Justin Morneau

[William Malone]

Justin Ernest George Morneau was born on May 15, 1981 in Canada.

The Minnesota Twins selected him in round three of the 1999 MLB Draft as a catcher. He transitioned to first base while in the minor leagues. Baseball America ranked him as the league's 14th best prospect entering the 2003 season. Morneau made his Major League debut that June, going 2-for-4 in a loss against the Colorado Rockies. He slashed .226/.287/.377 with four home runs in 40 games as a rookie, primarily playing designated hitter.

Morneau began 2004 in Triple-A, but was called up in late May. He was still getting a lot of at-bats as the designated hitter, but began to play more first base after former Gold Glove winner Doug Mientkiewicz was traded at the deadline. Morneau slashed .271/.340/.536 with 19 home runs in 74 games. He was 4-for-17 (.235) with two doubles and two RBI during the ALDS, which included an RBI single against legendary closer Mariano Rivera.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire wrote Morneau into the Opening Day lineup for the first time in 2005. He got off to a hot start, and had an OPS above 1.000 as late as May 21st. Morneau eventually cooled off, and finished the year with a .239/.304/.437 slash line. He hit 22 home runs, and drove in 79. Minnesota missed the playoffs for the first time since 2001.

The slow finish in 2005 seemed to trickle over into 2006. Morneau had a .689 OPS in April, and he even began losing a few starts at first base to utility man Michael Cuddyer. But things turned around fast for the Canadian slugger. He homered on May 1st against the Seattle Mariners, and things got rolling from there. Morneau also had a two home run, six RBI showing against the Texas Rangers on May 9th. His OPS was up to .939 by the All-Star break, but Morneau was not chosen to represent the American League at the mid-summer classic that year.

He continued to dominate in the second half, and finished the year with 130 RBI. This is the second highest single season total in Twins history, trialing the 140 driven in by Harmon Killebrew in 1969. Morneau was awarded American League MVP, beating out New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter in a close vote. He hit two home runs during the ALDS that fall, but Minnesota was swept by the Oakland Athletics.

Morneau hit .271/.343/.492 in 2007, launching 31 home runs and driving in 111. He made his first career All-Star team, and won AL Player of the Month in May.

The MVP conversation in 2008 once again featured Morneau. He hit a club record 47 doubles, passing Marty Cordova and his 46 doubles from the 1996 campaign. His 129 RBI were the third most in club history, trailing 1969 Killebrew and himself from 2006. Morneau was also intentionally walked a league high 16 times. Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia won MVP, with Morneau coming in second.

He had his fourth consecutive 100 RBI season in 2009, but was shutdown in mid-September due to a back injury. Morneau wasn't able to play after September 12th, and had been 3-for his last-40 before Minnesota sat him down. This was the first in a long series of injuries that began to hamper his career. He was slashing .345/.437/.618 through 81 games in 2010, with many viewing him as the MVP front runner. However, a concussion suffered on July 7th ended his season. Wrist, neck and foot injuries limited him to just 69 games in 2011.

Morneau was healthier in 2012, but was no longer his MVP-self. He slashed .262/.333/.440, hitting 19 home runs and driving in 77. The Twins got similar production out of Morneau in 2013, and traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a post-deadline waiver deal that August. This allowed him to play in the postseason for the first time since 2006. He was 7-for-24 (.292) in six playoff games for the Pirates.

The Colorado Rockies signed Morneau to a two year, $14 million deal as a free agent. He won the NL batting title in 2014, batting .319 with 82 RBI. Morneau hit .310 for the Rockies in 2015, but more concussion issues limited him to just 49 games. He ended his Major League career by playing 58 games with the Chicago White Sox in 2016. Morneau retired after playing for Team Canada in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

Minnesota hired him to a front office role in 2017. He also began calling their games as a television analyst on a part time basis. His role in the broadcast booth has expanded over the years to include more games. Morneau still works in the front office as well, serving as a special assistant for baseball operations.

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