COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Since its inception, more than 20,000 players have played Major League Baseball. Just 273 of them have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Of that elite group, just 20 are catchers. And of those 20, just two have been elected on the first ballot.

Come Sunday, the hall will get its third first-ballot catcher when Twins legend Joe Mauer is inducted in a ceremony that will begin at 12:30 p.m. CDT and will be aired on MLB Network.

It’s an incredible feat, one that’s almost difficult to comprehend — even for Mauer himself.

“I don’t know if I can fully process that,” Mauer said. “I love the position. I took a lot of pride in it. I think catchers do in general. Just to be the third of I think there’s 20 now in the Hall of Fame, which is crazy to think of, definitely honored to be here and represent that type of player.”

Joe Mauer acknowledges a standing ovation as he donned catcher’s gear and caught for one pitch against a Chicago White Sox batter in the ninth inning of a home game on Sept. 30, 2018. Mauer began his career as a catcher before switching to first base. (Jim Mone / Associated Press)

Mauer received 76 percent of the votes from eligible members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America when voting was revealed back in January, just over the requisite 75 percent needed for entry.

He joins a group that includes just Johnny Bench and Iván Rodríguez, two players whom he mentioned looking up to on Saturday afternoon during a media session in Cooperstown.

Bench was the first catcher to receive the honor, inducted in 1989 after receiving 96 percent of the vote. The Reds legend was a 14-time all-star, a 10-time Gold Glove Award winner, a two-time Most Valuable Player and a World Series winner twice over.

He was also one of the first to welcome Mauer to the exclusive club when he was elected in January and offered Mauer some important advice along the way: Keep a diary of everything that happens during induction weekend, because everything moves so quickly.

Johnny Bench (Louis Requena / MLB Photos via Getty Images)

“I never did keep a diary, but I started,” Mauer said. “Johnny Bench asks you to keep a diary, you do.”

Rodríguez was also a 14-time all-star, winning 13 Gold Glove Awards behind the plate and Seven Silver Slugger Awards. He received 76 percent of the vote and was inducted in 2017.

Rodríguez’s career partially overlapped with Mauer — when Mauer was a rookie, he was catching for the division-rival Detroit Tigers — and he had plenty of compliments to pay to the newest catcher to be enshrined in Cooperstown, praising the way Mauer, a three-time Gold Glove Award winner, received balls, blocked and threw, as well as his offense.

“As a hitter, amazing hitter. Obviously put the ball in play. Great inside out hitter. One of the best I’ve ever seen,” Rodríguez said. “Plays a lot of innings behind the plate. Late in his career he plays a different position, but the majority of his years was as a catcher. But as a hitter, great hitter and deserved to be here.”

Some of the other catchers in the hall include Yogi Berra and Gary Carter, both of whom Mauer met at the 2008 All-Star Game, Mike Piazza and Carlton Fisk. But none of those four made it on the first ballot, as getting elected as a catcher has been notoriously hard over the years.

“The more catchers we can get here, it’s good,” Rodríguez said. “It’s not easy, obviously, to be inducted in the Hall of Fame, but having another catcher in the family is always good.”

In his 10 seasons as a catcher before concussion issues forced him to move to first base, Mauer was a three-time batting champion, becoming the only backstop to accomplish the feat.

His .306 career batting average is fourth among catchers with 5,000 plate appearances, and his .388 on-base percentage is third-all time among catchers. Mauer’s 55.2 bWAR (Wins Above Replacement per Baseball Reference) is ninth at the position.

And for all of that and plenty more, he earned an elusive honor.

“We always knew the player he was and got to see it every day and the history that he made as a catcher. But when you’re in Minnesota, you’re a middle market, you’re never really certain how it’s going to play out relative to the voting process,” Twins president and CEO Dave St. Peter said. “I think for Joe being not just a Hall of Famer but a first ballot Hall of Famer, I think there’s some level of validation there. Not to suggest Joe needs it. But organizationally, I can tell you it’s nice to see, and we’re going to celebrate that.”

Newly elected baseball Hall of Fame inductee Ivan Rodriguez speaks to reporters during a news conference, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

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