Facts: - finalteam: new york yankees - finalyear: 2011 - statlabel: batting average home runs runs batted in - position: catcher - statvalue: .273 275 1,065 - caption: posada with the new york yankees - throws: right - bats: switch - debutdate: september 4 - debutteam: new york yankees - width: 250 - birth date: 17 august 1971 - finaldate: september 28 - name: jorge posada - image: jorge posada 2009.jpg - birth place: santurce , san juan , puerto rico - debutyear: 1995 Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of jorge posada .
jorge rafael posada villeta -lrb- born august 17 , 1971 -rrb- is a puerto rican former professional baseball catcher who played 17 seasons in major league baseball -lrb- mlb -rrb- for the new york yankees .posada produced strong offensive numbers for his position , recording a .273 batting average , 275 home runs , and 1,065 runs batted in -lrb- rbis -rrb- during his career .a switch hitter , posada was a five-time all-star , won five silver slugger awards , and was on the roster for four world series championship teams .drafted by the yankees in 1990 , posada was originally an infielder before moving to catcher during his minor league career .he debuted in the major leagues in 1995 , but it was not until 1998 that he found regular playing time .a solid-hitting catcher , posada established himself as a mainstay in the yankees lineup and as one of the '' core four '' players who contributed to the yankees ' winning seasons .in 2003 , he finished third in voting for the american league -lrb- al -rrb- most valuable player -lrb- mvp -rrb- award and became only the second yankees catcher after yogi berra to hit 30 home runs in a season .posada added one of his best seasons in 2007 at age 35 when he batted .338 .following a stint as designated hitter in 2011 , he retired .posada is only the fifth mlb catcher with at least 1,500 hits , 350 doubles , 275 home runs , and 1,000 rbis in a career .from 2000 to 2011 , he compiled more rbis and home runs than any other catcher in baseball .he is the only mlb catcher to ever bat .330 or better with 40 doubles , 20 home runs , and 90 rbis in a single season .away from baseball , posada is the founder of the jorge posada foundation , which is involved with research for craniosynostosis , a disease that impacts his son .