Jorge Polanco Bio
Jorge Luis Pacheco Polanco (born July 5, 1993) is a Dominican professional baseball infielder and designated hitter for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners. Polanco made his MLB debut in 2014 and was selected as an MLB All-Star in 2019. Over the course of his career, he has built a reputation as a versatile middle-infield bat with pop in his swing.
A switch-hitter with steady on-base skills, Polanco has spent more than a decade in the majors. He signed with the Mets in December 2025 and is under contract through 2027. He and his wife have four children.
Early Life and Background
Polanco grew up in the Dominican Republic in a close-knit family shaped by baseball. He signed with the Twins in 2009 at the home of his grandparents, Maximo Polanco and Melida Pegero, with both his mother’s and father’s family present. His grandfather Maximo helped raise Jorge for many years and taught him how to swim before passing away in 2017.
As a boy, Polanco played pickup baseball with Miguel Sanó, who would later become a Twins teammate. Their mothers worked together, and the two prospects grew up dreaming of reaching the major leagues. The Dominican Republic has long produced MLB stars, and Polanco’s path followed that familiar trajectory from sandlots to professional academies.
Polanco signed with the Minnesota Twins as an international free agent in 2009, receiving a $725,000 bonus. He later spoke about how difficult it was to adjust to the culture of the United States after moving to the Twins’ developmental system. After the 2011 season, he also worked to improve his diet as part of his professional growth.
Path to Baseball
Polanco made his professional debut in 2010 for the Dominican Summer League Twins and also played for the Gulf Coast League Twins that year. He hit .233/.303/.294 between the two clubs and lived with future Twins teammate Max Kepler in Florida. He returned to the GCL Twins in 2011, hitting .250/.319/.349 in 51 games, before moving up the ladder.
Playing for the Elizabethton Twins in 2012, Polanco hit .318/.388/.514 with five home runs in 51 games. He spent the 2013 season with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, hitting .308/.362/.452 with five home runs across 115 games and earning a mid-season All-Star nod. After the season, he joined the Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Professional Baseball League, where he played the next three offseasons. In November 2013, the Twins added him to their 40-man roster.
Polanco started the 2014 season with the Class-A Advanced Fort Myers Miracle and was promoted to the majors for the first time on June 26. He drew a walk as a pinch hitter in his MLB debut that day, beginning a long journey through professional baseball.
Jorge Polanco Career
Early Career (2014–2015)
In 2014, Polanco played four games for the Twins, batting 2-for-5 with two walks while playing shortstop, before returning to the minors. He split the rest of the year between Fort Myers and the Double-A New Britain Rock Cats, hitting .288/.353/.395 in 88 minor league games. The following year, he returned to Double-A with the Chattanooga Lookouts and was named a Southern League All-Star.
Polanco received brief major league call-ups in 2015, including a stint in which he committed his first MLB error on June 10. He moved to Triple-A Rochester in July before finishing the season there. After 2015, both MLB.com and Baseball America ranked Polanco near the bottom of their top 100 prospects lists, even as he continued refining his game.
Minnesota Twins Breakthrough (2016–2023)
Polanco earned his first extended major league opportunity in 2016, playing 69 games and hitting .282 with four home runs and 27 runs batted in. In 2017, he became the Twins’ primary shortstop, hitting .256 with 13 home runs, 74 RBIs, and a career-high 13 stolen bases in 133 games. He made his postseason debut that year, going 1-for-4 in the Wild Card Game loss to the New York Yankees.
On March 18, 2018, Polanco was suspended for 80 games after testing positive for stanozolol. He accepted the punishment and said he did not intentionally consume the steroid. After returning, he hit .288 with six home runs and 42 RBIs in 77 games. During 2019 spring training, he signed a five-year, $25.75 million extension with club options for 2024 and 2025. On April 5, 2019, he hit for the cycle against the Philadelphia Phillies, going 5-for-5. He was voted the American League’s starting shortstop for the All-Star Game and finished with a .295 average, 22 home runs, 79 RBIs, and 107 runs scored. He homered in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Yankees.
In 2021, with Andrelton Simmons signing to play shortstop, Polanco moved to second base and set career highs with 33 home runs and 98 RBIs while batting .269/.323/.503. He was named the Twins’ MVP and most improved player that year. In 2022, injuries limited him to 104 games, but he still drew 64 walks and hit 16 home runs. He launched his 100th career home run on April 28, 2023, and later that season moved to third base as Edouard Julien took over at second. On September 30, 2023, manager Rocco Baldelli named Polanco and Kyle Farmer unofficial co-managers for a game. After the season, the Twins exercised their $10.5 million option on him for 2024.
