JOE MAUER

Position: Catcher / First Baseman
Number: 7
Height: 6-5
Weight: 225
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Born: April 19, 1983 in St. Paul, MN
How Obtained: Twins' 1st-round draft choice in 2001
Career Stats »

Joe Mauer spent his entire 15-year Major League Baseball career with the Minnesota Twins. Mauer is the only catcher in MLB history to win three batting titles, and the only catcher to ever win a batting title in the American League. He also won three consecutive Gold Glove Awards (2008–2010), and the 2009 AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award.

Mauer played football, basketball, and baseball for St. Paul's Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders, the high school of Hall of Famer Paul Molitor. In his senior year he became the only athlete ever to be selected as the USA Today High School Player of the Year in two sports (football in 2000 as a quarterback and baseball in 2001 as a catcher).

In December 2009, Sports Illustrated magazine included Mauer in its article on ten "signature" moments in U.S. high-school sports in the 2000–2009 decade, referring to his selection by the Minnesota Twins as the first pick in the 2001 amateur draft.

Mauer attended the same high school as Baseball Hall of Famer and former Milwaukee Brewer Paul Molitor who later became his major league manager with the Twins. Molitor has said that Mauer, "has the best swing he had ever seen." Jim O'Neill, Mauer's baseball coach at Cretin-Derham Hall, said his former student "has been groomed for this job since he was a little boy. Mauer's dad, Jake, created a contraption for Joe he later named the 'Quickswing.' The device dropped balls down a tube from eye level and released them at waist level." Mauer had been asked to leave his T-ball league at the age of four, because he was hitting the ball too hard for the other players. "Another guy that came from Cretin-Derham Hall, Paul Molitor, was very similar, [and] had a good short swing," O'Neill said. "And they're both able to wait on the ball so long because they don't have the big swing. Like anything, you keep simple and keep it small or short, there's not a lot of holes in it and not a lot of room for errors."

A stand-out in baseball, Mauer struck out only once during his four-year high school career and hit .605 during his senior season. Years later, Mauer laughingly told an interviewer: "I can remember the time I did strike out. It was junior year, and it was in the state tournament. I came back to the bench and everybody thought something was wrong with me." Mauer's high school batting average exceeded .500 every year. He also set a Minnesota high school record and tied the national preps mark by hitting a home run in seven consecutive games. Mauer caught for the Team USA Junior National team from 1998 to 2000 and hit .595 during his final year on the team. He was voted best hitter at the World Junior Baseball Championship in Canada in 2000. In 2001, Mauer was voted the United States District V Player of the Year.

Mauer averaged more than 20 points a game as a point guard for Cretin-Derham Hall. He was also named to the All-State team during his final two years on Cretin-Derham's basketball team.

Mauer had an extremely accomplished high school football career. In 2000, he appeared in the Faces in the Crowd section in Sports Illustrated. During his senior season as the Raiders' quarterback, Mauer completed 178 of 269 passes (66% completion percentage), for 3,022 yards, 41 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He finished his two-year career as a starter with 5,528 yards and 73 touchdowns, leading the Raiders to two consecutive Class 5A State Championship Game appearances and winning the title in 2000, the Raiders' first of all time.

Mauer was honored as the 2001 Gatorade National Player of the Year, was named to the USA Today All-USA high school football team, was honored as USA Today's Player of the Year, was a Reebok/ESPN High School All-American, and was awarded Player of the Year for the game that would go on to be known as the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Mauer was also named National High School Quarterback of the Year in 2000 by The National Quarterback Club.

After committing to play football at Florida State University, Mauer ultimately decided instead to enter the Major League Baseball Draft. Mauer was selected by the Twins as the first overall pick of the 2001 draft, ahead of college pitcher Mark Prior, who was taken second overall by the Chicago Cubs. Mauer was part of the United States' roster at the 2003 All-Star Futures Game at U.S. Cellular Field before being promoted to the Twins' roster in 2004 after his predecessor, A. J. Pierzynski, was traded to the San Francisco Giants, in the 2003 offseason.

Mauer went 2-for-3 in his Major League debut, hitting a single off Rafael Betancourt of the Cleveland Indians for his first major-league hit. A knee injury to his left medial meniscus on April 7, 2004, required surgery and sidelined Mauer for more than a month. After a rehabilitation stint with the Twins' AAA affiliate Rochester Red Wings, Mauer returned to the Twins' lineup in June. In July, pain and swelling in his knee forced an early end to Mauer's 2004 season. Following his injury-shortened 2004, Mauer signed a contract for $5.7 million with the Twins on January 24, 2005. In 2005, Mauer returned to the Twins' lineup for his first full major league season and had 144 hits in 131 games, with 9 home runs and 55 RBI. He ended the year with an average of .294.

PERSONAL: Joseph Patrick Mauer . . . wife, Maddie (Bisanz) . . . twin daughters, Maren Virginia and Emily Teresa (7/24/13) . . . son, Charles Joseph (11/14/19) . . . 2001 graduate of Cretin-Derham Hall (MN) High School where he played baseball, basketball and football . . . led football team to two straight appearances in the Minnesota Class 5A championship game, winning the state title in 2000 . . . named Gatorade's National Player of the Year, Parade and USA Today Player of the Year, and Reebok/ESPN High School All-American in football . . . signed letter of intent to play football at Florida State University...was All-State in basketball in junior and senior seasons . . . tied a national high school baseball record by homering in seven consecutive games . . . was District V Player of the Year and Gatorade Player of the Year in 2001 . . . was member of Team USA Junior National Team 1998-2000 . . . voted best hitter at the World Tournament in Panama in 2000 . . . became seventh Minnesotan to be selected in first round and first to be selected first overall . . . donates time and effort in support of Twins Rookie League and R.B.I. programs . . . is active member of Minnesota Action Team, an expanding national youth volunteer initiative run by the Major League Baseball Players Trust and Volunteers of America . . . donates time and money in support of renovating and building baseball fields in St. Paul and surrounding areas . . . participates annually in Twins Winter Caravan . . . along with his wife, annually donates time and money to the Gillette Children's Hospital . . . annually hosts Lanes for Friendship, a bowling event that raises money for the Highland Friendship Club.

2019: Had number 7 officially retired by Twins, June 15, during a ceremony at Target Field, Joe Mauer Day, part of Joe Mauer Weekend . . . June 15 was also No. 7 Baseball Cap Night, Presented by Mauer Chevrolet & Buick/GMC - No. 7 Baseball Cap's given to first 20,000 Fans . . . All players wore a #7 Mauer patch on their hats and jerseys during the Joe Mauer Day game . . . To celebrate Joe Mauer's career, The Twins created the Joe Mauer Bobblehead Series. The collection includes four Joe Mauer bobbleheads. Together, the four, gate giveaway bobbleheads form a "Number 7" base. The first 10,000 fans in attendance on each of the dates received the specific bobblehead: May 24 - Mauer swinging in his Cretin-Derham Hall High School "Raiders" jersey; July 19 - 21-year-old Mauer making his Major League debut as the starting catcher on April 5, 2004; August 24 - Mauer with his American League MVP, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger Awards from his 2009 season; September 7 - Mauer's final game on September 30, 2018.

