Vital Statistics:
Born: April 12, 1972
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Height: 5-10
Weight: 205
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Marital status: Divorced
Primary position: Catcher
Before The Bigs:
- Walked on at Glendale (Ariz.) Community College, and later transferred to Arizona State, where he became an All-American catcher. He hit .446 and had a 37-game hitting streak in 1993.
- Despite his college success, he wasn’t drafted until the 25th round in 1993 by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
- He was named to all-star teams in the Single-A Florida State League in 1996 and Double-A Texas League in 1997.
- He was first called up in 1998, but finally broke through as a full-time player in 2001 after nine seasons in the minors.
- He hit .320 with 25 home runs and 90 RBIs in 2001.
- Made his first All-Star team in 2002, and repeated the honor in 2003, when he had a 25-game hitting streak.
- Was traded to the Florida Marlins on July 20, 2004 in the deal that brought pitcher Brad Penny to Los Angeles.
- Hit .283 in his lone season for the Marlins, and was traded to the Mets for two minor-leaguers before the 2006 season.
- Hit .318 in his first season with the Mets in 2006, and was selected an All-Star starter for the first time.
