Jorge Posada

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Jorge Posada

New York Yankees — No. 20
Catcher
Bats: Switch Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
September 4, 1995 for the New York Yankees
Selected MLB statistics
(through 2006)
Batting average     .270
Home Runs     198
RBI's     771

Jorge Rafael Posada Villeta (born August 17, 1971 in Santurce, Puerto Rico) is a switch-hitting catcher and 4-time All Star who plays for the New York Yankees.

He was drafted by the Yankees in the 24th round of the 1990 amateur draft, and made his major league debut in 1995.

Contents

[edit] High school & college

Posada attended the Alejandrino High School in San Juan, where he participated in basketball, volleyball, track, and baseball. As a baseball player in high school, he was named an All-Star player at shortstop in the 1988-89 season.

He went on to attend Calhoun Community College in Decatur, Alabama in 1991, where he received an Associate Degree. He was the valedictorian of the class. He was voted best hitter (1990), co-captain (1991), and selected all-conference (1991).

[edit] Baseball career

Posada was a second baseman during his first minor league season. His successful conversion from that position to catcher was unusual.

Posada survived a hideous home plate collision in 1994 in which he broke his left leg and dislocated his left ankle while playing for the AAA Columbus Clippers.

Since his debut with the Yankees, Posada has a career on base percentage of .375. His batting average, through 2006, has been 39 points higher against righties than against lefties.[1]

Posada has also been a member of 3 World Series championship teams (1998, 1999, 2000) and 5 American League championship teams (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003). Posada has been a 4-time All-Star (2000--03) and a 4-time winner of the Silver Slugger Award in those same years.

In 2000 he batted .287 (a career best) and was 6th in the league in walks (107), 8th in on base percentage (.417), and 9th in intentional walks (10).

In 2001 he was 8th in the league in intentional walks (10).

In 2002 he was 7th in the league in doubles (40), and 10th in intentional walks (9). He also led the leagues in grounding into double plays (23).

Arguably, his best season to date was 2003, when he hit 30 home runs (1 every 16.0 at bats, 9th best in the league) and drove in 101 runs, both career highs. He batted .281 and was also 5th in the league in obp (.405), and 6th in the league in walks (93; walking 17.5% of the time, a career high). He tied Yogi Berra’s record for most home runs by a Yankee catcher.

In 2004 he was 3rd in the league in walks (88), and 4th in obp (.400). He also led the leagues in grounding into double plays (24).

In 2005, he suffered a down year, causing some sceptics to think that his career was almost over.

However, in 2006, he had a bounceback year, posting one of his best offensive seasons. Among other things, he led the major leagues with 20 pinch hits.[2] In addition, work with new first base coach Tony Pena, a former catcher, helped him improve his percentage of runners thrown out stealing second almost 60 points above his career average.

[edit] Awards

  • 1993 - Carolina League All-Star C
  • 1995 - International League All-Star C
  • 1996 - International League All-Star C
  • 2000 - AL Silver Slugger Award C
  • 2000 - All-Star
  • 2000 - Thurman Munson Award received for baseball accomplishments and philanthropic work
  • 2001 - AL Silver Slugger Award C
  • 2001 - All-Star
  • 2001 - Milton Richman "You Gotta' Have Heart" Award received from the NY Chapter of the BBWAA
  • 2002 - Baseball America First-Team Major League All-Star C
  • 2002 - AL Silver Slugger Award C
  • 2002 - MLB All-Star
  • 2003 - NY Yankees Player of the Year
  • 2003 - AL Silver Slugger Award C
  • 2003 - AL MVP Voting Rank: # 3
  • 2003 - All-Star
  • 2003 - Named one of the Diamond Dads Founding Fathers

[edit] Trivia

  • Is one of an extremely small number of baseball players, which also include Vladimir Guerrero, who bat without the use of batting gloves.
  • 4-time All-Star and Silver Slugger (2000-03)
  • Top 10 MVP (3rd, 2003)
  • Top 10 in American League On-Base Percentage t3 times in career (2000 - #8, 2003 - #5, 2004 - #4)
  • Was the catcher for David Wells during his perfect game in 1998.
  • When the announcer called Jorge Posada's name over the speaker at the 2002 All-Star Game, Jorge let his son, Jorge Jr., run out on the field.
  • Best friend in the game is his teammate, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. Jeter served as Jorge's best man at his wedding.[citation needed]
  • Posada, along with his wife and their two children, appeared on an episode of the ABC series Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that aired on May 14, 2006. He donated a Yankees jersey signed by the entire roster to the Arena family of the Westchester County community of Somers, who had lost their only son Jimmy to a brain tumor in 2005.
  • When Posada first came up in 1995 he was given #62, instead of his now famous #20.

[edit] Career statistics

Jorge Posada (Updated as of February 24, 2007) [1]
Games AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA
Career 14382 382 -98745 0 0 0 0 -48 0 -5984

[edit] Family

  • On January 21, 2000, Jorge married Laura Posada, an attorney from Puerto Rico.
  • Son Jorge Posada Jr. suffers from craniosynostosis, which he was diagnosed with 10 days after he was born, and has endured numerous surgeries to correct the condition. Posada established the Jorge Posada Foundation to help find a cure for the disease and support families with children affected by the condition.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Jorge Posada. ESPN.com (2007-02-24). Retrieved on 2007-02-24.

[edit] External links

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