2018: Made 14th career Opening Day start, fifth straight at first base, passing Harmon Killebrew for most overall in club history (since 1961) on March 29, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards . . . Played in his 1,747th career game, tying Hrbek for third most in a Twins uniform on April 23, at Yankee Stadium II . . . Played in his 1,748th career game, passing Hrbek for third most in a Twins uniform on April 24, at Yankee Stadium II . . . Played in his 1,783rd career game, tying Puckett for second most in a Twins uniform on July 1, at Wrigley Field . . . played in his 1,784th career game, passing Puckett for second most in a Twins uniform on July 2, at Miller Park. Mauer finished his career playing in 1,858 games, the second most in a Twins uniform . . . Tied Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett atop the Twins' all-time doubles list with his third-inning double, off of Brewers Pitcher Chase Anderson, the 414th of his career on July 4, at Miller Park . . . Knocked, Royals pitcher, Jakob Junis’ second pitch of Saturday night’s 4-2 loss off the wall in left-center for career double No. 415, passing Kirby Puckett for most career doubles, making him the Twins' all-time doubles leader on July 21, 2018 at Kauffman Stadium. After giving his trademark light clap of the hands upon rounding the bag, Mauer looked into the third-base dugout and saw his appreciative teammates applauding him from the top step. “It would’ve been nice to do it at home, but I guess it was nice to get it out of the way early here,” Mauer said of the doubles mark. “Obviously, growing up in Minnesota, the guy I passed I idolized as a kid.” Maurer finished his career hitting 428 career doubles . . . Hit a RBI Single in the fourth inning, off of A's pitcher, Trevor Cahill, for his 2,085th career hit, tying Rod Carew for second place on the Twins' all-time list behind only Kirby Puckett (2,304), on August 23, at Target Field . . . Hit a fifth-inning single that moved him past Hall of Famer Rod Carew for second place on the Twins’ all-time hit list on August 24, at Target Field. After grounding a 2-2 pitch from A's left-hander Sean Manaea through the vacated shortstop hole with the runner in motion, Mauer rounded the bag, clapped his hands together lightly in his signature low-key celebration and looked back toward the home dugout. There he saw every single Twins teammate, coach and trainer lining the top step, applauding his latest feat: Career hit No. 2,086. “It was a special moment,” Mauer said after a 7-1 loss to the Oakland A’s. “It was a nice deal. I was telling the guys after, ‘You make me uncomfortable out there on the field all by myself.’ Definitely appreciate just the small part in the game to recognize that. That doesn’t go unnoticed by me.” Maurer finished his career hitting 2,123 career hits . . . Became the third player in club history to score 1,000 career runs on August 29, at Progressive Field. Mauer doubled and scored on Eddie Rosario's double, both off of Indians pitcher Adam Plutko, in the fifth inning, to join Hall of Famers Kirby Puckett (1,071) and Harmon Killebrew (1,047). Maurer finished his career with 1,018 career runs scored . . . Tied Twins franchise record for most times to reach base safely in a career, getting on base for the 3,072nd time with a leadoff single in the fifth inning off of A's Pitcher, Yusmeiro Petit on September 23, at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. He tied Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew's total of 3,072 times on base . . . Set the Twins franchise record for most times to reach base safely in a career, getting on base for the 3,073rd time with a leadoff single in the first inning off of Tigers pitcher, Spencer Turnbull on September 25. He passed Harmon Killebrew's total of 3,072 times on base and received a standing ovation from the crowd at Target Field. He received the ball after the game and the Twins also will keep first base to add to their collection of artifacts. Mauer finished his career reaching base safely 3,087 times . . . Played in his last game, on September 30, at Target Field, the last game of the 2018 MLB season, amidst speculation that he would retire at the end of the year. In the last of the eighth inning of the game versus the Chicago White Sox, a Twins official walked past the official scorer and whispered, “Next inning, look for the most famous substitution ever.” The official scorer didn’t know exactly what to expect, but he knew whom the substitution would involve: Joe Mauer. The Twins held the 5-4 lead after eight innings, but no one was emerging from the bullpen or the dugout for the top of the ninth. Twins players in the first-base dugout looked to their left; those in the stands and the press box knew the team was doing something to honor Mauer but wondered what it would be. Finally, Mauer emerged from the dugout, heading to the plate and wearing catcher’s gear. The crowd erupted again as the rest of the players finally took the field and Matt Belisle came into pitch. Mauer was going to end his career behind the plate, where he had started it. His first appearance as catcher, since his concussion in 2013. Yoan Moncada stepped in for the White Sox and looked at Belisle’s first pitch, which was intentionally outside. Mauer caught the pitch, walked toward the mound, and was met halfway by Belisle. The two embraced as the fans cheered. Mauer then walked off the field, with Chris Gimenez taking his place. Belisle had been the reliever at the request of Mauer, his close friend. He exited to a standing ovation from the crowd and both dugouts. In his last season he batted .282/.351/.379 with 6 home runs and 48 RBIs, and led all major league hitters with a batting average of .407 with runners in scoring position, and saw the highest percentage of fastballs of all MLB hitters (63.6%) . . . On November 9, Mauer officially retired from baseball in an open letter to Twins fans: “After much consideration, I have decided to retire from playing baseball. ... The decision came down to my health and my family. The risk of concussion is always there, and I was reminded of that this season after missing over 30 games as a result of diving for a foul ball. That’s all it took this time around, and it was all I needed to bring me back to the struggles I faced in 2013. The concussion I experienced that season not only changed my life professionally with a move to first base but changed me personally as well. I am soon to be a father of three, and I find myself thinking about my future health and its impact on my family more than I had years ago. ... Thank you, Minnesota Twins, and thank you fans, for making my career as special and memorable as it was. Because of you I can leave the game I love with a full and grateful heart.” . . . On December 18, during a ceremony at Joe Mauer Field House, Cretin-Derham Hall, after Mauer took questions from students, Twins legends Tom Kelly, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek and Bert Blyleven entered the auditorium to surprise Mauer. Hrbek approached the podium and announced that the Twins will retire Mauer's No. 7 next summer, saying “Joe, they’re retiring your number, buddy! Congrats.” When Mauer took the podium, his response was vintage Mauer: "Wow, it's not every day that you have your favorite player growing up tell you you're going to go on the wall with him with the retired numbers," Mauer said. "That means a lot to me. Obviously, Bert and Tony and T.K. coming too, I'm still kind of in shock right now. Those guys helped me out so much, not only as a baseball player, but how to conduct yourself as a man and as a professional. Those guys mean a lot to me too." Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, in a taped announcement, also proclaimed that the day would forever be known as Joe Mauer Day in the state. This ceremony was in the same building he first signed with the hometown Twins as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 Draft -- and where he met his wife, Maddie -- Mauer's career had come full circle.

