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10/26/2009 12:30 PM ET
Twins announce Diamond Awards recipients; winners selected by Twin Cities Baseball Writers Association
Joe Mauer wins Most Valuable Twin and Upper Midwest Player of the Year; Fifth Annual Diamond Awards event set for January 28, 2010
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Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN - The Minnesota Twins today announced the Diamond Awards, their annual awards for the 2009 season based on voting conducted by the Twin Cities Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. In addition, the Twins and the BBWAA announced plans for the Fifth Annual Diamond Awards Event which will be held January 28, 2010 and will benefit brain, nerve and muscle disorders research at the University of Minnesota.
Twins' All-Star catcher Joe Mauer is the winner of the Calvin R. Griffith Award (the Twins' first owner) given to the Most Valuable Twin. Mauer, who won his third batting title in 2009, led the league with a .365 batting-average, hit a career-high 28 home runs and drove in a career-high 96 runs. Mauer, who missed the first month of the season due to injury, was named to his third All-Star Team and his second as the starting catcher.
For the second year in a row, righthanded relief pitcher Joe Nathan is the winner of the Joseph W. Haynes Award (Former Twins' Executive Vice-President) given to the Twins' Pitcher of the Year. Nathan, 34, was 2-2, 2.10 (68.2 ip, 16 er) converting 47 saves (52 opportunities) in 70 relief appearances in 2009. Nathan, who was named to his fourth career American League All-Star team, set the Twins single season save record in 2009.
Rightfielder Michael Cuddyer is the winner of the Charles O. Johnson Award (Former Minneapolis Star and Tribune Executive Sports Editor) given to the Most Improved Twin. Cuddyer, 30, batted .276 with 34 doubles, seven triples, 32 home runs and 94 rbi in a career-high 153 games in 2009 after playing in only 71 games in 2008.
Lefthanded pitcher Jose Mijares is the winner of the Bill Boni Award (Former St. Paul Dispatch-Pioneer Press Executive Sports Editor) given to the Twins' Most Outstanding Rookie. Mijares, 24, was 2-2, 2.34 (61.2 ip, 16 er) with 23 walks and 55 strikeouts in 71 appearances in 2009. His 2.34 ERA was the sixth lowest among American League relief pitchers.
Along with being the Twins MVP, catcher Joe Mauer is the winner of the Dick Siebert Award (Former University of Minnesota Baseball Coach) given to the Upper Midwest Player of the Year for the second year in a row. In addition to leading the American League in batting, Mauer also led the league with a .444 on-base percentage and a .587 slugging percentage.
Michael Cuddyer, along with being named Most Improved Twin, is this year's winner of the Bob Allison Award (Former Twins' Player) given to the Twins player who exemplifies determination, hustle, tenacity, competitive spirit and leadership both on and off the field. Along with serving as a member of the Minnesota Twins Community Fund Board, Cuddyer hosts a "Cuddy's Buddy" at batting practice prior to each Saturday home game, as well as other charitable events throughout the season.
Outfielder Denard Span, is the winner of the Mike Augustin Award (Former Pioneer Press Sports Writer) given to the Twins player who fosters healthy relations with the media. Span set an example to teammates by always making himself available to local, national and international media members, appeared on a weekly radio show, and participated in several public service announcements throughout the season.
The fifth Annual Diamond Awards dinner, which will be held on Thursday, January 28, 2010 beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Hilton Minneapolis, will honor the 2009 BBWAA award recipients as well as the winners of the Sherry Robertson Award (Ben Revere, Twins' Minor League Player of the Year), the Jim Rantz Award (David Bromberg, Twins' Minor League Pitcher of the Year), the Carl R. Pohlad Community Service Award (Justin Morneau) and the Kirby Puckett Award (Rod Carew).
All proceeds from the event will benefit the University of Minnesota's innovative research and patient care focused on ataxia, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). Along with the award winners, current and former Twins players and coaches are scheduled to appear at the event. Corporate sponsorships, tables and individual tickets are available now. For more information on the event call the Twins at 612-33-TWINS or 800-33-TWINS or Valerie Petermann at the Minnesota Medical Foundation at 612-624-4444 or visit www.minnesotadiamondawards.org.
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