Mitchell Lynn Garver...he and wife Sarah have one son, Gamble Lynn (b. 7/22/21)…Sarah is a veterinarian and together they have two dogs: a boxer named Chupi and a puppy named Rip (adopted in the 2021-22 offseason)...nickname is “Garv Sauce”...worked with OMNI Brewing Co. in Maple Grove, Minn., in 2020 to create an India Pale Ale beer named “Garv Sauce,” which has a cartoon image of him on the can...active on Twitter (@MitchGarver) and Instagram (@mgarver)…fan of local Minneapolis hip-hop artist Atmosphere...has annually used walk-up music “Shining Star” by Earth, Wind & Fire…was a regular past participant in the Twins Winter Caravan.
2022
In a year that was hampered by various issues, Garver had season-ending surgery on his throwing arm in July…batted .207/.298/.404/.702 with 10 home runs and 24 RBI over 54 G/49 GS at DH (team-high 35) and C (14)…averaged 4.39 pitches per PA, third-best in A.L. and fifth in MLB among players with 200+ PA’s for the year...Was on 10-day IL from 5/9-18 (right forearm flexor muscle strain), on the COVID 19-Related IL from 6/10- 20, and missed three straight games 5/27-29 with a mild left knee sprain…did not throw after the May IL stint, and was on 60-day IL from 7/11-end of season…had right forearm flexor tendon repair surgery on 7/11 performed by Rangers Team Physician Dr. Keith Meister...His 10 HR ranked 7th on club despite appearing in just 54 G…his 18.80 AB/HR ratio was 17th-best in the A.L. (min. 200 PA’s), 2nd-best among Rangers in that category (Seager-17.97 AB/HR)…HR in three straight, 5/22-25 to match longest streak of his career…hit eight HR in 30 road games, T5th-most on club for the year…in season-opener 4/8 at TOR, became just fourth catcher with a HR on Opening Day in Texas history…after walking in his first PA w/ Texas that night, hit HR in his next PA, becoming one of 10 batters in Rangers history to hit a HR in first AB with the club (also Brad Miller and Josh Jung in 2022)...Though he played in just 13 G, May was easily his most productive month: .300/.346/.660/1.006 (15-50) with four HR, six 2B, nine RBI…that month featured his initial stint as DH, as his last start/appearance at catcher was 5/8 at NYY-G1…final 29 starts came as DH…never started more than two straight at catcher, and never started more than five straight overall before his initial IL stint in May.
2021
Limited to 68 G in his 2nd straight injury-riddled season… hit all 13 HR as a catcher, as his .545 SLG as a catcher ranked 2nd in MLB behind TB’s Mike Zunino at .556 (min. 200 PA)… was on the Injured List from 6/2-7/18 with a groin contusion after being hit with a foul tip on 6/1 at Baltimore…also on IL from 8/27-9/19 with lower back tightness…on MLB Paternity List from 7/22-25 as he and his wife welcomed their first child…served as Opening Day catcher for 2nd straight season…1st career grand slam on 8/27 vs. DET off Tyler Alexander…DET catcher Eric Haase also hit a grand slam later in the game, marking the first time in MLB history for opposing catchers to hit grand slams in the same game…stole 1st career base on 9/30 vs. DET in 308th career game (one previous caught stealing)…posted a .438 OBP in 22 May games (16 hits and 16 walks), 4th-best in the A.L. and 7th-best in MLB for the month.
