Thanks Katie for finding this article from MLB.com regarding Joe’s “MLBTHESHOW:2010″ cover!

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Joe Mauer already has picked up an American League MVP Award, a Glove Glove, and a Silver Slugger this offseason. Now the Twins catcher can add being on the cover of a video game to his list of accomplishments.

On Thursday it was announced that Mauer will grace the cover of Sony Playstation’s “MLB 10 The Show.” The game will be released in March 2010, just as Spring Training is underway.

“I was excited about the opportunity,” Mauer said. “They first asked me about it a little while ago, and growing up, I guess I wasn’t a huge video gamer, but basically the games I would play would be baseball or football and things like that. I thought it was pretty cool to be in a video game the first couple years, and now to be on the cover, it’s definitely an honor.”

The distinction of being on the cover of a video game comes after arguably the best year of Mauer’s already impressive career. The 26-year-old earned his third batting title — the most in history by a Major League catcher — in 2009 after batting .365 with a career-high 28 homers and 96 RBIs.

“Joe is one of the best players in baseball today,” said Chris Munson, product marketing manager for MLB 10 The Show. “The things that he’s done in a short time already at the age of 26 are almost unrivaled in the history of baseball. … Joe is also just reaching into the mainstream with people understanding and appreciating the skill that he brings to baseball. The amount of stuff that he does on the field, it links very well to what our game, The Show, really encapsulates, which is the deepest experience we can bring to your living room short of you actually putting on the equipment and playing baseball.”

It’s the first time that Mauer has been on the cover of a baseball video game and it seemed fitting for him to get the honor this year, since one of the game’s new features is Catcher Mode. The feature allows fans to call the game as the catcher, select pitches and be the field general like Mauer.

Also new this year to the game is a Home Run Derby, user controlled pick-offs, a movie-maker feature that allows you to make your own highlight reel and 11 new stadiums to play in, among other elements.

One of those stadiums includes the Twins’ new home, Target Field, which the club will christen on April 12 in their 2010 home opener against the Red Sox. One of the first images unveiled of the new game features Mauer up to bat in a game at Target Field, and the catcher said that the sight caught him off guard at first.

“That’s the first thing I saw on the computer today, and I was like, ‘I’m in a white uniform and it’s sunny out, what’s going on?’” Mauer said with a laugh. “Then I looked into it a little more and then I realized it was right field in Target Field. It’s pretty neat. I’ve been over to Target Field a couple times, but now to see it on the game in the way fans in the stands will see it is cool to imagine that.”

Mauer’s cover gig is one of the biggest endorsement deals that the catcher has had to date, but those opportunities are only expected to increase. The catcher recently signed on with marketing powerhouse IMG for his off-the-field endeavors. IMG also represents football’s Peyton and Eli Manning, auto racing’s Danica Patrick and hockey’s Alexander Ovechkin.

“Since I moved over with IMG, I think everything has been real positive and I’m learning a lot with all these different things that are coming my way now,” Mauer said. “But like I told those guys, the most important thing for me is to make sure that I stay on schedule and prepare for the next season. I think we’ve got a healthy balance of that right now.”

Previous covers of the MLB The Show series have featured Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox, Ryan Howard of the Phillies and David Wright of the Mets.

“We’ve already had one AL MVP on our cover in Dustin, and I think we’ve really hit the nail on the head again with another AL MVP,” Munson said. “We’re just absolutely thrilled about having Joe on the cover.”

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