Rockies agree to three-year contract with outfielder Michael Cuddyer
The Colorado Rockies announced today that the club has agreed to a three-year contract with outfielder Michael Cuddyer. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, per club policy.
Cuddyer, 32, will join his second organization after spending his entire 13-year professional career with the Minnesota Twins. The 2011 American League All-Star selection hit .284 (140-for-529) with 29 doubles, 2 triples, 20 home runs, 70 RBI and stole a career-high 11 bases in 139 games for Minnesota last season. In 2011, Cuddyer was one of just nine players to collect at least 150 hits, 25 doubles, 20 home runs, 70 RBI, 70 runs scored and steal 10 bases. In 11 professional seasons, Cuddyer has a career batting average of .272 (1106-for-4072) with 239 doubles, 35 triples, 141 home runs, 580 RBI and 52 stolen bases in 1,139 games. Cuddyer has played 680 career games in the outfield, 171 games at third base, 79 games at second base, 210 games at first base and in 2011 pitched 1.0 inning of relief.
The versatile Cuddyer has a career .273 (122-for-447) batting average with 53 extra-base hits and a .461 slugging percentage in 127 career games against National League opponents. The Norfolk, VA native has slugged double-digit home runs in seven of his 11 professional seasons, including a career-high 32 homers in 2009 when he finished 21st in the American League Most Valuable Player voting.
Cuddyer has played in 22 career postseason games, collecting a .338 (25-for-74) batting average with 2 doubles, a triple, 2 home runs and 8 RBI. His 180 extra-base hits since 2009 were by far the most among Twins players, Jason Kubel was second with 146, and are the third-most among American League outfielders over that same span. The right-handed hitter and thrower has 53 outfield assists since the 2006 season, which are the seventh-most among Major League outfielders. Cuddyer was originally selected by Minnesota in the first round, ninth overall, of the 1997 First-Year Player Draft.
The Rockies currently have 38 players on the 40-man roster.