26Justin Patrick Huber is an Australian former professional baseball player from Melbourne who reached Major League Baseball with the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres and Minnesota Twins. Primarily a first baseman and left fielder, he also represented Australia at three World Baseball Classics and played professionally in Japan, the Australian Baseball League and independent baseball. The supplied provider date of birth, 7 January 1982, conflicts with MLB and Baseball-Reference records, which…
Justin Patrick Huber developed through Australian junior baseball before signing with the New York Mets as an international free agent on 26 July 2000. A graduate of Beaconhills College in Victoria, he represented Australia at the Under-18 Junior World Championships from 1998 to 2000 and was selected to the tournament All-Star team in 2000. Originally a catcher, Huber's career direction changed after a left-knee cartilage injury and surgery in August 2004. He subsequently transitioned towards first base and the outfield. Huber was traded from the Mets to the Kansas City Royals in July 2004 in the deal involving José Bautista, then broke into the majors with Kansas City on 21 June 2005. His first MLB opportunity followed strong minor-league production, including a Texas League batting title in 2005 and selection to the Futures Game three times. Huber later played for the San Diego Padres in 2008 and the Minnesota Twins in 2009. His MLB career comprised 161 at-bats, 36 hits, two home runs, 15 runs batted in and a .224 batting average. He represented Australia at the 2006, 2009 and 2013 World Baseball Classics. After his MLB career, he played for the Hiroshima Carp in Nippon Professional Baseball in 2010, the Melbourne Aces in the Australian Baseball League, and the Somerset Patriots in independent baseball. His strongest documented ABL season came with Melbourne in 2011–12, when he hit .348 with a .466 on-base percentage and a .510 slugging percentage in 44 games. MLB and Baseball-Reference list his final major-league appearance as 11 September 2009; the provider status of Inactive is consistent with his former-player profile.
Huber's first major professional breakthrough came after signing with the New York Mets in July 2000 and excelling in the minor leagues. His most notable early recognition was a unanimous selection to the 2002 mid-season South Atlantic League All-Star team. He later won the 2005 Texas League batting title and was selected for the Futures Game three times before making his MLB debut with Kansas City on 21 June 2005.
MLB career: 161 at-bats, 36 hits, two home runs, 15 RBIs, one stolen base, .224 batting average, .276 on-base percentage, .304 slugging percentage and .580 OPS. In 2005, he won the Texas League batting title while playing for Wichita and was selected to the Futures Game for the third time. In the 2000 World Junior Championship, he hit .414 with a .727 slugging percentage and was named the tournament's All-Star catcher.
Notable documented moments include his MLB debut for the Kansas City Royals on 21 June 2005; a five-hit final game for Triple-A Portland on 1 September 2008; his first MLB home run for San Diego on 20 April 2008; a two-home-run game for Triple-A Rochester on 25 June 2009; and his September 2009 recall by Minnesota, which made him one of the Australians to appear for the Twins.