2017: Made 13th career Opening Day start, fourth straight at first base, tying Harmon Killebrew for most overall in club history (since 1961) . . . Hit first career walk-off home run (6,010th career at-bat) May 5 vs. Boston, off Matt Barnes; third career walk-off hit and fourth career walk-off plate appearance (walk in 2016); the homer tied Jacque Jones (132) for 11th on Twins all-time list . . . passed Jones and moved into 11th place May 28 vs. Tampa Bay . . . Scored 900th career run May 13 at Cleveland . . . Scored 903rd career run May 21 (Game 1) vs. Kansas City, tying Kent Hrbek for fourth on Twins all-time list; scored 904th May 22 at Baltimore, passing Hrbek, placing him alone in fourth . . . Reached safely seven times (4 hits, 3 walks) May 28 vs. Tampa Bay; became second Twin to ever reach base seven-plus times in a game, joining Rod Carew (8 times on May 12, 1972 vs. Milwaukee); in that game, passed Hrbek (838) and moved into second on Twins all-time walks list . . . Hit .346 (28-for-81) with six doubles, three home runs, 11 RBI, 13 walks and a .442 on-base percentage in 22 May games; the .442 on-base percentage ranked fourth in the AL . . . Placed on 10-day disabled list July 5 with a lower back strain; reinstated July 15; first time on disabled list since 2014 . . . Played in 1,676th career game July 30 at Oakland, tying Tony Oliva for fourth on Twins all-time list; played in 1,677th game August 1 at San Diego, placing him fourth . . . Recorded 1,917th career hit August 2 at San Diego, tying Tony Oliva for third on Twins all-time list; recorded 1,918th on August 8 vs. Milwaukee, passing Oliva and moving into sole possession of third; that same hit gave him 2,811 career times on base, passing Kirby Puckett and moving into sixth on Twins/Senators franchise list (since 1901) . . . Committed first error of season August 3 vs. Texas after 1,037 total chances at first base . . . Recorded 28th career four-hit game September 2 at Kansas City, tying Tony Oliva for third-most in club history . . . Recorded 860th career RBI September 2 vs. Kansas City, tying Justin Morneau for fifth on Twins all-time list; passed Morneau with 861st RBI September 8 at Kansas City . . . Hit .340 (71-for-209) from August 1 through the end of the season...hit .336 (36-for-107) in 28 August games and .343 (35-for-102) in 27 September/October games ... Hit fourth career grand slam September 17 vs. Toronto, his first at home and his first since 2012; at 34 years old, he became the oldest Twin to hit a grand slam since Paul Molitor (40) hit one on April 3, 1997 against Detroit . . . Hit 400th career double September 21 at Detroit; scored 950th career run the same night, tying Rod Carew for third on Twins all-time list; scored 951st September 24 at Detroit, passing Carew and moving into third place . . . Committed just two errors on the season, tied with Justin Smoak for fewest in baseball among first basemen ... Finished fourth in the AL in on-base percentage (.384) and eighth in batting average (.305) . . . finished in top 10 in AL in average for seventh time in career . . . Finished over .300 for the eighth time in career, joining Rod Carew (10), Tony Oliva (9) and Kirby Puckett (8) as the only players in club history to hit over .300 eight or more times . . . Given 2017 Dick Siebert Award for Upper Midwest Player of the Year, voted on by the Twin Cities Chapter of the BBWAA; his sixth time winning the award.

2016: Made 12th career Opening Day start, third straight at first base; tying Rod Carew and Kent Hrbek for second most in club history, trailing Harmon Killebrew (13) . . . Started the season reaching base safely in first 28 games through May 4, the second longest in Twins history to begin a season (Hrbek, 33 in 1982) . . . reached in 28 straight again May 17-June 17, the streaks tied for his personal third longest of career . . . it marked the third time in club history for a player to post multiple streaks of 28-or-longer in the same season, joining Lenny Green (1961) with 28 and 30, and Rod Carew (1977) with 28 and 35 . . . Recorded 758th career RBI April 15 vs. Los Angeles-AL, tying Gary Gaetti for seventh on Twins all-time list; recorded 759th April 18 vs. Milwaukee, moving into sole possession of seventh . . . Recorded 1,713rd career hit April 17 vs. Los Angeles-AL, tying Harmon Killebrew for sixth on Twins all-time list; recorded 1,714th April 18 vs. Milwaukee, moving into sole possession of sixth . . . Recorded 132nd career intentional walk April 26 vs. Cleveland, passing Tony Oliva and moving into sole possession of second on Twins all-time list, trailing only Harmon Killebrew (152) . . . Homered in three straight games May 27-29 at Seattle, tying his career-high, previously done May 23-25, 2009 . . . Recorded 1,749th career hit May 31 at Oakland, tying Kent Hrbek for fourth on Twins all-time list; recorded 1,750th June 2 vs. Tampa Bay, moving into sole possession of fourth . . . Named AL Player of the Week May 31, after hitting .440 (11-for-25) with seven runs scored, four home runs and seven RBI; his third career AL Player of the Week Award . . . led the AL in total bases (23), tied for first in homers, second in slugging percentage (.920), and tied second in runs . . . Hit 350th career double June 21 vs. Philadelphia . . . Recorded 800th career walk July 30 vs. Chicago-AL . . . Scored 870th career run August 1 at Cleveland, tying Tony Oliva for fifth on Twins all-time list; scored 871st run August 2 at Cleveland, moving into sole possession of fifth . . . Went 12-for-18 (.667) with five doubles, one triple, one home run, six RBI, eight runs scored and three walks in a four-game series at Cleveland August 1-4; the 12 hits is the most ever for a Twin in a four-game series . . . reached base safely five times in two different games: August 1 and 3, one short of his career-high of six, done August 10, 2005 at Seattle . . . Named Co-AL Player of the Week with teammate Max Kepler August 8 . . . hit .560 (14-for-25) with eight runs scored, six doubles, a triple, a home run and nine RBI in six games; second weekly award in 2016 (also May 31) and fourth of career . . . led the AL in batting average, slugging percentage (1.000), on-base percentage (.633), hits and doubles . . . Hit 10th home run August 16 at Atlanta, giving him double-digit home run totals for the sixth time in career . . . Recorded 800th career RBI August 23 vs. Detroit, singling off Anibal Sanchez . . . Hit .337 (31-for-92) with 10 doubles, one triple, two home runs, 14 RBI, 15 runs scored and 13 walks in 24 August games . . . posted a .419 on-base percentage during the month, sixth best in the AL . . . Hit .295 (31-for-105) with runners in scoring position . . . Finished second on club in games (134), hits (129) and runs (68), tied for third in doubles (22), and tied for fourth in RBI (49) . . . Recorded 79 walks, tied for eighth most in the AL and tied for third most of his career . . . Hit .272 (103-for-378) vs. right-handed pitching and .224 (26-for-116) vs. left-handed pitching . . . Was Twins finalist for the Roberto Clemente Award, given by Major League Baseball and Chevrolet for community service excellence; second time in career (2013).

