Rene Tosoni
Rene Michael Tosoni (born July 2, 1986) is a Canadian former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins in 2011 and has also played in International competitions with the Canada national baseball team. He is six feet tall and weighs 194 lbs. He bats left-handed, yet plays his position right-handed. Amateur career. Tosoni played youth baseball for the Coquitlam Reds of the B.C. Premier Baseball League. Although he was selected by the Twins in the 34th-round of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft, he did not sign and  was subsequently reselected by the Twins in the 36th-round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft. Professional career. 2008: Fort Myers Miracle. Although Tosoni had a brief stint with the Gulf Coast League Twins to begin the year, he spent the majority of the season assigned to the Twins' advanced A affiliate, the Fort Myers Miracle. With the Miracle, he batted .325 with one home run and 17 RBIs in the first half of the 2008 season—helping his team capture the Florida State League first-half West Division title. Along with teammates Robert Delaney, Brian Dinkelman, Jeff Manship , Wilson Ramos, Anthony Slama and Danny Valencia, Tosoni was selected to represent Fort Myers in the 2008 Florida State League All-Star game, however, a broken leg prevented him from attending. He was assigned to the Miracle's seven-day disabled list, and did not play from May 16 until August 26. For the season, his average fell to an even .300 upon his short return from the disabled list at the end of the season, however, his two-run home run in the first inning was the deciding factor in the Miracle's 2–1 victory over the Dunedin Blue  Jays in game one of the 2008 division playoffs. 2009: New Britain Rock Cats. To begin the season, Tosoni was assigned to the Twins' double A affiliate, the New Britain Rock Cats. He was elected to participate for the World Team at the All-Star Futures Game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, the host location of the MLB All-Star Game. He appeared as a pinch hitter during the seventh inning and hit a go-ahead double off of Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Brad Lincoln. His performance earned him the game's MVP honours. 2011: Minnesota Twins. Tosoni was called  up by the Minnesota Twins on April 28, 2011. Tosoni had a single in his first Major League appearance off of Tampa Bay Rays starter Jeremy Hellickson. He recorded his first RBI in the same game while going 2 for 4 with two singles. On September 27, Tosoni hit his first grand slam in a 7–4 Victory over the Kansas City Royals. 2013: Milwaukee Brewers. He signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers prior to the 2013 season. 2014: Sioux City Explorers. Tosoni signed a contract with the Sioux City Explorers of the American Association for the 2014  season. 2016: Sugar Land Skeeters. Tosoni was traded from the Sioux City Explorers to the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He became a free agent after the 2016 season. Post playing days. Tosoni was named as the hitting coach for the A advanced Florida Fire Frogs in the Atlanta Braves organization for the 2018 season. International play. Tosoni selected for the Canada national baseball team at the 2009 Baseball World Cup, 2013 World Baseball Classic, 2015 Pan American Games, 2015 WBSC Premier12, 2019 Pan American Games and 2019 WBSC Premier12.