Doug Mientkiewicz
Douglas Andrew "Doug" Mientkiewicz [mint-KAY-vich] (born June 19, 1974 in Toledo, Ohio) is a first baseman who throws right and bats left. He plays with the Boston Red Sox. Previously, Mientkiewicz played for the Minnesota Twins (1998-2004) and was traded to Boston in July 2004.
Mientkiewicz is a notoriously line-drive hitter and hits well against both leffties and righties. He has a nice, short stroke with gap power, but he's no home run hitter. Yet he has tremendous discipline at the plate and good knowledge of the strike zone. For his career he has an outstanding walk-to-strikeout ratio (262-270). Though not a base-stealing threat, Mientkiewicz will get every extra base he can.
Defense is still the best part of Mientkiewicz's game. He has a great glove with soft hands, great mobility, good range and a strong arm. Also, Mientkiewicz is excellent scooping balls in the dirt and tagging down on a high throw. He won the Gold Glove Award in 2001.
In six seasons, Mientkiewicz has batted .279 with 38 HR, 241 RBI, 239 runs,128 doubles, six triples, nine stolen bases, and a .371 on base percentage in 565 games.
