Denard Span

Keiunta Denard Span is a professional baseball player currently signed as an outfielder for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was born on February 27, 1984 in Tampa, Florida.

Span was drafted at the 20th overall pick by the Twins out Tampa Catholic High School during the 2002 MLB Draft. Reportedly, he turned down the $2 million predraft offer from Colorado, only to be drafted at the 20th pick, which earned him less than what Colorado offered him.

Span made his Major League debut for the Twins on April 6, 2008. On July 28, 2008, he batted his first Major League home run off Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox.

Professional Career

Minnesota Twins

On April 5, 2008, Span was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to replace Michael Cuddyer's spot as Cuddyer went into a 15-day DL with a dislocated right index finger. On April 7 against the Chicago White Sox, Span recorded his first major league hit with a single as well as his first major league stolen base. On April 11, 2008, Span hit his first career Major League RBI off Gil Meche of the Kansas City Royals.

On June 29, 2008, Span was recalled for the second time. Like his previous recall, Span took the spot of Cuddyer, who went on the 15-day DL with a slow-healing tendon in his left index finger. In a mid-July, three game series against the Boston Red Sox, Span had four hits, two RBI, and three spectacular catches in right field. One of his spectacular catches came from in front of the Boston bullpen and saved a possible home run from Red Sox center fielder Coco Crisp. On July 10, 2008, against the Detroit Tigers, he had a career high 4 hits in a game.

On July 28, 2008, Span hit his first major league career home run off Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox.

At the end of the 2008 season, Span had played in 93 games with the Minnesota Twins. In 347 at-bats, he has a .294 batting average with 47 RBI and 70 runs scored.