Brian Giles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| San Diego Padres — No. 24 | |
| Right fielder | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Left |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
|---|---|
| September 16, 1995 for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through July 14, 2006) |
|
| AVG | .297 |
| OBP | .411 |
| HR | 252 |
| Teams | |
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Brian Stephen Giles (born January 21, 1971, in El Cajon, California) is a Major League Baseball right fielder who plays for the San Diego Padres (2003–present). Giles (pronounced JYLES) attended Granite Hills High School and did not attend college, but played with the Cleveland Indians (1995–1998) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1999–2003). He bats and throws left-handed. His brother Marcus Giles is a second baseman for the Atlanta Braves.
Contents |
[edit] Career Highlights
He was selected for the All-Star Game in 2000 and 2001.
[edit] Cleveland to Pittsburgh
Brian Giles was never used in a full-time role with the star-studded Indians, but was traded to the Pirates for left-handed reliever Ricardo Rincon. Giles was given a starting role on a below-average Pittsburgh club. He quickly established a reputation for being one of the best — and most underappreciated — players in baseball. Until suffering a knee injury near the beginning of the 2003 season, he had played in 140 games each season since 1999. Every year in that span, he hit 35 home runs, posted an on base percentage over .400, and had a slugging percentage over .590. A fixture at the #3 spot in the Pirates batting order, he played all three outfield positions adequately and even chipped in 40 steals over those four years. His consistency, good power to all fields, and outstanding plate discipline (he averaged 109 walks and 73 strikeouts per year) made him one of the most feared batters in the National League.
Giles got off to a slow start by his standards in 2003, probably because of his knee injury, which sidelined him for nearly a month. On returning, his power production seemed to have dipped slightly, which was enough to convince the cash-strapped Pirates to trade him to San Diego for cheaper youngsters Jason Bay, Oliver Perez, and Cory Stewart in August. He was a bit of a disappointment to the Padres in his first full season there — in 2004 he hit only 23 home runs, while his OPS dipped to .849 from the over 1.000 he averaged over his four full seasons in Pittsburgh — but some of the decline in his numbers was attributed to issues in adjusting to San Diego's expansive home field Petco Park.
Giles bounced back in 2005, leading the Padres in batting average (.301), RBI (83), runs (92), and OPS (.905). Giles also led the major leagues in walks with 119, becoming the first National League player other than Barry Bonds to do so since Jeff Bagwell in 1999. The team benefited from his improved play, as the Padres won their first National League West title since 1998. Giles is an example of the kind of player sabermetrics finds to be underrated. His batting average is not spectacular, but his on-base percentage is consistently among the top 5 in the league.
[edit] See also
He also recently tied a Major League record by walking five times in a nine-inning game.
[edit] External links
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
- Baseball Library - accomplishments
- ESPN - profile and daily update
Categories: Major league players from California | 2000 National League All-Stars | 2001 National League All-Stars | Cleveland Indians players | Pittsburgh Pirates players | San Diego Padres players | Major league left fielders | Major league right fielders | 1971 births | Living people | People from San Diego | Kinston Indians players
