is now hitting .274 with four homers, 43 runs, and 37 RBI in 339 at-bats. Those numbers aren't going to get the job done in standard fantasy leagues but the veteran is worth a look in favorable matchups in daily fantasy cash games.