William Joseph Benson...2006 graduate of Joliet Catholic Academy (IL), where he also played football and basketball...named preseason Louisville Slugger All-American, All-State and Conference Player of the Year for baseball in senior season...named to Chicago Sun-Times 2006 All-State team...played running back on the football team, rushing for over 2,000 yards in senior year, including a 363-yard game with four touchdowns in the second round of the state 6-A playoffs...signed letter of intent to play baseball at Purdue University, but signed with Minnesota.
2013
Began season at Triple-A Rochester in Twins organization before being claimed off waivers by Texas and being sent to Double-A Frisco on May 25...Hit just .192 (29x151) with seven doubles, two triples, one home run and nine RBI in 42 games with Rochester...Strung together season-best, nine-game hitting streak from April 24-May 4, hitting .314 (11x35) with two doubles, two triples, one home run and three RBI...Posted three hits on April 15 at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to mark a season high...Began time with Frisco batting .421 (8x19) with two triples, four home runs and five RBI over seven games. Homered in each of first three games with Roughriders...In final 30 games, hit just .168 (19x113) with four doubles, one triple, one home run and nine RBI...Was on seven-day disabled list from June 17-July 25 with a right groin strain...Appeared in seven rehab games with Arizona League Rangers, hitting .417 (10x24) with 10 runs scored, three doubles, one home run and five RBI.
2012
Started the season with Triple-A Rochester and batted .179 (17-for-95) in 28 games for the Red Wings. ... Transferred to Double-A New Britain May 7. ... Placed on 7-day disabled list May 19 and underwent hamate bone surgery; played three games on rehab assignment with GCL Twins;
reinstated July 7 and transferred to Single-A Ft. Myers. ... Batted .303 (10-for-33) in eight games and was promoted to Double-A New Britain July 16. ... Placed on 7-day disabled list August 21 and underwent surgery on left knee to remove bone chips, ending his season.
2011
Started the season with Double-A New Britain...hit safely in 14 of his first 16 games for the Rock Cats, batting .371 (23-for-62) with eight doubles, two home runs, 12 rbi and 13 runs scored...Named Twins Minor League Player of the Week for the week ending April 14...batted .406 (13-for-32) with two doubles, one home run, nine
rbi, five runs scored and two walks in eight games...Placed on the 7-day disabled list with a slightly torn meniscus in his left knee, June 4...played in three games with the GCL Twins on rehab
assignment, July 1-4...returned from rehab and reinstated, July 5...Went 4-for-5 with a home run and three rbi, July 27 vs. New Hampshire...went 2-for-5 with two home runs and a season-high six rbi,
August 17 at Binghamton...Reached base safely in 11 of his final 12 games...drew 15 walks in his final 16 games for the Rock Cats...Recalled by Minnesota, September 6...made Major League debut that same night vs. Chicago (AL), starting in center field and batting
leadoff...went 0-for-3, walking in his first career plate appearances against Jake Peavy...Recorded his first Major League hit, a single in the second inning off Max Scherzer, September 10 at Detroit...recorded his first career
extra-base hit, a double off Scherzer in the seventh inning of that same game...Recorded his first career stolen base, September 11 at Detroit...Went 4-for-4 with two doubles, one triple and three runs scored, September 16 vs. Cleveland...Recorded his first career rbi with a ground out, September 18 vs. Cleveland...His six doubles in September were tied for fourth-most in club history for rookies during the month...Ranked third in the Twins organization in doubles with 35, between New Britain and Minnesota...ranked fifth in total bases (226) and tied
for fifth in walks (61)...Named as an outfielder on milb.com's 2011 Twins organizational All-Star team...Ranked second-best prospect and Best Athlete in the Twins minor league system by Baseball America, entering the 2012 season.
2010
Began the season with Double-A New Britain where he batted just .219 (23-for-105) in 33 games,
before being transferred to Single-A Ft. Myers, May 17...Went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a home run and three rbi, May 21 vs. Dayton...went 3-for-6 with two home runs, three runs scored and four rbi, May 24 at Bradenton...Named Twins Player of the Week, May 21 after batting .324 with three doubles, three home runs, six
rbi, seven runs scored and four walks in seven games...Went 4-for-4 with three runs scored in his final game with the Miracle and was promoted back to
Double-A New Britain, June 16...Named Twins Player of the Month in June after batting .312 (29-for-93) with 10 doubles, five home
runs, 14 rbi and 18 runs scored in 23 games between Ft. Myers and New Britain...Two-homer game, July 9 at Portland...homered in consecutive games, July 16 and 17 vs. Portland,
then again, July 29 and 30 at Bowie...finished the month of July with seven home runs and 13 rbi...Led the Twins organization in home runs with 27, next was Jim Thome with 25...ranked seventh amongst all Double-A players in homers...Finished in a tie for fourth in the Eastern League with 23 home runs and became first Rock Cat since 2005 with 20-plus homers in a season...
his .527 slugging percentage also ranked fourth in the EL...Was honored with the Sherry Robertson Award as the Twins Minor League Player of the Year, an award given to outfielder Ben Revere the
previous two seasons...Played in the Arizona Fall League, batting .236 (13-for-55) with six doubles, one home run and five rbi in 17 games with Peoria Saguaros...Was ranked the fourth-best prospect and best athlete in the Twins organization by Baseball America, entering the 2011 season...Named to milb.com's 2010 Twins organizational All-Star team.
2009
Began the season with Single-A Ft. Myers...went 3-for-5 with two home runs and four rbi, May 5 at Sarasota...placed on the disabled list with a right hand fracture, May 12...reinstated from disabled list after two rehab games with the GCL Twins, July 8...finished second on the Miracle in on-base percentage and tied for second in home runs...hit .400 (30-for-75) off left-handed pitching.
2008
Spent the season with Single-A Beloit...hit safely in 10 straight games, May 10-20...played in his final game, June 26 and was placed on the disabled list with stress fracture in back, June 27-August 25.
2007
Spent the season with Single-A Beloit...collected two four-hit games: June 9 vs. Burlington and July 24 vs. Gull Lake...led the club in walks, stolen bases and on-base percentage...was ranked the second-best prospect and best athlete in the Twins organization by Baseball America, entering the 2008 season.
2006
Spent his first professional season with the GCL Twins and Single-A Beloit...led the GCL Twins and was second in the Gulf Coast League in extra-base hits (21)...led the club in games, at-bats, triples, was second in hits, runs scored, doubles, and home runs and third in rbi...transferred
to Single-A Beloit, August 20 and played in eight games for the Snappers...ranked the 20th-best prospect in the GCL by Baseball America...was
ranked the eighth-best prospect and best athlete in the Twins organization by Baseball America, entering the 2007 season.
