Hubie Brooks
Hubie Brooks | |
---|---|
Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
September 4, 1980, for the New York Mets | |
Last MLB appearance | |
July 2, 1994, for the Kansas City Royals | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .269 |
Home runs | 149 |
Runs batted in | 824 |
Teams | |
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Career highlights and awards | |
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Hubert "Hubie" Brooks (born September 24, 1956) is an American former
Early years
Brooks was drafted by the
Unlike Horner, who was assigned to the
New York Mets
Brooks debuted as a September call-up in 1980. In 24 games, Brooks batted .309 with 1 home run and 10
Given the Mets' historic instability[
He set a Mets record with a 24-game
Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos shortstops batted .212 with no home runs and 35 RBIs in 1984. Thus, the team went into the offseason looking to upgrade at that position. On December 10, 1984, the Expos and Mets pulled off the blockbuster deal of the Winter Meetings when the Mets sent Brooks, pitcher Floyd Youmans, catcher Mike Fitzgerald, and outfielder Herm Winningham to the Expos for perennial All-Star catcher Gary Carter.[5]
Plugged into the clean-up spot in Montreal's batting order, Brooks blossomed into a Silver Slugger Award–winning shortstop in 1985. He drove in a career-high 100 runs, which led the team and was second only to Cal Ripken Jr. among major league shortstops (110). Brooks was batting .333 with 14 home runs and 54 RBIs at the 1986 All-Star break to earn his first All-Star selection.[6] Five games after the break, however, he tore ligaments in his left thumb, ending his season.[7] He was named the NL's Silver Slugger at short for a second season in a row regardless of his time missed.
Three games into the 1987 season, Brooks was again sidelined by injury, this time by a hairline fracture of his right wrist.[8] When he returned to the field, he resumed his role as the top slugging shortstop in the National League. Despite having missed more than a month of play with his wrist injury, Brooks clubbed 7 home runs and drove in 30 runs to earn his second consecutive All-Star nod. The game went into extra innings and was won by the National League when Brooks and Ozzie Virgil Jr. scored on Tim Raines' triple in the thirteenth inning.[9]
Following an injury to minor league outfield prospect
Brooks responded with one of his best offensive seasons, batting .279 with 90 RBIs and a career-high 20 home runs. He spent one more season in right field for the Expos before departing via free agency.Los Angeles Dodgers
The Atlanta Braves expressed interest in signing Brooks and returning him to third base for the
Brooks batted .266 with 20 home runs and 91 RBIs in his only season with the Dodgers, after which he was traded back to the New York Mets for pitchers Greg Hansell and Bob Ojeda.[13]
Brooks was unhappy about this trade,[14] and it resulted in a poor performance on the field. He batted .238 with 16 home runs and 50 RBIs through 103 games when his 1991 season was cut short by a pinched nerve in his back.[15]
California Angels
On December 10, 1991, the Mets traded him to the California Angels for outfielder Dave Gallagher,[16] reuniting him with his former Expos manager, Buck Rodgers. Brooks was used as the designated hitter by Rodgers, and batted .213 with 7 home runs and 30 RBIs until a sprained neck sidelined his 1992 season.[17] He returned in the beginning of September, with John Wathan replacing Rodgers as manager, but hit just one home run and drove in just six in limited play over the rest of the season.
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals signed Brooks to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring training for the
Career stats
Games | PA
|
AB
|
Runs | Hits | 2B | 3B | HR
|
RBI
|
SB | BB
|
SO | Avg. | OBP | Slg. | Fld% |
1645 | 6476 | 5974 | 656 | 1608 | 290 | 31 | 149 | 824 | 64 | 387 | 1005 | .269 | .315 | .403 | .953 |
At the time of his dismissal, Brooks was the active major league leader in games played without making it to the post season (1,645). After the end of his career, Brooks received no votes from the
References
- ^ Plaschke, Bill (April 4, 1990). "When Grief Hit, So Did He". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ^ Dan Even (June 17, 1977). "World Series of Colleges Slated Tonight at Omaha". Bangor Daily News. p. 19.
- ^ "Brooks' Three Errors Tie Mark". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. May 11, 1981. p. 2.
- ^ "Ray Knight Sees New Life as a Met". Evening Independent. August 29, 1984. p. 4C.
- St. Petersburg Times. p. C1 & C3.
- ^ "1986 Major League Baseball All-Star Game". Baseball-Reference.com. July 15, 1986.
- ^ "'86 Season is Over for Brooks, 'Fitz'". The Gazette (Montreal). August 4, 1986. p. D1.
- ^ "National League; Astros Off to Their Best Start". The New York Times. April 13, 1987.
- ^ "1987 Major League Baseball All-Star Game". Baseball-Reference.com. July 14, 1987.
- Star-Banner. p. 7D.
- ^ Bill Zack (December 12, 1989). "Brooks Next on Braves' List". Times-News (Hendersonville, North Carolina). p. 17.
- ^ Murray Chass (December 22, 1989). "Dodgers Sign Brooks for $6 Million". The New York Times.
- ^ Murray Chass (December 16, 1990). "Baseball; Brooks Returns to Mets". The New York Times.
- ^ "Ex-Dodger Brooks Isn't Happy About Being Traded to Mets". Deseret News. December 17, 1990. p. D5.
- ^ "Mets May Lose Brooks". Lawrence Journal-World. August 27, 1991. p. 2B.
- ^ Murray Chass (December 11, 1991). "Baseball; Mets Subtract Brooks But Don't Add a Pitcher". The New York Times.
- The Telegraph (Nashua). p. C4.
- ^ "Brooks Cut by Royals". Lawrence Journal-World. July 15, 1994. p. 2C.
- ^ Chris Haft (January 12, 2000). "Perez makes Hall of Fame". The Cincinnati Enquirer.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Hubie Brooks at Baseballbiography.com
- Hubie Brooks at Ultimate Mets Database