2015: Made 11th career Opening Day start, second straight at first base; tied with Kirby Puckett for fourth most Opening Day starts in club history, trailing Harmon Killebrew (12), Rod Carew (12) and Kent Hrbek (12) . . . Hit 312th career double April 26 at Seattle, tying Kent Hrbek for third on the Twins all-time list; hit 313th career double April 27 vs. Detroit, passing Hrbek and moving into sole possession of third . . . Recorded 700th career RBI April 29 vs. Detroit . . . Homered in the 13th inning May 20 at Pittsburgh to give Twins an eventual 4-3 victory, his second career extra-innings home run; the home run was the 110th of his career, tying him with Roy Smalley for 12th on Twins all-time list . . . hit 111th career home run June 5 vs. Milwaukee, passing Smalley and moving into sole possession of 12th . . . Played in 1,361st career game June 16 at St. Louis, tying Gary Gaetti for sixth on Twins all-time list; played in 1,362nd career game June 17 at St. Louis, passing Gaetti and moving into sole possession of sixth . . . Had 32-game Interleague on-base streak snapped June 16 at St. Louis, going 0-for-4; the streak spanned back to May 21, 2013 . . . Hit solo home run with two outs in bottom of eighth inning June 18 vs. St. Louis, tying the game at 1-1 as Twins eventually won 2-1 . . . Set season-high with four hits July 4 at Kansas City, the 23rd time in career with four-plus hits . . . Recorded two RBI August 5 at Toronto giving him 735 for his career, passing Rod Carew and moving into sole possession of eighth on the Twins all-time list . . . Hit 329th career double July 24 vs. New York-AL, tying Tony Oliva for second on the Twins all-time list; hit 330th August 11 vs. Texas moving into second place . . . Reached base safely in 43 straight games August 7-September 24, which set a club record and was the fourth longest streak in baseball in 2015 . . . Played in 148th game September 23 vs. Cleveland, setting a new single-season career-high (147 in 2012) . . . Hit 10th home run September 30 at Cleveland (Game 1), marking his fifth season with double-digit homers . . . Hit .352 (44-for-125) with runners in scoring position, the fourth best in the AL and 11th best in baseball.

2014: Started 10th career Opening Day March 31 at Chicago-AL, his first as a first baseman; the 10 Opening Day starts tied with Tony Oliva for fifth most in club history (Killebrew - 12, Carew - 12, Hrbek - 12, Puckett - 11) . . . Drew 18 walks in April, the fifth most in the AL, tied for eighth most in baseball . . . Recorded 289th and 290th career doubles June 2 at Milwaukee, tying and passing Justin Morneau and moving into sole possession of fifth place on the Twins all-time list . . . Drew 641st career walk June 3 at Milwaukee, tying Bob Allison for third on the Twins all-time list; passed Allison the next day with his 642nd June 4 vs. Milwaukee, moving into sole possession of third . . . Played in 1,234th career game June 9 at Toronto, tying Torii Hunter for ninth on the Twins all-time list; passed Hunter the next day with his 1,235th June 10 at Toronto, moving into sole possession of ninth . . . Played in 1,236th career game the next day June 11 at Toronto, tying Bob Allison for eighth on Twins all-time list; passed Allison with his 1,237th June 13 at Detroit, moving into sole possession of eighth . . . Was named Major League Baseball All-Star Ambassador, joining Bert Blyleven, Rod Carew, Paul Molitor and Tony Oliva . . . the role helped generate awareness for all events during All-Star Week, including the 85th MLB All-Star Game (July 15th), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day (July 14th) featuring the Home Run Derby, Taco Bell All-Star Sunday (July 13), including the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, the Taco Bell All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (July 13), and T-Mobile All Star FanFest at the Minneapolis Convention Center (July 11th-15) . . . Placed on 15-day disabled list July 2 with right oblique strain . . . went on rehab assignment, playing four games with Single-A Cedar Rapids; reinstated August 11 . . . Recorded 300th career double August 11 at Houston . . . recorded 1,500th career hit two days later August 13 at Houston . . . became sixth Twin to record 1,500 hits joining Puckett (2,304), Carew (2,085), Oliva (1,917), Hrbek (1,749) and Killebrew (1,713) . . . Tied career-high with 16-game hitting streak June 19-August 15, hitting .365 (23-for-63) with eight doubles, one home run and 14 RBI during the streak . . . Drew 111th career intentional walk, passing Kent Hrbek and moving into sole possession of third on the Twins all-time list . . . Reached base safely in 25 straight games June 19-August 23, at the time was the longest in baseball; longest for a Twin since Michael Cuddyer reached in 27 straight in 2010 . . . Played in 1,278th career game September 4 vs. Los Angeles-AL, tying him with Justin Morneau for seventh on the Twins all-time list; played in 1,279th September 5 moving into sole possession of seventh . . . Hit 305th career double September 6 vs. Los Angeles-AL, tying Rod Carew for fourth on the Twins all-time list . . . hit 306th double September 9 at Cleveland, passing Carew and moving into sole possession of fourth on the Twins all-time list . . . Hit .429 (24-for-56) with runners in scoring position in final 47 games, beginning June 17, the highest in baseball since that date.

2013: Played in the World Baseball Classic with Team USA, hitting .429 (9-for-21) with two doubles, one triple, two RBI and four runs scored in six games . . . Started ninth Opening Day as catcher April 1 vs. Detroit, going 3-for-4 with a double and a walk . . . Recorded 1,276th career hit April 7 at Baltimore, tying him with Gary Gaetti for sixth on the Twins all-time list . . . passed Gaetti with his 1,277th April 8 at Kansas City, moving into sole possession of sixth place . . . Recorded 252nd career double April 15 vs. Los Angeles-AL, tying him with Gary Gaetti for seventh on Twins' all-time list . . . passed Gaetti with his 253rd May 5 at Cleveland, moving into sole possession of seventh place . . . Recorded 20th career four-hit game April 15 vs. Los Angeles-AL, recording three RBI . . . had 21st career four-hit game the next night April 16 vs. Los Angeles-AL, also had three RBI . . . it was the second time in his career recording consecutive four-hit games, last being June 26-27, 2006 vs. Los Angeles-NL . . . Went 0-for-21 from April 23-30, the longest hitless stretch of his career . . . Hit safely in 15 straight games April 30-May 18, the second longest streak of his career; batted .443 (27-for-61) during the streak with 12 doubles . . . Recorded 259th and 260th doubles of career May 10 vs. Baltimore, tying and passing Torii Hunter and moving into sole possession of sixth place on the Twins all-time list . . . Scored three runs May 11 vs. Baltimore, the 646th, 647th and 648th runs of his career, the first tied Gary Gaetti and Cesar Tovar for ninth on the Twins all-time list, the second run passed them and placed him ninth, the third run tied him with Bob Allison for eighth on the Twins all-time list . . . passed Allison with 649th May 13 vs. Chicago-AL and moved into sole possession of eighth place . . . Was intentionally walked May 13 vs. Chicago-AL, the 99th of his career, tying Rod Carew for fifth most in Twins history . . . drew 100th May 21 at Atlanta . . . Hit .371 (39-for-105) in May, the third highest average in the AL, his 12 doubles ranked fourth and his .455 on-base percentage for the month was tied with Miguel Cabrera for first . . . Hit 100th career home run June 8 at Washington, a solo shot off Gio Gonzalez . . . Scored 672nd career run June 23 at Cleveland, tying him with Torii Hunter for seventh on the Twins all-time list . . . passed Hunter with his 673rd June 25 at Miami... Drew 599th and 600th career walks July 8 at Tampa Bay . . . Named starting catcher on the American League All-Star team, his sixth appearance and fourth start, compiling 5,443,856 votes . . . he batted eighth and went 1-for-2, singling off Cliff Lee . . . Placed on Paternity List July 24-29 and traveled back to Minnesota for the birth of his twin daughters Maren Virginia and Emily Teresa, who were born two minutes apart, beginning at 3:05 a.m. July 24 . . . Hit .360 (27-for-75) in 20 July games, the seventh best average in the AL; posted a .437 on-base percentage in the month, third best in the AL . . . Tied career-high with five hits August 14 vs. Cleveland, marking his fifth career five-hit game, first since 2010 . . . Placed on 7-day disabled list August 20 with concussion-like symptoms, after suffering multiple foul balls to the mask August 19 vs. New York-NL; missed the Twins final 39 games . . . Set a single season career-high with 89 strikeouts . . . Threw out 43% of baserunners attempting to steal, the second best percentage of career and highest since 2007 . . . Ranked third in baseball in batting average (.324) with a minimum of 400 at-bats; his .404 on-base percentage ranked sixth in baseball . . . Hit .291 (78-for-268) with two strikes, the highest in baseball and fourth highest in Twins history . . . Was Twins finalist for the Roberto Clemente Award, given by Major League Baseball and Chevrolet for community service excellence . . . Won fifth Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award, one of seven Twins to ever win the award . . . Given the Calvin R. Griffith Award for Most Valuable Twin voted on by the Twin Cities Chapter of Baseball Writers Association of America, his third time winning the award . . . Ranked by Baseball America in their 2013 annual tools survey as the third-best hitter in the AL (Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout), second best strike zone judgement (Cabrera), and third best defensive catcher (Salvador Perez and Matt Wieters) . . . On November 11, it was announced that he will move from catcher to first baseman starting in 2014 due to inherent risks of future injury.

