Twins catcher Joe Mauer led the American League in 2009 in batting average (.365), on-base percentage (.444) and slugging percentage (.587). (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Joe Mauer has become only the second catcher in 33 years to win the American League's Most Valuable Player Award.

The Minnesota Twins star was a near-unanimous winner in voting announced Monday by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, receiving 27 of 28 first-place votes and 387 points.

New York Yankees teammates Mark Teixeira (225 points) and Derek Jeter (193) were second and third, followed by Detroit's Miguel Cabrera, who drew the other first-place vote and was fourth with 171 points. Kendry Morales rounded out the top five with 170 points.

Mauer became the second Twins player to win in four years, following Justin Morneau of New Westminster, B.C., in 2006. Morneau gave Mauer a bottle of champagne Monday at the Metrodome.

"Hopefully, we can pop that open here a little later," Mauer said.

Outfielder Jason Bay of Trail, B.C., was seventh in voting with 78 points while Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Aaron Hill was 12th (23).

Solid from Day 1

After missing April with a back injury, Mauer homered in his first at-bat of the season and went on to lead the AL in batting average (.365), on-base percentage (.444) and slugging percentage (.587), the first AL player to top all three categories in the same season since George Brett in 1980.

The 26-year-old St. Paul, Minn., native set a major league record for highest batting average by a catcher and won his third batting title, becoming the first repeat batting champion since Nomar Garciaparra in 1999-2000.

"I love catching," Mauer said. "I love the demands that are put on me and the responsibilities that I have. Although it might beat you up a little bit physically and mentally, I like being back there making those decisions, you know, for my team."

Mauer also established career bests with 28 home runs and 96 runs batted in, had more walks (76) than strikeouts (63) and batted .378 after Morneau's season-ending back injury on Sept. 12, helping the Twins overtake Detroit for the AL Central title.

He was voted to his third all-star team and won his second straight AL Gold Glove.

Mauer said the injury and his minor rehabilitation assignment might have been a "blessing in disguise." He was forced to do more core work on his abdominal muscles.

"In April, I couldn't watch a whole lot of the games," he said. "I'd watch for a little bit, and I'd get so frustrated that I wasn't out there."

Free agent next off-season

Mauer can leave the Twins and become a free agent after the 2010 season, when he is due to make $12.5 million US. Minnesota is expected to try to sign him to a new deal.

Ivan Rodriguez in 1999 had been the only catcher since Thurman Munson in 1976 to win the AL MVP. The other catchers to win in the AL were Mickey Cochrane (1934), Yogi Berra (1951 and 1954-55) and Elston Howard (1963). National League catchers to win were Gabby Hartnett (1935), Ernie Lombardi (1938), Roy Campanella (1951, 1953 and 1955) and Johnny Bench (1970 and 1972).

In addition to Mauer and Morneau, other Twins to win were Zoilo Versalles (1965), Harmon Killebrew (1969) and Rod Carew (1977).

Mauer receives a $100,000 bonus for winning the award and Cabrera gets $200,000 for finishing fourth.

Teixeira led the AL with 122 RBIs and tied for first with 39 homers. Jeter was second to Morneau in the 2006 voting and finished third behind Juan Gonzalez and Garciaparra in 1998.

The NL MVP is to be announced Tuesday, and Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals is favoured to repeat.