The Province

MORNEAU TOUCHED THEM ALL WITH CLASS

He finished with 247 home runs, 985 RBI and batting titles in the American and National Leagues. But that’s not all Justin Morneau of New West is remembered for

- STEVE EWEN,

Justin Morneau’s major-league career included 247 home runs, 985 runs batted in and a couple of Futures Game jerseys purchased for Rene Tosoni.

Those first two stats are bound to get the most attention Wednesday when Morneau, the 36-year-old from New Westminste­r, is expected to confirm his retirement from baseball — after 14 big-league seasons — during a Minnesota Twins news conference.

He’s slated to join the Twins’ front office as a special assistant.

That third figure, about Tosoni’s uniform from baseball’s version of a top prospects game, may give the best insight into what Morneau is truly all about, though.

Tosoni, now 31, is a product of the Coquitlam Reds’ amateur system and was drafted by the Twins in the 36th round in 2005. The left-handed-hitting outfielder was having a banner season in 2009 with Minnesota’s double-A affiliate in New Britain, Conn., and earned a spot in the Futures Game, a mid-season showcase tilt featuring the top minor leaguers, part of MLB All-Star Game festivitie­s.

Morneau was already entrenched as a Twins star by then, well into what would become 11 seasons with the club. When the rosters for the Futures Game were announced, Morneau tracked down one of the clubhouse managers for the game and made sure they made a couple of extra jerseys for Tosoni so Tosoni could give them to his family for keepsakes.

At that point, Morneau and Tosoni had never met.

“He got my number from somebody and called and said, ‘Hey, this is Justin Morneau,’ and told me what he had done,” said Tosoni, who is preparing these days for his gig as hitting coach of the Florida Fire Frogs, the Atlanta Braves’ advanced single-A affiliate in the Florida State League.

“I was like ‘What?’ I mean, I obviously knew who he was. I didn’t think he knew of me.

“That is just who he is. He’s one of the best hitters ever in baseball. You’d never get an idea of that talking to him, though. He never puts himself above anyone else. You talk to him and he’s way more concerned about how things are going for you than talking to you about anything that might be going on with him.”

Tosoni’s tale is closer to the rule than the exception.

Adam Loewen, a left-handed pitcher from Surrey, was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2002 draft, but when arm injuries derailed his career on the mound and he converted to the outfield in 2009, Morneau was one of the people he turned to in a bid to make the transition. They worked out together in Arizona before that first season for Loewen as a position player.

“I’ve known Justin for a decade now and to say that he’s a good guy is an understate­ment,” Loewen, now 33 and back pitching since 2014, explained via text message.

Surrey’s Cole Armstrong, 34, a one-time catching prospect in the Chicago White Sox system who will be the hitting coach with the White Sox’s double-A Birmingham Barons this coming Southern League season, was family friends with Morneau growing up and says Morneau has “never changed.”

Take a second. Consider that. Morneau was the American League’s most valuable player in 2006. He was runner-up for that honour in 2008. He won the National League batting title in 2014 with the Colorado Rockies. He’s a lifetime .281 hitter. Only 233 players in the history of baseball hit more homers, only 297 have driven in more runs. Morneau made somewhere around US$100 million playing baseball, if you believe the various reports. There are people who pump their own tires about a whole lot less now.

“The things that stood out about his character before he made it to the majors are still the things that stand out about his character today,” Armstrong said.

Canadian national team coach Greg Hamilton added: “His loyalty and contributi­on to our national team program and willingnes­s to share his knowledge and experience with the next generation has had an immeasurab­le impact.”

Hamilton is pointing to times like the spring of 2010. Morneau has always checked in with Hamilton about rising stars in Canada. Hamilton mentioned North Vancouver catcher/outfielder Rowan Wick and Langley catcher Kellin Deglan, who were both expected to be selected in the major league draft that June.

Morneau invited them to his place in Arizona so they could train with him. Tosoni was already there. Morneau invited him down after the Twins announced he would be a non-roster invitee to spring training that season.

Wick and Deglan were both chosen in that draft. Wick, 25, has since been converted to pitching and is a closer prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals’ organizati­on. Deglan, 25, was in the New York Yankees’ system last year but did not play because of injury.

“You meet people in this game who have a lot of talent and make a lot of money who are either quiet and keep to themselves or who are frankly not very good people,” Tosoni said. “Justin’s not like that. He’s a very normal person.”

 ?? — GETTY IMAGES FILES ?? Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins, who played 14 MLB seasons, is expected to announce his retirement today and join the team’s front office.
— GETTY IMAGES FILES Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins, who played 14 MLB seasons, is expected to announce his retirement today and join the team’s front office.
 ?? — GETTY IMAGES FILES ?? After a 14-season career, most of it with the Minnesota Twins, New Westminste­r’s Justin Morneau is set to announce his official retirement from Major League Baseball Wednesday, as he embarks on the next phase of his life working in the Twins’ front...
— GETTY IMAGES FILES After a 14-season career, most of it with the Minnesota Twins, New Westminste­r’s Justin Morneau is set to announce his official retirement from Major League Baseball Wednesday, as he embarks on the next phase of his life working in the Twins’ front...
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