Joe Mauer, catcher for the Minnesota Twins, is the only major league catcher to have won a batting title three times. Mauer was already a star player in high school and he was chosen the USA Today High School Player of the Year in 2001. The previous year, he won the same award for his accomplishments as a football player. Mauer's batting average in his senior year in high school was an impressive .605.
Justin Morneau, first baseman for the Minnesota Twins, began his professional baseball career in the Canadian minor leagues. He was drafted by Minnesota in 1999 and he played with their minor league teams for four years before putting on a Twins' uniform in June, 2003. Morneau played in 40 games with the Twins in 2003 and he followed that with 74 games the next season. The 2005 season was his first full season for Minnesota. In 2008, Morneau signed a lucrative $80 million, six-year contract with the Twins.
Ron Gardenhire, manager of the Minnesota Twins since 2002, has one of the longest tenures of active managers in major league baseball. He started his major league career as a player with the New York Mets in 1981. Although he played for the Mets for five years, he was often sidelined by injuries.