OTTAWA- Canadian Justin Morneau of New Westminster, British Columbia is your 2014 National League batting champion!
The 33 year-old accomplished the feat by hitting .319 in his first season with the Colorado Rockies edging out Josh Harrison from the Pittsburgh Pirates who finished the season with a .315 batting average.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Morneau to members of the media after the Rockies wrapped-up their season yesterday following a 10-5 los to the NL West winners, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Morneau becomes the second Canadian to ever win a batting title joining fellow BC native, Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, BC) who accomplished the feat three times (1998, 1999, 2001) as a member of the Colorado Rockies, as well.
“Big congrats to my boy Mo on winning the NL batting crown!!! Nicely done bro!” said Walker yesterday via his Twitter account.
Signing a two-year contract with the Rockies as a free agent last off-season, Morneau eclipsed the .300 batting average mark in 2014 for the third time in his career and first since 2008 when he hit exactly .300 as a member the Minnesota Twins.
The former American League MVP (2006) and three-time member of Canada’s World Baseball Classic clubs also belted 17 home runs and added 82 RBIs in 135 games with the Rockies.
A member of the 1999 Junior National Team, Morneau was chosen by the Minnesota Twins that same year in the third round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft and made his MLB debut on June 10th, 2003. In January 2010, he became just the second member inducted onto Baseball Canada’s Wall of Excellence, sponsored by RBC Wealth Management joining fellow MVP, Larry Walker.