2012: Was Twins Opening Day catcher for eighth time in career, going 0-2 with two walks April 6 at Baltimore . . . Hit second career home run at Target Field April 12 vs. Los Angeles-AL in his 468th career plate appearance at Target Field . . . Batted .325 (26-for-80) with 13 RBI, 12 walks and a .419 on-base percentage in 21 April games . . . reached base via hit or walk in 19 of those games . . . Tied career-high with three walks May 11 vs. Toronto . . . tied it again two days later May 13 vs.Toronto . . . also had three walks May 30 vs. Oakland and July 7 at Texas . . . Had 19th career game with four-plus hits May 20 at Milwaukee, his first since August 18, 2010 vs. Chicago-AL . . . Recorded 1,164th and 1,165th career hits June 17 vs. Milwaukee, tying and passing Cesar Tovar (1,164), moving into ninth place on the Twins all-time hit list . . . Hit 232nd career double June 24 at Cincinnati, tying Harmon Killebrew for ninth on the Twins all-time list . . . passed Killebrew and moved into sole possession of ninth with his 233rd career double June 29 vs. Kansas City . . . Batted .397 (29-for-73) with nine multi-hit games and .438 on-base percentage in 20 June games; .397 average was third highest in baseball . . . Had season-high 12-game hitting streak June 17-July 3, batting .449 (22-for-49) in that span . . . Selected as reserve on American League All-Star team, marking his fifth selection . . . finished second in voting among AL catchers (2,922,422) behind the Rangers Mike Napoli (4,317,718) . . . played 2.0 innings at first base and went 1-for-1 with a single . . . Led American League in on-base percentage (.416) at All-Star break and ranked sixth in batting average (.326) . . . Recorded 1,197th and 1,198th career hits July 17 vs. Baltimore, tying and passing Chuck Knoblauch (1,197), moving into sole possession of eighth place on Twins all-time list . . . that game also marked his 1,000th major league game . . . Drew 513th career walk July 20 at Kansas City, tying Chuck Knoblauch for sixth on Twins all-time list . . . passed Knoblauch with 514th career walk July 22 at Kansas City, moving into sole possession of sixth place . . . Hit go-ahead three-run homer with two outs in top of ninth inning August 4 at Boston off Alfredo Aceves, giving Twins the eventual 6-4 victory . . . Hit 239th career double August 6 at Cleveland, tying him with Michael Cuddyer for eighth on Twins all-time doubles list . . . passed Cuddyer and moved into sole possession of eighth place with his 240th double August 10 vs. Tampa Bay . . . Recorded 1,218th career hit August 10 vs. Tampa Bay, tying him with Torii Hunter for seventh on Twins all-time hits list . . . passed Hunter and moved into sole possession of seventh place with 1,219th hit August 12 vs. Tampa Bay . . . Caught 831st career game August 24 at Texas, tying him with Earl Battey for most games caught in Twins history . . . passed Battey with his 832nd game and moved into sole possession of first place August 27 vs. Seattle . . . Recorded his 549th career walk September 28 vs. Detroit, tying him with Roy Smalley for fifth place on the Twins all time walks list . . . passed Smalley and moved into sole possession of fifth place with his 550th September 29 vs. Detroit . . . Batted .388 (31-for-80) in 22 September games, ranking first in AL and third in baseball; .485 on-base percentage ranked first in AL and second in baseball . . . hit .474 (9-for-19) with runners in scoring position in that time, second best in AL and third best in baseball . . . Tied single season career-high drawing 84th walk September 28 vs. Detroit; set single season career-high drawing 85th walk September29 vs. Detroit . . . Tied single-season career-high playing in 146th game October 2 at Toronto; set single-season career high playing in 147th game October3 at Toronto . . . played 74 games at catcher (72 starts), 30 games at first base and 42 as designated hitter . . . Finished first in baseball with .416 on-base percentage and tied for third in AL in times on base (266); reached base four-plus times in 11 games . . . Ranked first in baseball in three-hit games (23) and fourth among American Leaguers in batting average (.319) and walks (90) . . . Ranked third in AL and fifth in baseball in batting average with runners in scoring position (.372) . . . Was only player in baseball with 30-plus doubles, 80-plus RBI, 80-plus runs, 90-plus walks, .300-plus batting average and .400-plus on-base percentage . . . Was one of two players in baseball with 90-plus walks (90) and less than 90 strikeouts (88), the other being Joey Votto (94 walks, 85 strikeouts) . . . Rated best strike zone judgement and second best defensive catcher in American League by Baseball America's annual Best Tools survey . . . Finalist (Twins representative) for the Hank Aaron Award, recognizing the most outstanding offensive performer in each league . . . Named to 2013 USA roster for World Baseball Classic.

