Joe Hietpas

Joseph Carl (Joe) Hietpas graduated from Appleton (Wisc.) North High School with a 4.0 GPA...Played baseball, basketball and football...Was inducted as an inaugural member of Appleton's High School Athletic Hall of Fame on Jan. 10, 2006...In his junior year, he helped the baseball team capture the Fox Valley Association Championship...Also won the Fox Valley Association Championship in football his senior year...Earned All-State defensive end honors that year...Graduated from Northwestern University where he played baseball...Was All-Big Ten his senior year...Was a three-time Academic All-American and three-time Academic All-Big Ten...Is first on the school's All-Time doubles list (56), third in home runs (27), second in RBI (158) and total bases (374), tied for fourth in at-bats (700) and sixth in hits (229).

2006

Spent the majority of the season with Norfolk (AAA) of the International League...Joined Binghamton (AA) of the Eastern League on Aug. 3 and played in 21 games with the B-Mets...At Triple-A, he played in 57 games as a catcher and three games at first base...Pitched 1.0 scoreless inning for Norfolk on May 18 vs. Toledo, allowing two hits with one strikeout...In 18 games in June, he hit .275 (11-40) with two home runs and six RBI...Put together a nine-game hitting streak from June 13-June 30 (10-26,.385)...In those games, he had two home runs and six RBIs...Had three contests with two hits at Norfolk...Threw out nine of 29 attempted basestealers (31 percent) at Binghamton, and 19 of 56 at Norfolk (34 percent).

2005

Spent most of the season with Binghamton (AA) of the Eastern League...Joined Norfolk (AAA) of the International League on July 25th...Hit .400 (4-10) with the bases loaded...Threw out 10 of 28 (36 percent) runners who attempted to steal against him at Norfolk...Threw out 21 of 61 (34 percent) runners at Binghamton.

2004

He made his Major League debut during the season finale against Montreal, catching the final inning of an 8-1 victory. His contract was purchased from Double-A Binghamton on Sept. 14 but he only played the one inning because shortly after his recall, he suffered a pulled muscle in his rib cage.