Joe Mauer may have been the greatest high school athlete of all time. He was a three sport superstar, excelling at basketball, football, and baseball. From the time he was four years old until his senior year of high school, he dominated the Minnesota sports scene. As a four year old, the local tee ball league asked him not to play because he hit the ball too hard and was a danger to other children, who were on average a year or two older than him (I played tee ball at age six). At Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, Minnesota, he starred on the basketball team, being named to the Minnesota All-State basketball team as a junior as well as as a senior. That was his third best sport. On the football team, he starred at quarterback, and he was pretty good: good enough to be named the Gatorade National Player of the Year for football in 2001, his senior year. Many recruiting analysts regarded him as the top high school football prospect in the country. That was his second best sport. I'll repeat that: the best high school football player in the country actually just played football on the side. As a baseball player, he made varsity as a freshman and batted over .542 all four years, hitting .605 as a senior and finishing with a career batting average of .567. He showcased power, too, once hitting a home run in seven straight games. Perhaps most impressively, over 222 high school at bats, he struck out once. Once. His hometown Minnesota Twins selected him first overall in the 2001 MLB Draft, and the rest is history. Thirteen seasons and 1590 games later, he has shown that he did not peak in high school, batting .308 with 130 home runs, three batting titles, and the 2009 AL MVP Award.
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wow, that's dominating! what an athlete. Very interesting, to find out stories behind the player. Especially (from your post) ..." over 222 high school at bats, he struck out once. Once"
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