2011: Was the Twins Opening Day catcher for the seventh time in his career, marking the most ever by a Twins catcher, passing Butch Wynegar who started six (1976-'80, '82) . . . Played in nine games before being placed on the 15-day disabled list with bilateral leg weakness, April 14 . . . Played seven games on rehab assignment with Single-A Ft. Myers, batting .261 (6-for-23) . . . Transferred to the 60-day disabled list, June 3 . . . reinstated from the 60-day disabled list, June 17 . . . Batted just .217 (13-for-60) in his first 18 games off the disabled list, June 17-July 6, but batted .317 (64-for-202) in his final 55 games, July 7 through the end of the season . . . Played his first career game at first base, going 3-for-5 with two RBI, July 7 vs. Chicago (AL) . . . Played 18 games at first base, batting .424 (28-for-66) and fielding .994 (1 error in 170 total chances) at that position . . . Tied his career-high with three walks, July 15 vs. Kansas City and September 14 at Kansas City, his final game of the season . . . Recorded his 448th career walk, tying him with Tony Oliva for eighth on the Twins' All-Time list, July 23 vs. Detroit . . . passed Oliva and moved into sole possession of eighth place with his 449th career walk, July 27 at Texas . . . Hit first home run, July 27 at Texas . . . his first since September 15, 2010, a span of 203 plate appearances . . . Recorded his 450th career walk, tying him with Kirby Puckett for seventh place on the Twins' All-Time list, July 28 at Texas . . . passed Puckett and moved into sole possession of seventh place with his 451st career walk, July 29 at Oakland . . . Recorded his 210th career double, tying Chuck Knoblauch for 10th on the Twins' All-Time list, August 8 vs. Boston . . . moved into sole possession of 10th on the list with his 211th career double, August 10 vs. Boston . . . Made his first Major League start in right field, August 18 vs. New York (AL) . . . Caught his 759th career game, August 4 at Los Angeles (AL), tying Butch Wynegar for second on the Twins' All-Time list for most games caught . . . caught his 760th career game, passing Wynegar, August 5 vs. Chicago (AL), moving into sole possession of second place . . . Recorded his 85th career intentional walk, tying Kirby Puckett for fifth on the Twins' All-Time list, July 29 at Oakland . . . moved into sole possession of fifth place on the list with his 86th career intentional walk, September 7 vs. Chicago (AL) . . . Reached safely via hit or walk 12 times in final 25 plate appearances, September 7-14 . . . posted a .520 on-base percentage in that span . . . Placed on the 15-day disabled list with pneumonia, ending his season, September 22 . . . Named second-best defensive catcher in the American League by Baseball America, behind Baltimore's Matt Wieters.

2010: Signed an eight-year, $184,000,000, contract extension, March 21 . . . Twins Opening Day catcher . . . Hit safely in eight of his first nine games, including his first home run, April 6 at Los Angeles (AL) . . . Hit the first double at Target Field by a Twins player (second inning off Jon Lester), April 12vs. Boston . . . Had third career five-hit game, including one double and one triple, April 24 at Kansas City . . . batted .345 (29-for-84) in 22 games in April . . . Caught his 657th career game, tying Tim Laudner for third-place in most games caught by a Twin, June 16 vs. Colorado . . . passed Laudner on June 18 at Philadelphia, catching his 658th career game . . . he ranks third on the club's All-Time list (719), behind Earl Battey (831) and Butch Wynegar (759) entering 2011 . . . Was voted as the American League's starting catcher in the 2010 All-Star Game for the third time in his career (fourth career All-Star appearance) . . . he went 0-for-2 in the game, with a fly out and reaching on an error . . . he amassed 5,372,606 votes, marking the third-most votes All-Time, trailing only Ken Griffey Jr. (6,079,688) in 1994 and Albert Pujols (5,397,374) in 2009 . . . he became the first catcher to be Major League Baseball's overall top vote-getter since Ivan Rodriguez of Texas was first in 2000 . . . he joined Rod Carew (1975, 1977-78) as the only other Twin to ever lead all of baseball in votes . . . Had fourth career five-hit game and a career-high seven-RBI, July 26 vs. Kansas City in a Twins 19-1 victory . . . the seven RBI were the most by a Twins player in 2010 . . . collected six consecutive hits, July 26-27 at Kansas City . . . Drove in 21 runs in a 14-game span, July 23-August 10 . . . hit .344 (32-for-93) with 12 doubles, 19 runs, three homers and 19 RBI in 23July games . . . Tied Cesar Tovar for 11th on the club's All-Time doubles list with his 193rd, July 31 vs. Seattle . . . passed Tovar on August 5 and moved into sole possession of 11th place with his 194th career double, August 5 at Tampa Bay . . . Played in his 800th career game, August 13 vs. Oakland . . . Hit his first home run at Target Field (off Gavin Floyd), snapping a string of 209 consecutive plate appearances without a home run at Target Field, August 18 vs. Chicago (AL) . . . Collected the Twins only hit, breaking up a no-hitter with one out in the ninth inning off Neftali Feliz, August 23 at Texas . . . marked the second time in his career in which he broke up a no-hitter in the ninth (May 6, 2008 at Chicago White Sox - Gavin Floyd) . . . Named Pepsi's Clutch Performer for the month of August after batting .380 (35-for-92) with seven doubles, two home runs, 16 RBI and 17 runs scored in 26 games . . . also posted .522 slugging percentage, .482 on-base percentage and recorded a hit in 19 of his 26 games played (eight multi-hit games) . . . Scored his 500th career run, September 7 vs. Kansas City . . . became 15th Twins player in club history with 500-plus runs . . . Tied Bob Allison for 12th on the club's All-Time hits list with his 999th career hit as a Twin, September 12 at Cleveland . . . Recorded his 1,000th career hit, a first-inning single off John Danks, September 14 at Chicago (AL) . . . the hit also passed Bob Allison on the Twins' All-Time hits list, moving him into sole possession of 12th place . . . Hit his ninth home run of the season, leading the Twins to a 9-3 victory and an eight-game lead in the American League Central, September15 at Chicago (AL) . . . Hit his 200th career double, becoming one of 11 Twins in club history with 200-plus doubles, September 16 at Chicago (AL) . . . Missed nine games in September with a jammed left knee, suffered while running the bases, September 19 vs. Oakland . . . Hit his 43rd double, placing him second on baseball's All-Time list for doubles by a catcher in one season (Ivan Rodriguez - 47 in 1996), October3 vs. Toronto . . . he passed Brian Harper's 1990 total of 42, moving into first on the Twins' All-Time single-season doubles list for a catcher . . . Recorded five games with four-or-more hits, third-most in baseball . . . recorded 40 multi-hit games and 20 three-hit games . . . Batted .389 against AL Central opponents . . . batted .516 against the Royals and .451 against the White Sox . . . Was one of just four players in baseball with 40-plus doubles and a .320-plus batting average (Beltre, Cabrera & Hamilton) . . . became just the fourth Twin to post those numbers: Molitor in 1996, Oliva in 1964 & '65 and Kirby Puckett in 1988 & '89 . . . Awarded his third consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove . . . won his fourth Louisville Slugger "Silver Slugger" Award (third consecutive) . . . Finished eighth in the American League MVP voting with 97 points, including two third-place votes . . . Named to Baseball America's Major League All-Star team . . . also ranked by Baseball America as the American League's best defensive catcher, second-best overall hitter (Detroit's Miguel Cabrera) and second-best strike zone judgement (Boston's Kevin Youkilis) . . . Was given the Dick Siebert Award for Upper Midwest Player of the Year and the Calvin R. Griffith Award for Most Valuable Twin by the Twin Cities Chapter of Baseball Writers Association of America.

