Corey Koskie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Corey Koskie |
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Koskie with the Brewers in 2006
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| Third baseman | |||
| Born: June 28, 1973 Anola, Manitoba, Canada |
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| debut | |||
| September 9, 1998, for the Minnesota Twins | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| July 5, 2006, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .275 | ||
| Home runs | 124 | ||
| Runs batted in | 506 | ||
| Teams | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 2015 | ||
Corey Koskie is a Canadian former professional baseball player. He was a third baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, and Milwaukee Brewers. In 2015, Corey was honored by being chosen for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
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Growing Up
Corey Koskie was born in Anola, Manitoba, Canada, on June 28, 1973. He grew up on a farm there. He was the first player from Manitoba to reach the Major Leagues in a long time. As a kid, he practiced baseball by hitting rocks with a wiffle ball bat. He also took lessons in Ukrainian dance.
Corey played other sports when he was young. He was good at ice hockey and volleyball. He played junior hockey for the Selkirk Steelers. He was even asked to play college hockey at Minnesota-Duluth. But he chose to play volleyball instead for the University of Manitoba.
After his second year at the University of Manitoba, Corey decided to focus on baseball. He went to play college baseball at Des Moines Area Community College in Boone, Iowa. Later, he played at the National Baseball Institute in British Columbia.
Baseball Career
Corey Koskie was picked by the Minnesota Twins in the 1994 baseball draft. He made his first MLB appearance on September 9, 1998.
Playing for the Minnesota Twins
In 1999, Corey became the Twins' main third baseman. He had a great year, hitting for a .310 average and getting 58 runs batted in (RBI).
In 2000, he continued to play well. He hit .300 and reached base 40% of the time. His best year for hitting was 2001. That year, he hit 26 home runs, had 103 RBI, and scored 100 runs.
Moving to Other Teams
On December 14, 2004, Corey signed a three-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. His 2005 season was tough because of injuries. He played less and his hitting numbers dropped. He hit .249 with 11 home runs and 36 RBI in 97 games. Even with injuries, people thought Corey was a very athletic third baseman.
On January 6, 2006, the Blue Jays traded Corey to the Milwaukee Brewers. This trade helped the Blue Jays save money after they got another player, Troy Glaus. The Blue Jays had many players who could play third base. So, Corey was traded just one year after joining the team.
The Brewers got an experienced player who was good at fielding and hitting. However, Corey's later seasons were affected by injuries. He missed most of the 2006 season because of a post-concussion syndrome. This injury happened on July 5, 2006.
Corey said, "If I can't play, I at least want my life back." He hoped to play baseball again. The injury made him miss all of the 2007 season.
In 2009, Corey worked out with the Minnesota Twins during spring training. He also played for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic. On February 28, Corey signed a small contract with the Chicago Cubs. But on March 21, 2009, Corey announced he was retiring from baseball. He felt confident in his skills but did not want to risk his health anymore.
After Baseball
After retiring from baseball, Corey Koskie became a business owner. He owned several Planet Fitness gyms in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area from 2010 to 2016. He wrote about his experiences in an article for The Players' Tribune in 2016.
As of 2016, Corey lived in Plymouth, Minnesota. He lived there with his wife and their four sons.
In 2013, Corey Koskie was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.
