Minnesota Twins: Joe Mauer

Mauer is a St. Paul native, a former number one overall draft pick, the 2009 AL MVP and the only three-time batting champion among catchers, so perhaps it’s not

Mauer is a St. Paul native, a former number one overall draft pick, the 2009 AL MVP and the only three-time batting champion among catchers, so perhaps it’s not surprising that Target Field, which opened in 2010, was once dubbed “The House That Mauer Built.” (That certainly beats the moniker for the Metrodome, the venue it replaced, which was often called "The Hefty Bag.") That said, neither Mauer's concussion-mandated move from catcher to first base nor the back half of the eight-year, $184 million contract that runs through 2018 has worked out so well, and he's become a symbol for the team's recent underachievement. But until Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton or another young player leads the Twins back to contention, nobody is likely to supplant Mauer as the face of the only franchise he’s ever known.