2009: Missed all of April on the 15-day disabled list due to inflammation of the right sacroiliac joint(April 2-30) . . . homered in his first at-bat of the season on May 1 vs. Kansas City . . . had four-hit game, May 2 vs. Kansas City . . . hit safely in 14 straight games, batting .418 (23-for-55) with seven multi-hit games, seven home runs, 14 runs scored and 21 RBI, May 7-21 . . . during the stretch, he homered in back-to-back games, May 8 and 9 vs. Seattle and again on May 15 and 16 at New York (AL), and hit his second career grand slam with a career-high six RBI, May 21 at Chicago (AL) . . . collected 13 RBI in a five-game span from May 21-25 . . . homered in three straight games from May 23-25 . . . earned American League Player of the Week honors from May 18-24 . . . finished May with 11 home runs and 32 RBI, the first time in Twins history a player has reached 11 home runs and 30 RBI in the same month . . . the only other player in franchise history to accomplish the feat was Harmon Killebrew who hit 13 home runs and drove in 37 RBI in August of 1960 with the Washington Senators . . . his 32 RBI set a Twins record for the month of May . . . earned American League Player of the Month for May honors after batting .414 (41-for-99) with seven doubles, one triple, 11 home runs, 19 walks, 32 RBI, 27 runs scored, an on-base percentage of .500 and a slugging percentage of .838 . . . finished June batting .353 (36-for-102) with three home runs, 11 RBI and 16 runs scored with 10 multi-hit games . . . hit career-high 14th home run, June 20 vs. Houston . . . finished the first-half batting .373 (90-for-241) with 15 home runs, 49 RBI, 49 runs scored in just 64 games . . . his .373 first-half average was sixth-highest in Twins history Pre-All-Star break . . . selected to his third All-Star game and voted-in by the fans as the starting catcher for the second straight season . . . went 1-for-3 in the All-Star game with a run scored and a game-tying RBI-double in the fifth inning . . . in August, led the A.L. in batting average (.391) and intentional walks (four), ranked second in hits (45), third in on-base percentage (.449), tied for fourth in runs (21), tied for fifth in home runs (eight), fifth in slugging percentage (.652) and sixth in RBI (23) . . . third four-hit game of season, August 7 at Detroit . . . hit seven home runs in an 11-game span, with 17 RBI and a .553 batting average, August 7-18 . . . hit safely in 24 of 28 games in August . . . hit safely in 110 of 138 games overall (80%) . . . won his third American League batting title with a .365 average, becoming one of just 10 players in Major League history to win three-or-more batting titles and the first to win back-to-back batting titles since Nomar Garciaparra in 1999 and 2000 . . . finished ninth in the American League in multi-hit games (55) and first in three-hit games (23) . . . with his .365 batting average, .444 on-base percentage and .587 slugging percentage, he became the American League leader in all three categories . . . only 12 players have ever led the American League in all three, with the last being George Brett in 1980 . . . of the 12 AL players to do it, 10 are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame (Ted Williams - five times, Ty Cobb - three, Napolean Lajoie - two, George Stone, Tris Speaker, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Frank Robinson, Carl Yastrzemski, Fred Lynn and George Brett) . . . no catcher in either league has ever led in all three categories at the end of a season . . . named Baseball America's Player of the Year and MLB Players Choice Award's American League Most Outstanding Player . . . was given the Calvin R. Griffith Award for Most Valuable Twin and the Dick Siebert Award for Upper Midwest Player of the Year, by the Twin Cities Baseball Writers Association . . . was given the Players Choice Award for American League's Most Outstanding Player, voted on by his peers . . . was given his second Rawlings Gold Glove Award . . . won Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award . . . was named the American League's Most Valuable Player, becoming the fifth player in club history to win the award (Versalles - 1965, Killebrew - 1969, Carew - 1977, Morneau - 2006) . . . first catcher to win A.L. MVP since Texas' Ivan Rodriguez in 1999.

2008: Had 11-game hit-streak, going 16-for-43 (.372), April 15-29 . . . hit first home run of season, June 2 vs. New York (AL) . . . hit second home run, June 4 vs. Baltimore . . . was 11-for-20 (.550) in six games, May 2-9 . . . hit safely in nine of 10 games, May 11-21 . . . was 10-for-21 (.476) with two home runs in six games, May 31-June 6 . . . fourth three-hit game on June 6 at Chicago (AL) . . . three straight two-hit games June 17-19 . . . eight-game hit-streak from June 29-July 9, hitting .397 (11-for-29) . . . finished the first-half third in the AL in batting (.322), behind Ian Kinsler (.337) and Justin Morneau (.323) . . . became the first Twins catcher to start an All-Star Game, July 15 at New York (AL), going 1-for-1 with a walk . . . career-high 16 game hitting-streak from August 4-24, hitting .349 (22-for-63) with one home run, 10 RBI and 13 runs scored . . . second career five-hit game tying his career-high on August 29 at Oakland, season-high four RBI . . . had a 12-game hitting streak, going 18-for-47 (.383), September 10-23 . . . 11th three-hit game of the season, September 25 vs. Chicago (AL) . . . recorded 11 multi-hit games in September . . . his .362 batting average with runners in scoring position ranked seventh in the American League . . . recorded his fourth triple of the season, matching his career-high . . . was one of just four catchers to log 1,200-or-more innings behind the plate and ranked second in the league by throwing out 36% of potential base stealers . . . finished the season four points ahead of Dustin Pedroia (Boston) to win his second batting title in three years (2006) . . . it was the 13th American League batting title by a Minnesota Twin in the 48 year existence of the team, and he joined Tony Oliva and Rod Carew as the only Twins who won multiple titles . . . joined Buddy Myer (Washington, 1935) and Joe Cronin (Washington, 1931) as the only players in franchise history to hit over .300, score over 95 runs, record 30-or-more doubles, drive in 80-or-more runs and walk 80-or-more times in a single season . . . was given the Dick Seibert Award for Upper Midwest Player of the Year and the Carl R. Pohlad Community Service Award by the Twin Cities Baseball Writers Association . . . won first ever Rawlings Gold Glove Award becoming the second Twins catcher to win the award (Earl Battey in 1961 & '62) . . . first American League player to win the Batting Title and Gold Glove in the same season since Ichiro Suzuki in 2004 . . . won Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award.

2007: Hit safely in eight of nine games, going 12-for-33 (.364), April 2-12 . . . was 15-for-32 (.469) in nine games, April 14-24 . . . tied career-high with three doubles, April 17 at Seattle . . . disabled with strained left quadriceps, May 6-June 8 . . . began rehab assignment at Single-A Ft. Myers, June 6 . . . hit safely in eight consecutive games, going 11-for-35 (.314), June 19-27 . . . second career two-homer game, June 24 at Florida . . . hit first career grand slam, June 29 at Detroit . . . was 9-for-23 (.391) in five games, July 4-8 . . . went 4-for-6 and tied career-high with five RBI, July 6 at Chicago (AL) . . . recorded Twins first inside-the-park home run since Torii Hunter (July 26, 2001), July 21 vs. Los Angeles (AL) . . . season-high 10-game hit-streak, going 15-for-40 (.375), July 14-24 . . . had game-winning walk-off single in 9th inning, July 15 vs. Oakland . . . was 9-for-17 (.529) in four games, August 11-14 . . . threw out 19 of 40 (48%) runners attempting to steal to up career totals to 58 of 127 (46%).

