A Salute to Michael Cuddyer

Michael Cuddyer certainly isn’t the best player to ever dawn a Twins uniform. However, he came to the ballpark and played hard everyday during his career with the Twins. Not only that, he was willing to play wherever Ron Gardenhire put him on the field. The only two positions he never played while with the Twins were shortstop and catcher. His stats were never overly impressive but they were always respectable. What sticks out the most is that his highest RBI total of 109 came in 2006 and his highest HR total of 32 came in 2009. This is because in both of those years the Twins clinched a division title in an impressive and exciting manner by battling back down the stretch after a tough start to the season. Cuddyer’s numbers clearly show that he was a key player in both of those runs to the playoffs. In fact, in the 2009 run to make the playoffs, Cuddyer was probably the MVP of the Minnesota Twins. This is the case because he stepped in and played a respectable first base after Justin Morneau went down with an injury, and he hit big home run after big home run in September. Most notable was his home run in the second to last regular season game (well, it ended up being the third to last regular season game) against Kansas City that gave the Twins the lead and kept their season alive. This past season was a tough one, but at least Cuddyer finally got the chance to represent the American League in the All-Star Game. We at jasathletics salute you Michael Cuddyer for a solid career with the Minnesota Twins and wish you the best in your future endeavors. Your play on the field and your work in the community will be missed. One more thing, the Twins’ clubhouse will definitely be a little less chipper this upcoming year as that famous Michael Cuddyer smile is now in Colorado.