I think if anybody deserves it, he does.
I see him as the best catcher ever....at this stage of his career.
I can't see any current catcher being close to him, maybe some early player, I'm not aware of, but he is surely the best current catcher, by a mile.
I'm sure the Yankees would have gone 200 M, to lock him up, and replace an aging Posada.
His numbers are just sick.
The great Johnny Bench's numbers through the first 6 years of his career. Average doesn't match Mauer but HR's and RBI's blow Mauer away. 9, 11 and 19th columns are HRs, RBIs and Average.
<TABLE class=boxed width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=datacolBoxC noWrap>
1967</TD><TD class=datacolBox noWrap>
Reds</TD><TD class=datacolBoxR noWrap>
26</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>86</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>7</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>14</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>3</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>1</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>1</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>0</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>6</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>5</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>0</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>19</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>1</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>1</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>0</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>4</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>.163</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>.207</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>.256</TD></TR><TR><TD class=datacolBoxC noWrap>
1968</TD><TD class=datacolBox noWrap>
Reds</TD><TD class=datacolBoxR noWrap>
154</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>564</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>67</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>155</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>40</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>2</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>15</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>0</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>82</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>31</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>8</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>96</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>2</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>8</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>2</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>14</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>.275</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>.311</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>.433</TD></TR><TR><TD class=datacolBoxC noWrap>
1969</TD><TD class=datacolBox noWrap>
Reds</TD><TD class=datacolBoxR noWrap>
148</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>532</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>83</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>156</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>23</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>1</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>26</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>1</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>90</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>49</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>7</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>86</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>0</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>7</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>4</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>7</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>.293</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>.353</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>.487</TD></TR><TR><TD class=datacolBoxC noWrap>
1970</TD><TD class=datacolBox noWrap>
Reds</TD><TD class=datacolBoxR noWrap>
158</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>605</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>97</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>177</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>35</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>4</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>45</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>0</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>148</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>54</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>9</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>102</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>1</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>11</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>0</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>12</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>.293</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>.345</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>.587</TD></TR><TR><TD class=datacolBoxC noWrap>
1971</TD><TD class=datacolBox noWrap>
Reds</TD><TD class=datacolBoxR noWrap>
149</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>562</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>80</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>134</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>19</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>2</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>27</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>0</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>61</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>49</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>7</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>83</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>0</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>2</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>0</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>20</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>.238</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>.299</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>.423</TD></TR><TR><TD class=datacolBoxC noWrap>
1972</TD><TD class=datacolBox noWrap>
Reds</TD><TD class=datacolBoxR noWrap>
147</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>538</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>87</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>145</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>22</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>2</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>40</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>1</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>125</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>100</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>23</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>84</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>0</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>12</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>2</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>18</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>.270</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>.379</TD><TD class=datacolR noWrap>.541</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>