Rockies sign INF Justin Morneau to a two-year deal
Four-time All-Star and 2006 American League MVP makes Colorado his third Major League team
DENVER - The Colorado Rockies announced today that the club has signed infielder Justin Morneau to a two-year Major League contract, with a mutual option for 2016. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, per club policy.
Morneau, 32, is a veteran of 11 Major League seasons and owns a career batting line of .277 (1338-for-4826) with 293 doubles, 16 triples, 221 home runs, 863 RBI and 675 runs in 1,303 games. A four-time All-Star from 2007-2010, Morneau was the American League Most Valuable Player during the 2006 season after batting .321 (190-for-592) with 37 doubles, 1 triple, 34 home runs, 130 RBI and 97 runs, while helping the Twins win their fourth division title in five years. The native of New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada finished runner-up for MVP in 2008 and won two Silver Slugger Awards (2006 and 2008) as well as the 2008 Home Run Derby. Colorado will be his third Major League team having been drafted by the Minnesota Twins (1999-2013) and he most recently was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates (2013) following a mid-season trade.
Over his career, Morneau has played strictly first base, where he has compiled a career fielding percentage of .996 (43 errors/10321 chances) over 1,124 games. Since the beginning of 2003, no other infielder with more than 1,000 games has committed fewer errors than Morneau (Todd Helton has the second-fewest with 47). His fielding percentage ranks second only to Todd Helton's .997 over that same span.
The Rockies currently have a full 40-man roster.