2020
Worked out at Mauer Chevrolet in Inver Grove Heights (MN) with teammate Max Kepler between spring training cancellation and the start of the regular season during COVID-19 pandemic...owned by Joe Mauer's family, Mauer Chevrolet has multiple locations in the Twin Cities with the Inver Grove location having an indoor batting cage...Made Twins Opening Day roster for third time in career and was club’s Opening Day catcher July 24 at Chicago-AL, batting sixth and going 0-for-3 with a walk...Recorded season-high three hits Aug. 12 at Milwaukee - all singles...Placed on 10-day Injured List August 12 with a low-grade right intercostal strain; reinstated Sept. 18, missing 27 games...Struck out 37 times in 81 plate appearances and drew seven walks...Hit .304 (7-for-23) with one home run, three walks and a .385 on-base percentage against left-handed pitching, and .102 (5-for-49) with one home run, four walks and a .182 on-base percentage against right-handed pitching. Caught 22 games (19 starts)...totaled 169.0 innings behind the plate...Made a pinch hitting appearance in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series vs. Houston on Sept. 29, striking out.
2019
Made Twins Opening Day roster for second straight season as club's backup catcher...Recorded first career multi-homer game April 9 at New York-NL, both off Jacob deGrom...ended with five multi-homer games: April 20 at Baltimore, July 22 vs. New York-AL, August 31 at Detroit and September 7 vs. Cleveland; was the only catcher in baseball with as many multi-homer games...Led off for the first time in career April 15 vs. Toronto, becoming the first catcher to start and bat leadoff for the Twins since Butch Wynegar August 23, 1980, and just third catcher in club history (Wynegar, 48 times from 1977-80 and John Roseboro, seven times in 1968)...Placed on 10-day Injured List with a left high ankle sprain May 15, an injury he suffered the previous night vs. Los Angeles-AL as Shohei Ohtani slid into his leg at home plate...played in three games on rehab assignment with Double-A Pensacola and returned from IL June 2...Caught 17.0 innings in a Twins 4-3 victory June 18 vs. Boston...caught 16.0 innings 10 days later June 27 vs. Tampa Bay...17.0 innings marked the third most innings caught in club history, trailing Brian Harper (22.0 on August 31, 1993 vs. Cleveland) and Butch Wynegar (18.2 on August 25, 1976 vs. New York-AL)...Garver had 20 total chances and 17 putouts in the game, the chances marking a Twins catching record...Hit 15th home run July 17 vs. New York-NL, in his 48th game...along with 37 runs scored, became the third catcher in baseball history with 15-plus homers and 37-plus runs in that few games, along with Ivan Rodriguez in 2000 (39 games) and Roy Campanella in 1953 (40 games)...Hit first career leadoff homer July 2 vs. Oakland off Brett Anderson...became second Twins catcher to hit a leadoff homer, joining Butch Wynegar June 3, 1980 vs. Boston...finished with three leadoff homers, one of three catchers in baseball history with at least three leadoff homers in a season, joining Paul Lo Duca (4 in 2001 for Los Angeles-NL) and Buck Ewing (3 in 1883 for New York Gothams)...Hit club's 268th home run of season August 31 at Detroit, off Joe Jiménez, setting a new MLB record, passing the 2018 Yankees (267)...Hit 27th home run September 7 vs. Cleveland, off Aaron Civale - all home runs hit as catcher, passing Earl Battey (1963) and setting a club record for home runs in a season as catcher...finished with 30 of his 31 homers while behind the plate...Led MLB catchers in home runs, while leading AL catchers in RBI (65), slugging (.660), OBP (.373, tied with Omar Narváez), runs (68), OPS (1.032), isolated power (.372), and coming in third with a .288 batting average and fourth with 35 walks (all w/ min. 350 PA, numbers were as a catcher only)...His season OPS of .995 was the sixth-highest mark by any Twin with at least 350 plate appearances in a single season...Hit nine home runs in Interleague Play, tying a club record, held by Trevor Plouffe in 2012...Hit .344 (21-for-61) and compiled a 1.179 OPS with runners in scoring position, recording three doubles, one triple, and seven home runs...Hit .321 (34-for-129) with a 1.170 OPS vs. left-handed pitching and .249 (51-for-205) with a .902 OPS vs. right-handed pitching...Started all three games of the 2019 ALDS at catcher vs. New York-AL, going 2-for-12 (.167) with one RBI and one walk...had two-hit game in Game 2 on October 5 at Yankee Stadium...Named winner of Charles O. Johnson Award for Most Improved Twin, an award voted on by the Twin Cities Chapter of the BBWAA....Earned Louisville Slugger® Silver Slugger Award for American League's top offensive catcher, becoming second Twins catcher to win the award, joining Joe Mauer (2006, '08, '09, '10 and '13)...along with Designated Hitter Nelson Cruz, they became third set of Twins teammates to earn the award in same season, joining Mauer and Justin Morneau in both 2006 and '08.