2006: Was 9-for-23 (.391) in six games, April 5-12 . . . hit safely in six consecutive games, going10-for-22 (.455), April 21-29 . . . had seven-game hit-streak, going 10-for-29 (.345), May 9-17 . . . career-high 11-game hit-streak, going 24-for-47 (.511), May 19-June 1 . . . fifth career four-hit game, May 20 at Milwaukee . . . hit safely in nine consecutive games, going 19-for-37 (.514), June 3-13 . . . named American League Player of the Week, June 5-11 . . . sixth career four-hit game, June 6 at Seattle . . . seventh career four-hit game (third of season) and career-high five RBI, June 26 vs. Los Angeles (NL) . . . first career five-hit game, June 27 vs. Los Angeles (NL) . . . named American League Player of the Month for July . . . selected to first career All-Star team, July 11 at Pittsburgh . . . was 11-for-23 (.478) in six games, July 16-21 . . . had nine-game hit-streak, going 13-for-34 (.382) with two homers and eight RBI, July 31-August 9 . . . went 3-for-4 with two doubles and four RBI August 24 at Baltimore . . . recorded his 15th game with three-or-more hits on September 8 vs. Detroit, he went 3-for-4 with three runs scored . . . homered with two-out in the 9th inning to tie Kansas City at 1-1, September 28, the Twins won 2-1 in 10 innings . . . threw out 17 of 56 (30%) runners attempting to steal to up career totals to 39 of 87 (45%) . . . was intentionally walked 21 times, the second highest single season total by a Twin (Killebrew, 23 in 1970) . . . finished the season hitting .347 and won the American League batting title . . . became the first A.L. catcher to win the batting title and at 23, the youngest batting champ since Alex Rodriguez (21) in 1996 . . . the last catcher to win the title was Ernie Lombardi in 1942 with the Boston Braves . . . won Dick Siebert Award as Upper Midwest Player of the Year . . . won Louisville Slugger "Silver Slugger" Award.

2005: Hit safely in 8 of 9 games, going 11-36 (.306), April 4-16 . . . hit safely in 5 consecutive games with an at-bat, going 7-18 (.389), April 18-25 . . . had 6-game hit-streak, going 13-25 (.520), April 29-May 8 . . . second career 4-hit game, May 6 at Tampa Bay . . . homered in consecutive games, May 6-8 . . . had 9-game hit-streak, going 10-37 (.270), May 11-24 . . . hit safely in 6 of 7 games, going 10-28 (.357), June 8-16 . . . was 19-46 (.413) in 11 games, July 2-19 . . . third career 4-hit game, August 10 at Seattle . . . had 8-game hit-streak, going 13-31 (.419), August 13-21 . . . was 9-21 (.429) in 5 games, August 27-31 . . . fourth career 4-hit game, September 12 at Detroit . . . tied career-high 9-game hit-streak, going 14-34 (.412), September 9-20 . . . threw out 17 of 48 (22%) runners attempting to steal to up career totals to 22 of 64 (34%) . . . had .993 (6 E, 742 TC) fielding percentage . . . led club in batting and walks, tied for lead in intentional walks, was second in hits and multi-hit games (41), tied for second in stolen bases and was third in doubles . . . was tied for fourth in league in intentional walks (12) and sixth in batting vs. righthanders (.323).

2004: Made Major League debut and singled off Rafael Betancourt for first big league hit, April 5 vs. Cleveland . . . disabled with medial meniscus tear in left knee, April 7-June 2 . . . had surgery to remove meniscus in left knee, April 8 . . . began rehab assignments at Ft. Myers and Rochester, May 26 . . . hit first major league homer off Esteban Yan, June 6 vs. Detroit . . . was 8-17 (.471) in 6 games, June 9-15 . . . career-high 6-game hit-streak, going 12-22 (.545), June 29-July 5 . . . first career 2-homer game, June 30 vs. Chicago . . . first career 4-hit game, July 7 vs. Kansas City . . . disabled for remainder of season with sore left knee, July 19 . . . won Bill Boni Award as Twins' Outstanding Rookie.

2003: Began season at Ft. Myers . . . was 12-26 (.462) in 7 games, April 18-24 . . . hit safely in 9 of 11 games, going 18-46 (.391), May 3-14 . . . tied season-high 4 hits, May 14 at St. Lucie . . . season-high 19-game hit-streak, going 30-73 (.411), May 18-June 6 . . . Twins' Minor League Player of the Week, May 24-30 . . . played in Florida State League All-Star Game, June 14 at Ft. Myers . . . batted .392 (31-79) with runners in scoring position . . . was 4-10 (.400) with the bases loaded . . . promoted to New Britain, June 16 . . . had 11-game hit-streak, going 16-40 (.400), June 22-July 5 . . . was 33-77 (.429) in 17 games, July 8-27 . . . played for United States Team in Futures Game, July 13 at Chicago . . . Twins' Minor League Player of the Month for July . . . named Topps' Eastern League Player of the Month for July . . . hit safely in 8 of 9 games, going 13-33 (.394), August 1-9 . . . tied season-high 5 RBI, August 3 at Bowie . . . had 9-game hit-streak, going 14-30 (.467), August 16-22 . . . was 3-8 (.375) with the bases loaded . . . threw out 36 of 69 (52%) runners attempting to steal on season . . . led both Florida State League and Eastern League in throwing out runners attempting to steal . . . led Twins' minor leaguers in hits, was second in RBI and fourth in walks . . . was fifth among all minor leaguers in hits and was 11th in batting (.338) . . . led all minor league catchers in batting . . . selected to Florida State League Post-Season All-Star Team . . . ranked Best Hitting prospect and Best Defensive Catcher in Florida State League by Baseball America . . . named to Baseball America's Minor League All-Star Team and All-Defensive Team . . . ranked Best Prospect in Eastern League and Florida State League . . . named Teenager of the Year by Sportsticker . . . named Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America and Sportsticker . . . won Sherry Robertson Award as Twins' Minor League Player of the Year . . . played for Team USA in Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Panama.

2002: Hit safely in 9 of 10 games, 14-37 (.378), April 13-24 . . . homered in consecutive games, April 14-15 . . . was 12-26 (.462) in 6 games, April 30-May 5 . . . season-high 9-game hit-streak, going 12-28 (.429), May 10-19 . . . season-high 4 RBI, May 19 vs. Burlington . . . was 13-21 (.619) in 6 games, June 5-10 . . . hit safely in 11 of 12 games, June 15-July 3 . . . was selected to Midwest League All-Star team, June 18 at Lansing . . . hit safely in 9 of 10 games, going 15-37 (.405), July 11-23 . . . tied season-high 3 hits, August 24 at Clinton . . . disabled for remainder of season after surgery to repair hernia, August 30 . . . had surgery to repair hernia, August 30 . . . led club in walks, was second in batting, hits and RBI, tied for second in doubles and fourth in at-bats and runs . . . threw out 45 of 108 (42%) runners attempting to steal . . . named to Sportsticker's Midwest League All-Teen Team and league Post-Season All-Star team . . . named to Topps' Class A All-Star team . . . rated top Minor League catching prospect, second best arm strength, third best receiving skills and best defensive catcher in Midwest League and selected to Low Class A All-Star team by Baseball America.

2001: Hit safely in 7 of 8 games, going 13-29 (.448), July 23-August 4 . . . was 11-13 (.846) in 3 games, August 22-23 . . . tied season-high 4 hits, August 23 at Martinsville . . . Twins' Minor League Player of the Week, going 14-29 (.483), August 26-September 1 . . . Twins' Minor League Player of the Month for August, going 44-107 (.411) . . . hit safely in 22 of 32 games . . . threw out 10 of 31 (32%) runners attempting to steal on season . . . rated top prospect in Appalachian League and top Minor League catching prospect by Baseball America.