Vital Statistics:
Born: April 24, 1977
Hometown: Manati, Puerto Rico
Height: 6-1
Weight: 205
Bats: Switch
Throws: Right
Family: Wife, Jessica
Primary position: Center fielder
Before The Bigs:
- Drafted in the second round (42nd overall) in the 1995 draft by the Kansas City Royals.
- Spent four seasons in the minors. After hitting .229 at Single-A Wilmington in 1997, he had a breakthrough season in 1998, hitting .352 with 14 home runs and 44 RBIs in 47 games for Double-A Wichita.
- Was called up to the Royals for the first time in September 1998.
Career Highlights:
- Named American League Rookie of the Year in 1999.
- Drove in more than 100 runs for four consecutive seasons in Kansas City.
- Was traded to Houston on June 24, 2004.
- After the trade, he became the first player ever to be selected for one All-Star team but play for the other. It was his first all-star appearance.
- Tied a major-league record with eight postseason home runs in 2004.
- Signed a seven-year, $119 million contract with the New York Mets on Jan. 11, 2005.
- Hit .275 with a career-highs in home runs (41) and RBIs (116) in 2006. He also won his first Gold Glove in 2006, and followed with Gold Gloves in 2007 and 2008.
- Missed half of the 2010 season after knee surgery.
- Selected to his sixth All-Star team in 2011.
- Was traded to the San Francisco Giants for pitching prospect Zack Wheeler on July 27, 2011.