2018
Made Twins Opening Day roster and spent entire season with Twins, his first of career...was club's back-up catcher to Jason Castro...Became Twins number one catcher after Jason Castro was placed on disabled list May 5 (right knee meniscus tear)...Hit .316 (18-for-68) with four doubles, one triple, three home runs, 14 RBI, 10 walks and a .418 onbase percentage in 19 July games...Recorded first career walk-off hit July 30 vs. Cleveland, a one out double in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Twins a 5-4 win...Made first career pitching appearance August 6 at Cleveland, pitching 1.0 scoreless inning with one hit allowed...Had career-high seven-game hitting streak August 16-23...Tied career-high with four hits September 28 vs. Chicago-AL, including a career-high six RBI, two RBI short of the Twins record of eight (Glenn Adams in 1977 and Randy Bush in 1989)...Hit .293 (43-for-147) in 48 away games and .245 (38-for-155) in 54 home games...Hit .288 (59-for-205) vs. right-handed pitching and .227 (22-for-97) vs. left-handed pitching...Led Twins in games caught with 86 (75 starts)...fifth most for a rookie in club history and most since Matt Walbeck caught 95 in 1994...Ranked seventh in the AL in catcher ERA (4.60)...Ranked tied for sixth among AL rookies in doubles (19), ninth in games (103) and walks (29), 10th in hits (81)...Led all MLB rookie catchers in walks, second in games, hits, doubles, runs, RBI, and third in home runs.
2017
Played in Twins spring training for third straight season; optioned to Triple-A Rochester on March 18...Appeared in the outfield for the first time in his career on June 9 vs. Syracuse; made 14 starts in left field for the Red Wings...Hit three home runs in one game July 9 vs. Syracuse, the first Red Wing to do so since Byung Ho Park July 28, 2016...Became first Red Wings catcher to be named an International League Postseason All-Star since Jose Morales in 2007...Hit 14 home runs as a catcher for Rochester, the most for a Red Wing catcher since at least 1990...Recalled from Rochester on August 18 and made major league debut the next night, striking out against Arizona's J.J. Hoover in a pinch-hitting appearance...Collected first major league hit on August 20 vs. Arizona, an infield single to third base off Braden Shipley...First career three-hit game came August 30 vs. Chicago-AL, including a double, a triple and a walk...Named catcher on the Twins Organizational All-Star team by MiLB.com...Given 2017 Sherry Robertson Award as Twins Minor League Player of the Year.
2016
Was an invite to Twins spring training for second straight season; reassigned to minor league camp March 18 and began season with Double-A Chattanooga...Placed on 7-day disabled list May 12 with concussion-like symptoms; reinstated May 25...Named Southern League Midseason All-Star...Named Twins minor league Player of the Week July 9, hitting .455 (10-for-22) with four doubles, one home run, five RBI, seven runs scored and six walks in six games for the Lookouts...Promoted to Triple-A Rochester August 9...Combined to hit .270 (117-for-434) with 30 doubles, 12 home runs, 74 RBI, 50 runs scored and 50 walks in 117 games between Chattanooga and Rochester...caught 60 games and played 16 games at first base...Added to Twins 40-man roster November 18...Played 19 games for Surprise in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .229 (16-for-70) with four doubles, four home runs and 14 RBI...named to AFL's Top Prospect Team...Named 17th best prospect in Twins system by Baseball America, entering 2017.
