Justin Morneau, a four-time all-star who won the 2006 American League MVP, will officially retire Wednesday, according to his longtime team, the Minnesota Twins.
Morneau, a native of New Westminster, B.C., last played in 2016 as a member of the Chicago White Sox. He will now join the Twins as a special assistant.
The Twins drafted Morneau in the third round of the 1999 draft, and he reached the big leagues three years later. By 2006 he was among the league’s best players, and hit .321/.375/.559 with 34 home runs on his way to an MVP.
He continued producing at an elite level for three and a half more seasons until he sustained a concussion on July 7, 2010. Concussion issues sidelined him for much of 2010 and 2011, but he rebounded in 2014 to win the NL batting title as a member of the Colorado Rockies.
In 14 seasons, the left-handed hitting first baseman hit .281/.348/.481 with 247 career home runs.
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