Seattle Mariners Era (2024–2025)
On January 29, 2024, the Twins traded Polanco to the Seattle Mariners for pitchers Anthony DeSclafani and Justin Topa, prospects Gabriel González and Darren Bowen, and cash. In 118 games for Seattle, he slashed .213/.296/.355 with 16 home runs, 45 RBIs, and a career-high 137 strikeouts. On October 10, 2024, he underwent surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his left knee. On November 1, the Mariners declined his $12 million option for 2025, paying him a $750,000 buyout and making him a free agent.
The Mariners re-signed Polanco on February 3, 2025, to a one-year, $7 million contract with $3 million in possible incentives. On April 28, 2025, he was named American League Player of the Week for the fifth week of the season after going 8-for-17 with four home runs and eight RBI, marking the first time since Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. in 1998 that Seattle players won the award in consecutive weeks. He hit a walk-off single against Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase on June 14 and recorded his 1,000th career hit on July 6 off Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He closed the regular season batting .265/.326/.495 with regular playing time at second base and designated hitter.
In the 2025 playoffs, Polanco homered twice in Game 2 of the ALDS, both off Tarik Skubal, to put the Mariners on the board in a 3-2 win. In Game 5, he delivered a game-winning RBI single in the 15th inning, sending Seattle to its first ALCS since 2001. On November 5, he declined his player option for 2026 and became a free agent.
New York Mets Era (2026–Present)
On December 16, 2025, Polanco signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the New York Mets. He joined the club as an experienced middle-infield bat and designated hitter with a postseason resume. The deal runs through the 2027 season and reflects the Mets’ bet on his switch-hitting power.
Driving Style and Strengths
Polanco is a switch-hitter with line-drive power and patient at-bats, as shown by his 14.4 percent walk rate in 2022 and his career-high 33 home runs in 2021. He has demonstrated the ability to pull the ball with authority and deliver in big moments, including a walk-off single against Cleveland in 2025 and a 15th-inning ALDS winner against Detroit. Defensively, he has logged significant innings at shortstop, second base, and third base.
Notable Events and Milestones
Polanco hit for the cycle on April 5, 2019, against the Philadelphia Phillies. He earned the American League’s starting shortstop nod at the All-Star Game that year and later delivered a 15th-inning ALDS single to send the Mariners to the 2025 ALCS. He also recorded his 1,000th career hit on July 6, 2025.
Jorge Polanco Career Wins
Polanco’s career win totals are tracked through team success and individual milestones rather than a traditional wins column, as he is a position player. Across the Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners, he has been part of multiple playoff runs, including the Twins’ first postseason series win in 21 years during 2023 and the Mariners’ ALCS run in 2025.
Major League Highlights
Polanco’s MLB highlight reel includes an All-Star selection in 2019, a cycle on April 5, 2019, and a career-high 33 home runs in 2021. In 2025 with Seattle, he was named American League Player of the Week and later hit a game-winning single in the 15th inning of ALDS Game 5. His 1,000th career hit on July 6, 2025, marked another milestone.
Other Wins & Performances
Polanco played winter ball for the Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Professional Baseball League for three offseasons following the 2013 season. He was a minor league All-Star in 2013 with Cedar Rapids, in 2015 with Chattanooga, and again in 2016 with Rochester.
Jorge Polanco Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Polanco grew up surrounded by extended family, signing his first professional contract in 2009 at the home of his grandparents, Maximo Polanco and Melida Pegero. His grandfather Maximo helped raise him and taught him to swim. He has credited his family for steady support as he moved from the Dominican Republic to the United States.
Personal Life
Polanco and his wife have four children. He grew up playing baseball with Miguel Sanó, and their mothers worked together. His longtime friendship with Sanó has remained part of his story as both have spent parts of their MLB careers with the Twins.
2025 Season Performance
Polanco’s 2025 season with the Seattle Mariners began with a slow recovery from offseason knee surgery. After a one-year, $7 million re-signing in February, he caught fire in late April, earning American League Player of the Week honors after going 8-for-17 with four home runs and eight RBI. He later delivered a walk-off single against Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase on June 14.
After slumping in May and June, Polanco rebounded to bat .282 with 15 home runs across the final three months of the regular season. He recorded his 1,000th career hit on July 6 off Paul Skenes and tied a franchise record by hitting doubles in seven consecutive games from September 8–14, finishing with a .265/.326/.495 line. His late-season surge carried into October.
In the playoffs, Polanco was at the center of Seattle’s run to the ALCS. He homered twice in ALDS Game 2 off Tarik Skubal and then delivered a 15th-inning RBI single in Game 5 to push the Mariners past Detroit. After the Mariners’ ALCS exit, he declined his 2026 player option and later signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the New York Mets on December 16, 2025.